How To Develop A Buy And Sell Marketplace App For Pre-owned Stuff?

You are looking out for a mobile app development solution for your online business idea that is an online marketplace for buying and selling pre-owned stuff (presuming the idea as you’ve landed on the related post). I bet you will eventually find your technology partner somehow. But it gets problematic when you strongly affirm your business idea is worth investing in just because others did and succeeded.

Having an “idea” is not sufficient in the current cut-throat online business era. Above coding, designing, technical testing, and starting maintaining an app, there are specific steps a startup needs to take. It not only tells you if your idea is worth giving a shot but also helps you furnish it in a way that your audience wants it to be.

Talking about a local online buying and selling marketplace, many apps have already marked their success, viz, Letgo. See? From its name, people can draw an idea about how it helps. (point to be noted is that the brand name should be expressive) Nonetheless, the app was released in 2015, targeting the U.S. market initially and competing with eBay and Craigslist(other two enormous online marketplaces). Today, there are more than 100M Letgo downloads from across the globe. Meaning, you can use it as your inspiration and try to Develop A Buy & Sell Marketplace App Like Letgo.

Coming to our main point, steps to take before getting started with the marketplace app development process, then such are;

Lay foundation of the concept

Since we have already taken the name of Letgo, let’s perceive its concept and understand its foundation. So, it helps people to sell their preloved stuff and make some money in return. On the other side, needy people can find second-hand items and save some bucks.

Prepare a concise yet to the point business plan

You should better research and articulate your business idea rather than keep making changes afterward. For example, Letgo lets its users register, post advertisements, and correspond with each other to close the deal completely free. On top of that, it sorts all the listings by relevance and distance from the user using previous search history.

Be clear about how you want to make money with your mobile app

You must have heard there are multiple ways to make money online, such as in-app purchases, third-party advertisements, sponsorship, and so on. However, it’s your call to decide how you want your app to make money for you that doesn’t harm the user experience.

For example, Letgo offers in-app purchases with some premium features that let them highlight their listing on the top at minimum charges of $2. It also provides subscriptions and optimizes contextual Google Ads to generate additional revenue.

List out only necessary features

There are plenty of features to build into the selling and buying marketplace. However, bustling all of them in one-shot is not appropriate. It can raise the cost and app size significantly. At first, you should integrate only essential features, and if that works out, you can add others gradually.

Consider the factors affecting the cost

If you want to stick to the budget you have set for your online business project, you have got to consider the below factors.

• App features.
• UI/UX Design complexity.
• Mobile app platform (Android, iOS, Windows, Web, etc.)
• Development methodology and technology一cross-platform app development with Flutter and Native with Java
• Developers’ location.

The last one impacts the cost greatly as development cost counts at an hourly rate, which differs worldwide. For example,

Indian developers: — $10 to $80 per hour;

U.S. based developers: — $50 to $250 per hour;

Eastern Europe based developers: — $30 to $150 per hour;

On that note, a small guide on how to develop a marketplace app as Letgo ends. However, there is a link to a very elaborative guide on building a local online selling and buying marketplace. So, do not miss out on that. Peace out!