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| Jul 26, 2013 |
FleaPop re-imagines the flea market experience
Boh staff
By Staff

“When my wife and I moved [to Laurel Canyon, CA] this past summer, we found that it was impossible to sell our furnishings in a meaningful way. We had great pieces that deserved to go to a good home, and we also wanted to shop the homes of others who might have great things to send off like we did. Hence, FleaPop was born,” said Ross Resnick, a serial entrepreneur whose business endeavors include Honest Tea and street food tracker Roaming Hunger.

Inspired by the traditional flea market as well as the trending pop-up store concept, FleaPop blends both ideas to create a new shopping experience. The site features a collection of online ‘pop-up’ shops that sell once loved, desirable home décor to a growing community of design-savvy and bargain-hungry buyers.

Resnick and Tecarro

Resnick met co-founder Jaireh Tecarro on a flight from New York to Los Angeles a few years back, and the pair has been collaborating on projects ever since. Tecarro cut her teeth in design by way of Silicon Valley startups, major Fortune 500 companies like Nokia and Nook, and the Stanford D.school. She’s designed products featured in Engadget, I.D. Magazine, The Verge, Techcrunch—and now FleaPop.

For the sellers, FleaPop removes the real-world hassle of selling at a traditional flea market. Each virtual pop-up shop can feature 1 to 100 items in a simple and organized way. FleaPop currently features a mix of collectors selling once-loved objects and makers selling handmade items.

Currently, the site showcases over 80 shops with over 1000 items, and expects to hit 500 shops by September. Its popularity can be attributed to the fact that, unlike other consignment sites that charge upwards of 40% commission, FleaPop charges 6% and no fee to list or setup a shop.

“FleaPop is a concept designed for the people, by the people,” said Resnick. “Shops are selling their own once-loved pieces, so we don’t believe that we should take a large cut off the top."

For the buyers, FleaPop offers a more curated and convenient shopping experience. The site also takes a social approach to commerce, similar to Etsy, creating community and trust, and taking the risk out of transactions.

“While FleaPop is an inclusive platform, we have definitely handpicked the featured shops for soft launch to set the right precedent,” said Resnick. “Moving forward, we have criteria in place to ensure a balanced offering of makers and collectors, and to ensure that there will be no questionable warehouses selling plastic-wrapped furniture fresh out of a shipping container on our site.”

Prices range from $25 to $10,000 and buyers can pay with credit card or PayPal. Currently, most sellers are located in the Los Angeles region so buyers can choose shipping or local pick-up.

FleaPop has also partnered with industry tastemakers, such as HGTV’s Jennifer Bertrand, to curate the site’s offerings. Bertrand’s first “collection” highlights bright whites in honor of the summer season.

“The bottom line is that we hope to make people’s lives easier,” said Resnick. “FleaPop is a new way for people who love design to connect with, sell to, and buy from each other. We want to make it easier for people to find new things to love and share the things they used to love in a safe and convenient way.”

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