How it works

We believe that second hand trade is an important key to make the world more sustainable. Furthermore, we believe that these transactions can also become a source of funding for organizations working hard to make positive changes in the world.  

On boonshelf, you can 

• sell your unwanted items and donate its price - or just part of it - to good causes, and
• you can buy secondhand items from members who will donate a significant percentage of the price - if not all - to reputable and reliable NGOs.

We work hard to make the whole process smoother and more transparent. We value your input, let us know your thoughts.

On boonshelf, you can support the work of NGOs from various fields, such as social care, human rights, animal welfare and environmental protection.

We are trying to expand the range of organisations as much as possible. If you have a suggestion of who we should contact, please email it to us or encourage the organisation to contact us.

We're committed to making boonshelf a safe place for everyone. To help promote your safety, we encourage you to review the following tips for buying and selling responsibly, in addition to using your best judgment.

If you see any signs of suspicious activity or spot anything that shouldn’t be on boonshelf, please report it to our team via email to [email protected].

• Do not disclose private information, e.g. full names, addresses, telephone numbers, or bank details while posting items or talking with others
• Do not disclose pictures of yourself or others wearing an item you’re selling with their face visible.
• Don't share your financial information, login details, passwords or unnecessary personal information with buyers or sellers.
• Never respond to messages or emails that ask you to provide verification codes or account information, such as your email address and password.
• If you're meeting someone in person, we recommend arranging your meeting in a public, well-lit area and let others know where you're heading.
• If you choose to pay electronically using wire transfer or money order solutions, avoid payment links and log in directly through the payment method's website.
• Clean and disinfect any item you intend to sell or if you buy an item, make sure to clean it before bringing it into your home.

Also, please note that on boonshelf there’s no room for 

• discrimination or hate speech towards others, including but not limited to their race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religious affiliation, caste, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, or serious illness.
• vulgar, pornographic, or obscene communication.

If a member violates these standards, we may block their account either temporarily or permanently.  Should you notice other members engaging in inappropriate activities, such as posting insulting comments, harassing other members, or acting phishy, please report such cases via [email protected].  We’ll investigate and take action to resolve the issue.
 

We have just launched boonshelf and it is still in a pilot phase. This is a 100% self-funded project and we are improving the platform and its processes day by day.

Thank you for letting more people know about our initiative.

• Recommend boonshelf to your friends in person or on social media.
• Share your profile, your products or the organisations you are supporting.
• Share what useful things you have found on boonshelf and who has been supported through the sale.
• Refer us to organisations who we can work with.
• Give us feedback on what works well and what we could improve.
   

You can upload an item after registering / logging in.

Once uploaded, your item will be visible on the website and others will be able to contact you via boonshelf's own messaging interface where you can discuss the details of the sale (e.g. any questions about the product, delivery, pick-up and payment). 

You can access the upload item form via your profile page or your profile menu. The form will guide you through the process of providing the required information:

1. Add a title and describe your item in detail
2. Add 1–5 clear, sharp photos
3. Select the appropriate category for the item you’re selling
4. Define the condition of your item
5. Select the organization you would like to support via the sales.
6. Set a competitive price
7. Select the percentage you are willing to donate to the selected organization. It can be 25%, 50%, 75% or 100%
8. Select the location where you are selling the item.
9. Let others know how you can deliver the item.
    

• Images must accurately represent the item listed for sale and match the title provided.
• Use your own pics, don’t use stock photos unless your item is brand new.
• Make sure your photos are well-lit, choose pictures taken in natural daylight, over those taken in the lamplight
• Take photos of the item from several angles to make the listing more complete.
• Reveal the item’s imperfections or defects in the pics (if there are any).
• Your first photo should always be a full view of the item, and not a collage.
   

In the profile settings, you have the option to save the below item-related information so these field will be completed when when you upload the item:

• organisation
• donation percentage
• selling location
• delivery information

Of course, you can modify these data at any time, both in your profile and for each item.

Card payments and the automated donation processing will be available in the upcoming months, but it is currently the responsibility of the vendor to transfer the donation to the beneficiary.

Once the item has been uploaded, we will publish the organisation's bank account details (full name, bank account number) and a code generated from the unique identifier of the item, which we recommend you include in the payment message.

Please see our tips at the question: How to communicate safely with other users?

Card payments and the automated donation processing will be available in the upcoming months, but it is currently the responsibility of the vendor to transfer the donation to the beneficiary. Item statuses help you and us to track what’s happening outside the platform.

Please make sure to update the status of your items when it is about to sell, when it is sold and when you made the corresponding donations.

• On sale: Default value. Your item will be visible for others to buy. 
• Pending: Mark your item as 'Pending' when you accept an offer and the item will probably sell soon. Your item will still be listed for others but will be marked as pending. 
• Sold: Mark your item as 'Sold' when the buyer paid for the item. Itt will no longer be listed for others. You will be able to access the item via your profile. 
• Donated: Mark your item as 'Donated' when you transferred the agreed donation to the selected organization. 
  Please note: Once you set the status to 'Donated' , you won't be able to edit your item anymore. 
   

Card payments and the automated donation processing will be available in the upcoming months, but it is currently the responsibility of the vendor to transfer the donation to the beneficiary. Item statuses help you and us to track what’s happening outside the platform.

After a successful sale and the completion of the donation, please set the item status to ‘Donated”  and the amount of donation will be visible in your user account under Statstics (only visible to you). 

Boonshelf was created primarily to enable people to support NGOs by selling everyday household items. Selling the following things are not allowed on boonshelf:

• services (examples: house cleaning, translation, workshops)
• digital products and subscriptions
• animals (this includes posting about animals for adoption)
• properties
• healthcare products like medical and healthcare-related products (example: thermometers, first-aid kits, medicines)
• food supplements and vitamins
• food and beverages
• alcohol
• tobacco products and related paraphernalia
• illegal, prescription or recreational drugs
• sexual products, erotic toys
• firearms. weapons, ammunition or explosives or any part of such products, all objects that are particularly dangerous to public safety
• dangerous chemical substances, in particular any flammable or explosive substances
• stolen or otherwise derived from criminal activity or unlawfully placed on the market
• a counterfeit or falsified product
• real, virtual or fake currency.
• misleading, deceptive, or offensive items.
• recalled products.
• illegal items meaning any goods or materials in which the possession, trading, selling, posting, carriage or production is prohibited by any applicable law, rule or regulation (e.g drugs, items that promote violence, discrimination, hatred; stolen items, etc.)
• any items that may be offensive or inappropriate for others

For a more detailed list of prohibited items, please review the Terms & Conditions. 
 

If you would like to buy an item, you can contact the seller via boonshelf’s own messaging interface by clicking on the Contact Seller button on the item’s page. You can access the messaging function after registering / logging in.  Then you can discuss the details of the sale (e.g. any questions about the product, delivery, pick-up and payment). 

Card payments and the automated donation processing will be available in the upcoming months, but it is currently the responsibility of the vendor to transfer the donation to the beneficiary.

Once the item has been uploaded, we will publish the organisation's bank account details (full name, bank account number) and a code generated from the unique identifier of the item, which we recommend you include in the payment message.

Keep the following safety tips in mind when buying things on boonshelf. in addition to using your best judgment, we advise you to:

• use boonshelf’s own messaging system when possible to communicate with sellers, you don't have to give your personal phone number or email address;
• learn as much as possible about the item you want to buy. Ask a lot of questions before buying an item you’re interested in;
• thoroughly inspect the item before buying and test it if possible;
• keep your personal information protected, never share personal or banking
• information that could put your identity or money at risk. Use Messenger when possible to communicate so you don't have to give your personal phone number or email address;
• If you're meeting, we recommend arranging your meeting in a public, well-lit area. Let others know where you're headed;
• If you choose to pay electronically using wire transfer or money order solutions, avoid payment links and log in directly through the payment method's website;
• report an item or a seller if you have any problems.
   

Use the heart button to favorite the items you like. This way you can easily find them later by clicking on the heart symbol next to your profile picture or via your user menu (Favorites) on mobile.