Accumulated too much stuff in 2014? Instead of letting it sit in a corner and gather dust, share it around!
In many parts of the world, it is the season of giving. It is also the season of post-Christmas sales, way too many secret santa presents and, now, taking the first step towards the globalisation of the Black Friday sales. If, like me, you spend this time taking stock of the year that was, take a quick look around and see what new items you were treated with or you treated yourself to. Got anything that has languished in a corner or that has not reached the end of its lifecycle but was nonetheless replaced with another product? Get involved in the booming sharing economy and the rewards are twofold: you can get some value out of your unwanted goods and ease your impact on the environment by encouraging yourself and others to borrow, loan or purchase goods secondhand instead of buying them outright.
Shop with Things
The app Yerdle is like an online marketplace of sorts. Except, as they say in The Shining, your money is no good here. Instead, the idea is to trade your unwanted goods against credits which you can then use to ‘purchase’ other secondhand goods that other members of the community are looking to trade. The team behind the app has a pretty clear and direct mission of reducing the number of new items people purchase by 25 percent. Download the app for iPhone here.
Cos I’m Freeeee…Freecyclin’
OK sorry about the poor Tom Petty paraphrasing. Freecycling (basically swapping or giving away your unwanted goods) has been around in some form or other for eons and the advent of technology has helped freecyclers around the world in keeping their storage closets empty. The Freecycle Network has a worldwide database of more than eight million freecyclers. Simply search on their website for groups in your area and start swapping.
Barter Bing, Barter Boom
Upgraded your mobile phone this year but your old one still works? On the hunt for a decent used camera and want to offer guitar-playing tips? The website TradeYa allows users to do a good ol’ fashioned barter deal to trade not just secondhand goods but also services and skills.
Have we piqued your interest? Check out our Knowledge article on the Sharing Economy for more background info and our Act Now article on the subject to get started. Happy sharing!
RESET wishes everyone a safe and prosperous new year!
