The Campus Market—an online platform for students to buy and sell used items—has gained traction at universities across North Carolina and recently launched at Duke.
Brad Stinson, Trinity '12, founded the website, which currently serves 10 universities in North Carolina and Florida with more than 3,300 registered students. The service was introduced at Duke in February and has more than 600 registered users so far, though as of Wednesday there were only 12 posts on the Duke market.
Stinson said he was inspired to create the site after seeing used items go to waste during move-out as a student.
“I realized people would just leave tons and tons of things outside curbside,” Stinson said. “If only people had a more convenient and easy way to sell items, I’m sure they would certainly use it. Eventually I [developed] this concept called The Campus Market which is essentially like a Craigslist for college students.”
Stinson explained that he wants The Campus Market to serve as a safer, more convenient alternative to sites like Craigslist, noting that the site only allows people with a valid university email to access postings. He added that the site will also send users a different password each year to ensure their university emails are still valid.
“If you Google search Craigslist, you’ll find stories upon stories of nightmares where somebody gets harassed, murdered—terrible things,” Stinson said. “Having our website set up to where college students have to register for it gives us an extra safety net.”
One feature that may grow the site’s following is having students make transactions in public venues, shops and restaurants close to campus. Stinson said The Campus Market may offer students discounts at restaurants or stores near campus if they conduct the exchange at that location.
There are several existing platforms that facilitate the buying and selling of used items on Duke’s campus, including DukeList and several Facebook groups. Stinson noted that Campus Market is in the process of developing a wish list feature as well as integrating Venmo in an effort to differentiate itself from other sites.
Incoming freshman Eliana Lauder expressed enthusiasm about the site compared to others she has seen, noting that she has already used The Campus Market to purchase a microwave and a refrigerator.
"I've noticed that the Facebook groups are messy with some students not using it the way it should be and also some groups not being exclusive for college students," Lauder wrote in an email June 25.
The website first launched last winter at Appalachian State University, expanding to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington soon after, Stinson said. He noted that the site is currently concentrating on universities in North Carolina but may eventually expand nationwide.
Expanding to new schools can be challenging because every school has different needs, Stinson explained.
Compared to the other North Carolina universities that have the Campus Market, Duke has a greater proportion of out-of-state students. Oscar Hong, an incoming freshman from Canada, said he is using the site to search for items to purchase upon arrival to campus.
"I definitely see myself using it soon after I move into my dorm because...I won't be able to bring anything that doesn't fit into my luggage," Hong wrote in an email Tuesday.
Stinson said that the site currently does not have a profit model but that it might look into partnering with pre-approved merchants or implementing advertisements. At the moment, the focus is on building up the student user base, he noted, adding that he would like to see a 50 percent adoption rate at the schools it has come to.
“As someone who’s working on a startup level, your aspirations are always grand,” Stinson said. “Long-term, the end goal is of course to be in every university in the United States. We realize that’s potentially years from now.”
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