Fledgling marketplace Buuy.co.uk has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds in order to invest in server capacity and grow their site. We’ve written about them before. Have you had a chance to explore the new site and what it offers?
As they say of the marketplace: “Buuy.co.uk, The No Fees UK Classifieds & Auction Marketplace is a simple, easy and Free to use marketplace that allows you to list and sell any item for FREE! It is Free to Join, Free to List and Free to Sell on Buuy.co.uk – NO COMMISSION! Whether it’s old, new, secondhand, handmade, upcycled or recycled – we want it all on Buuy.co.uk! Help make Buuy the #UK’s No 1 marketplace!” It’s hard to doubt their enthusiasm.
You can view the campaign they’ve launched here. Justin Hodnett, founder and CTO says of the fundraiser: “Since we went live in January, Buuy has continued to grow not weekly, but daily, getting to the point where now the servers that house the entire site need an upgrade themselves. Boosting the server space overall will enable us to push forward in making Buuy a household name and give unlimited space and resources to our ever growing members and, of course, their listings.”
“When you hear of tech starts up going for crowdfunding, you expects £millions, but not us, we know what we need and we’re not going to over fund ourselves. We know down to the last penny where the money is needed and that’s how it is.” All told they’re looking for £5k.
Frequently Tamebay readers say that they crave a viable alternative to eBay and the rest where they can make healthy sales and run a business. It’s not clear that Buuy has the potential to be that just yet, or where they are on their journey in terms of listings and buyers but, I guess, this is how it begins. There have been challengers before and it’s possible that Buuy could succeed. We wish them luck. But we’d also love to hear from anyone who has used the site as a seller.
25 Responses
There has always been the need for someone to offer what eBay does not, and platforms have tried and I have tried them all, I started listing and selling on Buuy when I closed my shop on eBay so around the second week in July.
I have read that Buuy has no chance, they can not compete, but when eBay started everyone thought the same, and look where they are now. But more importantly look what is costing now to sell on there.
Now is the time for change but that will never happen on eBay, they are working their way to catering for the big outlets and leaving behind those that established them in the first place.
So people reading this will wonder how buuy can compete? Well when I started there where around 40 shops and roughly 3,500 listings, there are now around 200 shops and well over 10,000 listings, that’s not bad for a month. I like the fact that ALL your listings are promoted and you do not have to pay for that ( Ebay ) that are seen on all social media sites and that can only be good. You read ” Buuy can only succeed if they where charging fee’s , well sorry people that is not what Buuy is about, they are determined never to charge fees, and I for one agree with that.
Even some of the shop owners are saying we do not mind paying some fees, but Buuy will not hear of it, the crowdfunding campaign is the only way to increase server capacity at the moment.
So as a seller I guess you are wondering if sales are coming, well I admit they are a little slower, but I am getting sales, as are many others, so it shows it can work. The main problem is convincing the die hard supporter’s of eBay that this can and will work. Moreover it should be the buyers that we need to convince, but that as we all know is never easy. They are fixated with the fact they have no other option but to shop on eBay thinking this is the only place for a bargain, those days are gone.
All I ask if you are a seller on eBay work out your costs and fees and see what profit you make on your item, and then compare it with the same sale on BUUY.
I would never say jump ship altogether, that would be insane, but adding items and having eggs in a few more baskets can’t be a bad idea.
You read in the eBay forums of how bad it is there, but the same people complain everyday but do nothing about it. You have to work at it, sitting there expecting eBay to get better is a long shot. The amount of people that judge before they try is unreal, try it and then have your say.
I am there, I am selling, and in all honesty I am enjoying the relaxed attitude of the buyers ad those involved in Buuy from the ground up.
I joined Buuy a couple of weeks ago and I’m loving it. If you’re sceptical of the whole free thing and wondering where the hidden costs are, there isn’t any, they really are 100% free.
Not only that, it’s a really simple place to sell. It’s a clean, easy to navigate layout that’s mobile friendly for both buyers and sellers with an ever growing variety of products. The community forum is a friendly place where people swap ideas, give feedback and generally help improve the site, plus the owners and admins actually listen, reply and make changes that people wan to see, that’s something you won’t ever get on certain other sites.
The whole site really feels like it’s picking up pace and ready to take it to the next level. All the marketplaces I’ve tried and looked into and binned off for one reason or another, this one feels like it can make a difference and give a real alternative to other sites as it grows. I for one am along for the ride and wish all the best for Buuy and its owners, I encourage anyone else to do the same, you really have nothing to lose.
How do BUUY make money to survive?
I opened a shop on Buuy a couple of weeks ago after becoming concerned that after 10 years of selling on eBay their fees are making it very difficult for me to continue in a competative way meaning less and less sales which will ultimately close my business
I am not technically minded but found Buuy simple to list on and to buy on
Their forum is second to none for support as is the Buuy team.
I see Buuy as the first real alternative to eBay that has ever happened.
As there are no fees I can offer excellent prices for my products.
In just two weeks I have seen it gain incredible momentum and long may it continue
With respect Alan, the vast majority of us on Buuy are all from eBay, and have years of experience on there. I have been on there since 2007 and yes it was doing good up until a year ago when they changed everything. There is NO excuse for poor sales every weekend, but it happens and continues to happen. It is not the seller it’s the platform, sellers who where doing well have done nothing to change so sales would and should continue, but it is where eBay have changed that has made the difference.
You have only got to read the eBay forums, full of complaints regarding lack of sales, lack of visibility and so on. It was not like that a year ago, so something has changed and changed for the worse.
Alan,
I do not have a niche category I list in many. And I am still getting sales but weekends are dead, I contacted CS a while back and I was talking to them for about 45 minutes and brought up the visibility at weekends and the poor sales. Of course they denied the fact that listings are not hidden at weekends, using their standard copy & paste replies. But low and behold 20 minutes into the conversation and I guess with out proof reading their reply that admitted that at the weekends traffic IS directed to the bigger stores and the top rated sellers. Quote” During weekends traffic is dedicated to the bigger outlets and all top rated sellers ” I have that saved in my messages. Of course they again denied it saying that was sent in error. Now it may be the case but when you copy & paste replies you tend not to read them first well CS do. I was top rated, I am a power seller, I have jumped through all the hoops but because my name is not Argos – Tesco – ETC sales just die at weekends. This being a bank holiday I expect nothing great. All I can say is the shutters are down for small business sellers at weekends. Of course there are those that are still getting sales but no where near what they used to get.
I have said I have had sales on Buuy and yes I agree no where near what it should be but new ventures take time, as eBay did at the start. Considering all it takes is time for listing I am willing to try anything. There will come a time when those dedicated to eBay and can’t see past them. Everything changes, but I do not expect eBay to change for the better, those days are gone.
Cut it ,dice it ,boil it ,fry it
Anyway you want to ,
this buuy is a straw grasped by the desperate
I would rather pay eBay
And make a sale
than
Use buuy and live in hope and wonder
So Northumbrian you are saying to not have all your eggs in one basket is desperation?
I don’t think so.
I pay eBay also and yes I am getting sales – I don’t pay Buuy and again I am getting sales. I know where the biggest profits are.
There is no reason not to list items on other platforms, so it is not desperate as you seem to think. What is short sighted is not looking beyond eBay and they love people like you. I like how people can slam an idea before it gets going, automatically dismiss it without even trying, think back if everyone had your attitude when eBay first started.
I myself will continue to give other venues a chance, I of course will still list on eBay but have been cutting my fees down weekly. If the other venues do not work then of course I will have to rely on eBay, but at least I would be secure in the knowledge I tried to move away from eBay and succeed beyond eBay.
Just so you know, I am not desperate: I have my own website that I get sales on, Amazon , Buuy, eBay & a few others. I will never rely on eBay fully because the future looks bleak & the cost is only ever going to go one way. ^^^^
But everyone is entitled to their opinion …..
I feel the people who are negative about the new Buuy site are just too stuck in their ways. As has been pointed out, it really is completely free so why not list a few of your best sellers on there? You can price your items a little cheaper on Buuy than ebay & still make a higher profit. When your sales start to build up, list more items. I for one cannot see why people don’t give it a bit of a go!!
You both talk about not giving other venues a chance. Well I am sure we are all aware and will not argue that eBay at the moment is the best platform out there. No argument from me on that, but they know it as well. That is why every update they do will cost you more or you will have to jump through more hoops to suit them.
They treat everyone there as their business when in fact they are not. At some point sellers will realise that it is their business and NOT eBay’s.
What platform in the right mind would block people from allowing people to contact their sellers and request certain information? eBay does and even both of you have to take that on the chin regardless of how stupid it is. Sales are being lost because eBay don’t want you to contact buyers, they are scared of outside sales. It’s just pathetic. What recourse have you both got for that, I guess it would be the same attitude as eBay, It;s our platform we do what we want and that’s it. No logical understanding at all.
People want and need another alternative and if Buuy is not it, it will not stop people looking, we as sellers did not create this need, eBay did.
But to run people down for trying another venue is just plain pathetic. You might just as well tell them to give up selling online for good.
Also bare in mind some of the people posting and selling are long time sellers and have been doing this for years. Me personally have been buying & selling for 30+ years, so I do have some idea how it all works.
Anyone who can honestly say eBay has changed for the better is in a dream world .. and the vast majority of sellers would agree. By looking at the forum and Down Detector it is clear to a blind man how unhappy sellers are. This is not my opinion it’s fact. You can not deny what is staring you in the face.
Like I said before you will never convince people there are other options when they just can’t see past the eBay fixation they have or have had for years. I said in an earlier post what CS sent me via chat message, that was mot in error it was a slip up on their part.
For a platform to admit to that tells me it stinks to the core of the company. But they will not care as long as people keep paying shop fees regardless of sales.
A while back shop fees went up for a basic shop, it went from £19.99 – £25.00 then with the added vat it went to £30 am I supposed to believe that eBay did not know the VAT increase was coming? Of course they new and that is the sole reason they increased shop fees before the VAT came into effect. So an increase from £19.99 – £30.00 Just plain crafty and greedy.
Sorry but you have your opinion and I have mine, I will not change mine and you will not change yours. eBay will not benefit from me but will from you.
i apologise for going off topic above. This thread is meant to be about buuy.
Like Northumbrian above I do wish them all the success and hope that it succeeds. However, when posts compare buuy to ebay ….. well there is not really a comparison …… there is a massive gulf between the two platforms.
When folk then try to bridge that gulf by bringing ebay down…….well thats just bad practice.
When I finish all my work on ebay and Amazon i will look at buuy as a supplement. I do wish them all the best.
for near 2 decades now every few months or so a new venue comes along promising all that ebay is not , and yet also promise all that ebay is,
the simple facts are they and sellers all need buyers
focusing on sellers does not work. ,
the blurb that prices are less because of no fees is not sensible
we want to sell for more ,not less