Download This App: Barter Bay takes the money (and stress) out of online selling

Download This App is an ongoing series that highlights the most life-changing apps that Vancouverites need to know about. Only on Daily Hive.

The app

Sometimes you’re in the mood for an upgrade. From appliances and furniture to miscellaneous items you’ve had lying around, there comes a time where you’d like it off your hands. Barter Bay is a new app that takes the act of trying to sell items online back to basics in a genius way: It removes money from the equation entirely.

Why it’s a big deal

If you’ve ever had to deal with the tiny hell that is selling on eBay, you’ll know why this is amazing. Packing an item, shipping it away, and waiting for your money to come to you through Paypal (minus their fees, of course) can take years off your life from the stress alone.

Barter Bay allows you to go back to the original form of buying and selling: Bartering. Instead of endlessly haggling over prices, or nervously meeting someone at a coffee shop with a wad of 20s in your pocket in exchange for a used iPad, you can trade your stuff for theirs. It’s simple, it’s elegant, and it makes the act of redecorating your home feel less like an episode of The Wire.

Let’s be real: None of us have any square footage to spare while living in Vancouver. So being smart about the items you buy (and how many of them you can hoard at once) is a top priority. And trading out your old items for something you need anyway is just smart.

Are you ready to barter?/Image: Barter Bay

How it works

This app keeps things simple, which is why we love it. To post an item of your own, you simply need to snap a picture of it and upload it to the Barter Bay app. It’ll be added to your Trading Deck, and then it’s time for you to go shopping for something that catches your eye.

You can browse for items by category and location, and search for specific items that have been on your mind. There’s a basic chat system for you to reach out to and barter (oh, now we get it!) with other users once you find something you like. Then it’s as simple as you two comparing your trading decks, agreeing on the items to swap, and meeting up to make the trade.

You can even track your items and transaction history just in case you lose track of all the hot deals you’re throwing down. No cash, no more Facebook Marketplace ghosting, and no more Craigslist. It’s time to bring the joy back into making deals with people in your city, and Barter Bay wants to lead the way.

Download this app

Barter Bay is proudly developed and based in Vancouver. Download it at the Google Play and iTunes stores today.

Plus, they’re having a special giveaway event for all users of the app right now: Just post an item by March 31, 2018 and stand a chance to win prizes, including the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones, Nintendo Switch, Samsung 55-inch TV, iPhone X or Macbook Pro.

Let’s get trading!