Buy and Sell Stuff Locally using Ketup

Anybody who has purchased goods online is familiar with the many infamous user-powered eCommerce websites. Craigslist, eBay and Kajiji are just a few names which come to mind. These are all great for purchasing unique items from anybody in your local area, or even anywhere in the world.

What makes Ketup so different is the ability to connect with anybody right from your mobile phone. You can access the Ketup marketplace from your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. The app uses your current location to determine any sellers in your local area. This is a really cool application to try out if you’re into the buying/selling game, plus it’s totally free! More about the app after the jump. 

Getting Started

After launching Ketup you’ll be asked to authenticate an account through Facebook. Unfortunately the only way you can list goods or purchase anything is through a FB connected account. I personally really wish the developers would allow an alternative such as Twitter, since there are many people who don’t use Facebook.

But Ketup does allow you to browse listings and search even if you don’t want to register. You will just be limited in functionality and you can’t purchase anything or follow any other user accounts. But of course, it’s not much trouble to signup for Facebook just to get through and access Ketup’s many user-centric features.

Sign Up with Facebook

If you do have a Facebook account it’s super easy to register. Just tap the Sign In button or any of the bottom UI tabs. You’ll be redirected to Mobile Safari where you should log into Facebook. Then tap the button “Allow All” and you’ll be sent back into Ketup to complete the connection.

Your new account will pull details from your Facebook photo, username and e-mail address. You’ll be offered a litany of additional options for e-mail notifications and push notifications on your mobile device. It doesn’t take much effort to register, and Ketup manages all the backend labor.

You should be greeted with a completion screen where you can now choose how to browse the application. If you want to invite people from Facebook to join there are tools you can use to target your friends. Otherwise, you can browse through local items or try and sell your own.

Location-Based Searches

There are plenty of items you may want to purchase locally as opposed to dealing with shipment. One such idea is furniture and household accessories(lamps, tables, chairs, etc.). This stuff would be difficult or even impossible to send via postal delivery. Plus, most of the time you’ll want to check out the condition of the object personally to make sure it’s up to par.

Tapping on the Map button in the top right corner will switch from listings to map pins. You can swipe around and find local sellers for nearly anything — clothes, electronics, games, couches, it’s a great feature! Since the network is still very small there aren’t hundreds of listings to flip through. But in any case you could use the search/filter fields and limit to a specific query.

Product Details

If you switch back into list view and swipe down through some options you’ll notice the layout is wonderfully easy to pick up. Each listing comes with at least one photo and often times the sellers will include a gallery of different shots.

If you tap on any of the product blocks it’ll open up a more detailed view. From this screen you’ll have access to any other photos, along with the seller’s profile and map location. If you’re particularly fond of an item you can save it to your favorites with the intention of purchasing at a later date.

Alternatively, you can share links from Ketup via Twitter or Facebook. When you have friends who live in close proximity you may run into fantastic ideas for gifts and presents. The sharing functionality is a nice addition when you consider the whole marketplace is based upon social networking and viral sharing.

Selling your Own Items

It’s just as easy to get your items listed in Ketup as it would be to purchase others. When in the main screen view find the big “+” button located in the bottom tab bar.

First you’ll be directed to a photo capture screen where you can take a new photo of your item. This will be used as the default picture for the listing, but you’ll have the chance to include more shots later on. The next screen is where you fill in details about the item and where people can locate you.

The details box should explain what you’re selling, along with the total price and listing category. Unfortunately, Ketup only has four categories to choose from. But as the community grows, we could very well see additional categories in future updates.

By default the listing will select your current location as the seller’s area. By tapping the location icon you can search on the map to place the pin in a better spot. Also, before you finish publishing, check if you want to share the item on Twitter or Facebook. The growth via social media is what will bring Ketup a lot more attention in the coming months.

Final Thoughts

I have really enjoyed using Ketup, even though it’s such a young network. The idea works so well because it’s easy to get signed up and start selling some stuff on the network. Also, you don’t need many of your friends using the app just to make a sale or find cool stuff to buy.

The app website also has unique product URLs which are used in the sharing process. Social media is what drives Ketup and very well may push it into a premier spot in the App Store. If you are somebody living in a densely populated area then you’ll surely find some great deals. Give it a try and see how Ketup feels as a mobile user experience — you may be pleasantly surprised!