Shopping app iBuySell arrives on iTunes

IT professional Kaustuva Mukherjee and his wife Suchi Mukherjee, the co-founders of iBuySell, realized there was a need for a new marketplace when they were looking into starting a new retail venture. In 6 months, the husband and wife duo developed an app called iBuySell, which is now in over 130 countries, and launched earlier this week on iTunes.

iBuySell is a new kind of real-time, peer-to-peer mobile shopping marketplace where people can shop thousands of items from fashion to tech gadgets directly. The platform is a radical departure from how traditional shopping marketplaces run sales. The app spotlights new products in real-time, as shoppers discover new items under several categories including fashion, clothing, jewelry, shoes, home, and tech. Rather than hosting an auction that takes 7 days or more, iBuySell sales last about 90 seconds.

Sellers showcase products in their stores or "closets," and buyers can choose to either browse and tag their favorite items to get notified once the items go live or purchase the products right away.

Every few seconds, a product gets displayed on live sale. Prices fall by the second as buyers hit the freeze button to lock in their price and claim their item. The split-second decision process is meant to keep things thrilling for shoppers.

“Most online platforms are search based catalogs, the user experience is the same almost everywhere, and for the small entrepreneur it is an expensive and time-consuming effort to drive sales and improve conversion,” says iBuySell co-founder, Kaustuva Mukherjee. “So, we thought why not combine bargain hunting with a little competition, speed, and suspense, to make it fun, unpredictable and rewarding experience?"

The platform helps sellers move inventory quickly, inverse conversion, improve brand awareness, and drive sales. iBuySell hosts products from small entrepreneurs, consignment sellers, retailers, professional vendors, and artisans. Many of them are already found on eBay, Etsy, Shopify, and Amazon.