The holidays are here, which means tons of stuff will be bought, gifted, and re-gifted. It also means stressful holiday shopping and the eventual conundrum of what to do with well-meant gifts that you know you won’t use.
Fortunately, KarmaGoat.com has a novel idea for what to do with all this stuff. KarmaGoat, a new UCLA startup, is an online marketplace where people can transform their stuff into money for charity. In practice the site operates a lot like Craigslist, where people buy and sell items in their neighborhood and meet up in-person to complete the sale, but now the proceeds go to the nonprofit of the seller’s choice.
KarmaGoat is inspired by social enterprises like TOMS shoes, which show that you can be profitable while doing good as opposed to as a precursor to it. For each sale, 85 percent goes directly to charity, while KarmaGoat retains 15 percent to operate and grow its philanthropic marketplace.
On KarmaGoat you can do some good just by working through your holiday shopping list. Given the company’s roots, the site’s earliest adopters are largely Westsiders and UCLA students. There are over 200 items for sale within 10 miles of Brentwood, all with proceeds benefiting a worthy cause. Listings range from fashion to electronics, books, furniture and games, with a mix of both new and gently used items.
And as for that inevitable extra stuff we end up with after the holidays? That nice shirt from the aunt who can never remember your size, that second Cuisinart when you’re still figuring out how to use the first? Skip the return lines this year, and list those items on KarmaGoat where you can help make a difference in a whole new way.
For more information visit:
www.karmagoat.com
