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Used.ca launches new mobile app

Local e-commerce site partnered with local tech start-up FreshWorks
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Used Victoria’s new app is being launched Tuesday. (Lauren Boothby/VICTORIA NEWS)

Used.ca is about to make your life even easier.

The free local classified website is launching their new app, allowing users to buy, trade and sell used items more efficiently. Users will be able to browse items based on region or proximity, or search in multiple regions at once. A new in-app chat feature will allow buyers and sellers to communicate with each other directly, and privately for more secure transactions.

Used.ca was launched in 2005 by Mark Rainer and Stephen Chan who had hoped to address landfill problems in Vancouver by recycling unwanted goods. By 2008 the site was recording 55 million page views per month and in 2014, the mobile site launched.

“It has been a long road to creating an app that provides our loyal users with a streamlined mobile experience,” said Lacey Sheardown, president and director of marketing at Used.ca.

The Victoria-based company kept it local, developing the app with FreshWorks, a Victoria tech start-up that specializes in developing and designing on mobile platforms.

“We pride ourselves on being a part of the fabric of our communities,” Sheardown said. “So it only made sense to partner with a company from within our community on this project. The team at FreshWorks have demonstrated a level of professionalism and technical expertise beyond their company’s young tenure.”

Used.ca has launched in 84 communities across Canada, from Victoria to P.E.I. focusing on families, sustainability and safety. The new app is available for download now.

kristyn.anthony@vicnews.com