Used.ca today unveiled it’s new charity feature, #UsedHelps. A first for Canadian buy and sell sites, #UsedHelps allows you, our users, to sell your items online and donate all proceeds to the charity or non-profit organization of your choice. Our Victoria website is the first to have this charitable option, but the plan is to roll out #UsedHelps to the rest of our Used.ca network in December.

To offer an item for sale using #UsedHelps is as easy as posting a regular item on any of our sites. The only difference is, when you place the ad, you click a button that allows you to select a charity to receive the proceeds of the sale (see the image below).

As a buyer, things are a little different. You can email the seller for further information just as you can with any items listed on our sites, but in order to purchase a #UsedHelps item, you need to select the “Buy Now” button and enter your credit card details. Your card is not charged, but instead, this puts the item on hold and notifies the buyer of your intent to purchase. Only when both you and the buyer have agreed to the transaction, is your credit card charged.

Used.ca is dedicated to community partnerships and as most of our users know, our Community Coordinators work hard in their cities to help those in need. #UsedHelps is an extension of this, but at the same time, is our charitable forerunner, a huge nod to our commitment to supporting locals and the organisations that help them.

To learn more about #UsedHelps, visit our help pages and feel free to comment with a question on this blog, one of our team will be happy to answer.

*When a donation is made through #UsedHelps, some fees do apply. Stripe, our credit card payment processor, charges 2.9% +.30¢ for each transaction. BeGiving.ca, the Canadian company that facilitates our charity relationships and provides the technology behind #UsedHelps, receives seven per cent and Used.ca receives three per cent. This three per cent is directed straight back to our #UsedHelps community endeavours, both on and offline.