With the hope of creating a more sustainable way of life for everyone by tackling the increasing amount of waste generated, Barterrup was launched as a social initiative that provides people with the opportunity to boost shared consumption and create a sharing community.
And barely two months after its official launch on Aug 31, Barterrup has already created a community of around 36 users with about 55 listings on its website.
FMT spoke to the founder of the Barterrup team, Muhammad Arif, on the objective behind Barterrup. He notes that he and co-founder Saif Rizvi came up with the idea to create a swapping system during the Covid-19 pandemic after realising the need to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.
“We wanted to spread kindness and create sustainable ways of disposing of resources and products that would in turn reduce the amount of waste at landfills and help with (tackling) climate change.”
Becoming a member of the Barterrup community is simple. “Users just have to go to the website and sign up using their Google account, phone number or Facebook, and they will immediately be able to start posting listings and exchanging products with other users,” Muhammad explains.
Barterrup currently offers four barter services for its users.
“The first service we have is the ‘Barter’ option where users are able to exchange goods or services with others within the Barterrup community,” Muhammad tells FMT, adding that users are able to search for listings based on location and even by category. With their listings, users can also insert pictures of the products they are looking to trade.
“Users are able to list the products they are looking to swap and even note down what they expect in return, whether it is a service or products or even food,” says Muhammad, who once listed personal training on Barterrup and trained someone in return for tennis lessons.
“Once a swap has been organised, users are able to meet up or ship their products depending on their preference. This also allows people to connect with others out there and meet new people,” says Muhammad.
Other than that, Barterrup also offers a “Giveaway” option, whereby users are able to donate their belongings based on the needs of the NGOs listed on Baterrrup.
“As we are quite new, we currently only have one NGO listed on our website but will soon bring on more and hope to be able to provide them with the things they need,” Muhammad shares.
One unique service of Barterrup is the option for users to post the items they are in need of. This option comes under Barterrup’s “I-need” category where users are able to ask the community for items they require.
“Since the pandemic many people have been affected badly; this option allows them to list down the things that they need and hopefully connect them with a user who is able to provide it.”
There is more to the “I-need” feature than meets the eye, Muhammad says. “This option can even be used for users who are looking for more specific things, for example a book or a second-hand phone. All they have to do is post it up for others to see.”
The fourth option provided by Barterrup is the chance for startups to connect with each other and barter their resources.
“Startup founders are always pressed on resources; through this barter service, startups are able to swap their resources and complement each other’s resource gaps,” Muhammad notes.
Muhammad emphasises the importance of creating a sharing community for people to give away items or to find items they need as this will reduce consumerism in the long run.
The relatively new Barterrup hopes to continue to grow and create a more sustainable life for everyone.
“My hope is that as much of the population as possible will join in on this sharing community,” Muhammad says.
For better visibility and reach, Barterrup is continuing to improve its website to ensure that more users can benefit from it.
Interested in being a part of the barter community? Do check out Barterrup and visits its Facebook profile to begin your bartering journey.