A few weeks ago I published a post about my strong dislike of online buy, sell, trade groups. If you haven’t read that post, but you’ve been a part of any of these groups on the buying or selling end you will want to read it. But, for the sake of time, I will condense what I wrote into a few sentences. I don’t like these groups as people may not be as interested as they seem to be, I don’t like strangers coming to my house to buy things and I find that even thought we have decided on a price some buyers will try to finagle a better deal in person as you are selling the item.
So what is a parent to do? If you are like me and purchased expensive items for your kids and some of those said items are in excellent or very good condition, I totally understand wanting to recoup money. It should be a win-win situation for everyone involved. Parents get awesome stuff for their kids at a great price, and instead of that high chair in brand new condition sitting in my basement it is in a new home being used! Wrong! Well, sometimes. I’ve had so many issues with buy, sell and trade groups, that I get so turned off of selling my items. Thank goodness we have a lot of storage space in our basement because I have lots of a great baby and kids stuff sitting around collecting dust.
If you are in the Toronto area you will want to know about this amazing parent-to-parent marketplace called Murray & Bee. I really do believe this is the answer to a lot of issues that I have with online buy, sell, trade groups. Started by two local Toronto moms, they are committed to helping other parents buy and sell their items in a safe and efficient manner.
Unlike online buy, sell, and trade groups or Craigslist and Kijiji, Murray & Bee have people behind the website. What does that mean? It means that if there are any issues, from setting up your profile or problems with a seller (which they reported they have had none yet), there are people who will help you figure out the issue. They also have a dispute resolution policy and you will be supported to figure out a solution with a real person!
Again unlike other sell sites, where you are exchanging cash when you pick up your items, all of the transactions are secure and cashless. Prior to picking up your item, the buyer is able to transfer money to the seller so it is all safe and secure. You can even do the transaction from your smartphone in person and is instantaneous if you wanted to check out a bigger ticket item like a crib or a stroller prior to purchasing it. I love this! It will help ease the awkwardness of people trying to bargain with you at the last second.
I often feel unsafe about giving my address to strangers to come and buy items from me and prefer to meet in public spaces like a coffee shop or a mall. Murray & Bee offers local Bee Hives which are retail stores that people can come and make their exchanges. Isn’t that amazing? They ask you shoot the retail location a quick email prior to coming just as a heads up, but this adds an extra safety measure to their service which I so appreciate. The retail locations of the Hives are also really awesome local shops so while you are buying and/or selling make sure to check them out!
Another pro of Murray & Bee is that it is curated so you don’t have to worry about your posts getting lost. They feature items sellers have listed at different times and don’t charge to be featured like a sponsored post on Kijiji or Craigslist. This means when the weather changes and it gets cold, all the listed gear that are appropriate will be highlighted. It is also easy to search for items. No need to scroll through listings that your eyes start to cross and get frustrated because you can’t find what you are looking for!
As a mom, Murray & Bee is more than just a marketplace to buy and sell your baby and child related items. They really strive to create a community. They do so on a few ways. Firstly, users go by their name instead of a random handle. This makes it a much more personable place to interact with someone. I would rather interact with Gabi M than skatergirl9687. Right? Also, users are encouraged to upload their picture, again, putting a face to the name and making it more of a community! You can also rate and comment on a sellers page to comment on your interaction and the purchase. Pretty awesome! As well, Murray & Bee gives back to the community by supporting an amazing charity called The New Mom Project.
Be sure to check Murray & Bee out! Follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
P.S. I’ll be doing a big purge of lots of great baby and kids items so be on the look out for my stuff. Find me on Murray & Bee as Renee K 🙂
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. However, all of my opinions are mine and I really do believe that Murray & Bee is an amazing solution for parents wanting to buy and sell their baby gear.
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