Throwing stuff away sucks. Since young, I never liked throwing away something when it started to break. I would always try to take it apart and pretend I knew how to fix it up (albeit with the first few attempts ending in failure). When my “quick fix” wasn’t that quick, and when my parents or older sibling had bought a replacement the next day, I would negotiate for a chance to find a new home for the repaired item.
From time to time, I would also try to do the same with items we found collecting dust in our “bomb shelter” (our storage space in Singapore apartments double as the bomb shelter). Did you watch Toy Story? THESE THINGS DO HAVE SOULS!
?Big Idea: Cheap Consumer Products
Since the 90s, corporations have manufactured items that usually break down soon after the warranty period so that consumers will have to keep buying their products. That’s why your 30-year-old AC unit still works when your new 5✅✅✅✅✅ AC you bought since the last renovation 5 years ago needs replacing. Why do you think your kettle only cost S$20-30 now? Because you have to replace it in a couple of months, that’s why.
The first time I passed something off to a friend’s older brother, he asked, “How much do you want for it?” I was so psyched. I replied, “$2”.
I felt a rush of fulfillment. I was hooked.
Fast forward to recent years: I was slogging at a fast-paced and high-stress full-time job. My stress-reliever was often retail therapy. One of my biggest obsessions: backpacks. At one point of time, I had over 30 bags from Bellroy, Timbuk2, Aer and the like. It was affecting me. I felt like a glutton. I felt like the kid who ate 30 scoops of his favourite ice cream in one seating. I felt sick. My source of stress-relief was starting to be a new source of stress. I had to do something. I had to detox— I had to de-clutter.
And I set a new rule for myself: If I want to get a new bag, I have to remove one from this collection. After a while, I found it difficult to want to buy a new bag because, well, the new bag wasn’t better than any of these 8 I already had. Hopefully one day I get to reduce this number too.
Big Idea?: De-clutter your life, one thing at a time
Physically de-cluttering your life actually helps to alleviate some of the anxiety you might have from living in a crowded and competitive city like Singapore. Once you build the habit of physically de-cluttering, you should feel more empowered to keep things organised and optimised.
Carousell is by far one of my favourite made-in-Singapore apps (Nestia, anyone?) You can buy, sell, re-sell, and even advertise your corporate or home business on it. Here are some reasons why it’s my daily go-to.
1. The Explore Page is Constantly Curated
Just look at that logo. Savour it with your eyes. Love it. My graphic design background just appreciates a beautiful logo like that. If you didn’t know, the logo is a combination of a camera (the red silhouette) + C and carousel chairs/seats to round off the look of a camera lens, I think.
Anyway. When you open up the app, you land on the Explore Page. I usually check ‘Your Daily Picks’ – personalised according to listings you’ve liked ❤️ or sellers you follow, or jump into the tagged category where the app curates listings based on timely categories. I mean, take a look at those dinosaur hand puppets, guys. Super cool. And this would be the only way I would chance upon it, other than searching for it specifically. Father’s Day just passed and this would have been a great way to get something inexpensive if you were on a budget. Some sellers even sell brand new items.
2. You can sell (almost) anything within a few clicks(taps)
Easy as 1,2,3. Take a few photos, click on the category, and then detail the condition of the item. You can even specify a convenient location to deal at. I normally do meet-ups if it’s electronics so the buyer can test it out when we meet. I used to meet my ‘buyers’ at Tai Seng MRT station near my previous workplace.
From taking photos to selling, it’s a seamless experience. I have not seen another app able to match this. Not yet, anyway.
3. The Mobile Listings Are So Intuitive to Browse Through
Once you click on the listing, everything you need to know is there. You’ll be greeted first with the pictures of the item, which is usually a good way to tell if the item is in a condition that is acceptable to you. If you scroll down, you’ll see a description where there might be details of a flaw in the item that is not identifiable in the pictures (sellers: do this! be honest!). Right below that, you can see the dealing options. If you’re nearby, that’s great! Otherwise, check if the seller has a mailing option that you prefer.
Once you’re okay, you can start chatting with the seller to lock down the deal. If you don’t like the condition of the item, just scroll down and you can browse through other similar listings.
I also appreciate that the seller’s rating is shown, as you can make a quick assessment of whether the seller is trustworthy. I have a 5-star rating based on 343 positive reviews (I lie, only 342 positive reviews, 1 was negative).
4. The Profile & Rating System Opens Up A Whole New World
If you are paranoid, you can click on the seller’s profile to read his reviews. What I normally do is sort by lowest rating first. If there are no patterns of repeated bad reviews, then this seller is most likely legit. I like to view this page because it’s a form of validation of how good a buyer/seller I am ? I also like to click on the profiles of those who left me good feedback to see if they’re selling anything interesting. That Nerf gun looks fun.
Big Idea?: Watch out for Scams!
If you see a deal that’s too good to be true, always check the seller’s ratings. Scammers tend to use throwaway accounts and they usually don’t have any ratings. If you can wait to make payment after goods are received, then all the better. Scammers use common tactics such as asking you to transfer to them the payment first, or communicating outside the app. DO NOT DO IT IF IN DOUBT. Find another seller.
But fret not, Carousell is always clamping down on scammers. If you do get scammed, make sure you report via the app and make a police report immediately.
Some helpful sources:
– https://support.carousell.com/hc/en-us/articles/115009696128-How-to-deal-safely-on-Carousell
– https://singaporelegaladvice.com/law-articles/carousell-seller-uncontactable
5. Incredible Engagement And Updates
Remember the Explore Page? Well, they have updates like these on that page that you can tap into. Very informative and insightful, and they also give discount coupons for delivery services! So rad.
Final Thoughts
Now that the app has gotten more popular, there are many more good (and bad) buyers and sellers. I often see Spotlight Ads for property listings and cars too. Quite cool. But a point of frustration is that sometimes the chat notifications are delayed.
Because this app is super easy and even has a web version to use while I’m on my desktop, I’ve been having a blast using it. Overall, I’ve only had one or two bad encounters, but generally, buyers/sellers are good. I feel freer using it and get paid to do so. In fact, my family members have been passing me things to sell too. I even helped some friends to sell some of their “old junk” on the app (please insist on taking a cut otherwise they might dump more things on you…). Who’s the modern Karung Guni, now?
P.S. for some unintended laughs check out Carou-hell. Serious buyers only.
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