Innovation & Technology Innovation & Technology

Yerdle Becomes First Nationwide Sharing Retailer with New, Low-Cost Shipping Option

Yerdle, the online marketplace where shoppers in the greater San Francisco and New York City areas can give and get things for free, today becomes available across the country by providing low-cost, flat rate shipping for $2-4 nationwide. Yerdle has also updated its iPhone app to offer enhanced discovery browsing, a re-designed home screen, a new social “activity feed,” and a simplified shopping cart.

By Jennifer Elks | Published 10 years ago | About a 2 minute read

Now the first national sharing retailer for gently used things, yerdle members give away items that they no longer need, and in turn, they earn credits to spend on things that they want. Yerdle uses an auction model and “Get It Now” feature, making it easy to shop for anything imaginable, from kitchenware and electronics to camping gear and clothing. With nationwide shipping, yerdle aims to make it as easy for to someone to get a blender on yerdle for the $4 shipping price as it is to buy a new one on Amazon.

"We want people to rethink the way they shop,” said yerdle co-founder Adam Werbach. “We’ve spent the last few months testing our credits and auction-style sharing system with members in San Francisco. Adding low-cost, simple nationwide shipping is the final step to making using yerdle easier than buying new.”

How yerdle works

Yerdle is easy for users on both sides of equation:

Download the yerdle app on your iOS device or sign up for the daily email over the web, to see the new items available each day. Sign in through Facebook or GooglePlus and become part of the yerdle community.
Everyone gets 250 credits to start bidding; get more credits for giving things away. Yerdle is a community experience powered by generosity.
Start sharing by posting a photo and writing a short description.
Items are posted on yerdle for 5-7 days and the highest bid wins (or can be won immediately through “Get It Now” for a set amount).
Getters can pay $2-4 for flat-rate shipping or pick their items up locally. If shipping items, givers now get a pre-paid shipping label from yerdle, enabling them to ship from their doorstep via USPS.

“Yerdle is creating inventory from closets and garages across the country,” said Adam Lowry, co-founder of Method Products and yerdle angel investor. “It's taking collaborative consumption to the masses by helping people reevaluate their relationships with their things, enabling a liquidity previously unfathomable. People can easily let go of the things they don't need, and receive something they do. That's a whole new line of thinking that is going to reshape the way the retail industry works."