Christchurch start-up aims to simplify second-hand selling
Canterbury University student developing it as a handy decluttering tool
A new platform designed to simplify second-hand selling is being developed by a University of Canterbury student hoping to make decluttering easier for New Zealanders.
Final-year civil engineering student Zac Hemmings was inspired to create Cluttr during the university's Summer Startup Programme, after discovering he had accumulated thousands of dollars' worth of unused goods.
“I had a big bill to pay, my car sort of went boom and I thought how am I going to pay for that?” he said.
He made a list of everything he owned to see how much it was all worth.
“I was shocked at the amount.”
The idea led Hemmings to develop Cluttr, a platform designed to help people declutter their homes without the hassle of listing, negotiating and arranging pickups.
Users upload photos of unwanted items, with artificial intelligence used to estimate their value, generate descriptions, and categorise the products.
Student resellers then collect, list, and sell the items on behalf of the users.
“The idea is for people who have stuff, but don't have the time and energy to deal with selling it,” Hemmings said.
“No strangers at the door, no arranging pick-ups, no awkward negotiations.”
Cluttr is currently offering its online service to people in Christchurch, with a full app to follow. “The focus right now is getting traction in the real world. The app will come later,” Hemmings said.
Hemmings said the platform could also help reduce waste by keeping reusable goods circulating in the economy for longer.
According to the WASTEMINZ website, around 40% of waste sent to class one landfills in New Zealand could be diverted.
“Every item Cluttr resells is an item that doesn't end up in a skip,” Hemmings said.
“We're not trying to be the next Facebook Marketplace. New Zealand throws away millions of dollars' worth of reusable goods every year. We want to build the infrastructure that changes that and helps people let go of what they don't need.”
Hemmings plans to continue testing Cluttr in Christchurch before eventually expanding the service to other New Zealand cities.