YardSailr offers pickers a chance to locate their rusty gold
A Naperville man and his business partner have created a website and app that gives yard-sale enthusiasts a chance to shop more easily and throughout the year.
Gaurav Khurana, 41, of Naperville is co-founder of YardSailr.com, which started in April. His business partner Steven Carter, 48, is based in Los Angeles. Together they offer shoppers an opportunity to find garage sales based on location or specific items. Sellers can use the app if they are hosting an outdoor yard sale or simply selling a few items from inside their home.
The free app for iPhone or Androids has no transaction fees for either the buyer or seller, Khurana said.
"Our goal was simple. We wanted to create a commercial tech product that would make the buying and selling process of garage sales easier," he said.
He added that they developed the website and app, not so much based on need, but for those who are passionate about garage sales and enjoy using technology. Although other similar apps are available, YardSailr is unique in many ways, he said.
First, he said, consumers can buy and sell items in bulk. Sellers will have the ability to showcase multiple items with multiple pictures of each of them.
The app also has a built-in messaging system that lets buyers and sellers connect. So, there is no need for lengthy emails, he added.
Buyers then can use GPS on their smartphones to more easily find garage sales. This is specially useful for the buyers, who are always on the lookout for garage sales but don't have time to search and end up just driving around until they hit one.
The app also takes away the need to get permissions to host a sale from subdivisions and apartment management. Sellers and buyers can connect from the comfort of their smartphones year-round without concern for the weather, he said.
"What usually takes sellers a few weeks to organize a garage sale, can now be done within a day or two using the app," he said.
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