The online thrift store gives you an opportunity to give to a cause you care about, while getting rid of the junk around your house. Sellers decide what charity they'd like their resold goods to benefit, and the cause of their choice receives 80% of the sale.
"What's really innovative is that you're not selling -- you're donating, so there's no risk of seller fraud," Doug Krugman, who co-founded WebThriftStore with his wife Lynn Zises, told Mashable. "On eBay and other online retailers you have to deal with PayPal, maintaining a profile and establishing a reputation, which is why a lot of people don't take the time to sell stuff online. We've taken money out of the equation."
Zises notes that WebThriftStore has a much simpler process than Craigslist or eBay for reselling. You can grab a photo from the web, write your listing and select your charity. WebThriftStore encourages people to use USPS's free pickup and delivery services, but sellers also have the local pickup option.
"We see this as a way to reach donors who may want to be involved but don't have cash to give," says Zises.
About a month after you sell goods, you receive a receipt you can use as proof for a tax exemption for the value of the sale you made.
According to NPD research, Americans have $7,000 worth of unused items sitting around their houses, which totals $700 billion in America's 100 million households. WebThriftStore thinks this untapped resource can be a charitable goldmine.
Possibly due to the economic situation, there was a 7% growth in thrift stores in 2011, according to the National Association of Resale Professionals.
Currently, four non-profits are on board, including ASPCA, Maccabi USA, ClassWish and the East River Development Alliance. Women in Need will become a partner Thursday. Krugman says they get solicited by new non-profits each day who want to get on board.
Krugman, a tech startup veteran, and Zises, an experienced non-profit worker, are based in New York.
Would you sell your unused stuff online for charity? Let us know in the comments.