Electronics Marketplace Swappa Enters Austin Market

AUSTIN, TX — Kansas City-based Swappa, known as the safe and friendly marketplace to buy and sell used consumer electronics, has entered the Austin market, company officials announced on Wednesday.

In heralding its arrival, the expansion-minded firm said it is poised to "challenge traditional local online traditional local online marketplaces with its innovative "people-powered" practices and 'no junk' ” policies. To that end, beginning Thursday, June 27, Swappa will launch its local service in Austin, one of its five initial launch markets, officials said. Officials noted they also concurrently have entered the Dallas market.

"Aligning with the company’s commitment to safety and simplicity, Swappa Local is ready to transform the experience of buying and selling consumer electronics, and is on track to help its users pocket over $100 million this year," officials said in a press advisory.

While known as a "friendly” marketplace, officials said, Swappa also seeks to educate consumers on competitors’ shortcomings in protecting them from fraud and would-be scammers: "Unlike any other online marketplace, Swappa manually verifies devices and listings on the site to help ensure products are not lost, stolen, broken or financed. From iPhones and laptops to cameras and video games, Swappa is the first and only local marketplace for used tech that provides a thorough review process to screen devices before they are made available for sale."

Ben Edwards, founder and CEO of Swappa, said he knows firsthand about getting ripped off — an unfortunate personal experience but one that served as the inspiration for the virtual marketplace: “Being sold a blacklisted phone wasn't worth the high speed chase that almost happened, but it was the motivation to create a better, safer marketplace,” he said. “Our focus on safety is personal to me, having been ripped off using competitor sites. People want and need discounted tech and our goal has always been to connect buyers with gently used, fully functional devices. Swappa wants our users to trust the tech they buy. That’s why we review product listings, implement a unique photo verification process, and even verify serial numbers of all smartphones, the most popular products on the site.”

Officials described the new marketplace this way: With Swappa Local, buyers and sellers can browse and sell used personal technology devices in the local market on the platform. Once a seller is approved to list their product on Swappa Local and a potential buyer in the market selects the product to purchase, a safe and public meeting spot is clearly displayed on the site, as chosen by the seller and approved by Swappa. The buyer has the option to ask questions publicly and evaluate the seller’s ratings and reviews prior to making a purchase. Once the buyer is ready to purchase, the buyer and seller are given access to a private sale page for direct communication, the buyer pays a small upfront deposit, and the listing is then immediately removed from the Swappa site as a convenience to the seller. The buyer and seller meet at the predetermined, safe and public location, where the seller receives the remaining payment and the buyer tests and accepts the device.

Unique to Swappa is its dedication to remaining "people-powered," officials added. In addition to its “no junk” policy, enforced by manually approving every listing on the site and verifying the serial number of cellular devices, Swappa also offers an active support team, monitors communication between buyers and sellers on the site, and enforces a “no jerks” policy by removing users who do not adhere to the site’s friendly policies.

"With Swappa Local, buyers and sellers in Austin may now confidently purchase or sell a newish phone, MacBook, and other consumer tech product the same-day at a great discount, with the reassurance of Swappa’s verification policies and commitment to safety," officials said. Sellers never pay a fee to list their products on Swappa, and are ensured fast payment for their devices once sold.

For more information and to list or shop for a personal technology product, visit Swappa.com.

About Swappa

Founded in 2010, Swappa is on a mission to offer the best marketplace for buying and selling used consumer electronics. Emphasizing safety, simplicity, low fees and the “human factor,” Swappa has grown to be the marketplace to buy and sell newish tech, with more than $100 million in commerce projected this year.