Melltoo, a no-meetup classifieds startup based in the UAE, launched this month “Impacter by Melltoo", an initiative to allow individuals to resell their goods for a cause.

“Your stuff will be sold, converted into cash that is then donated to a cause of your choice. For example, your iPhone 7 can be sold for 2,000 AED, enough to feed 200 refugees,” the team announced in a statement.

Melltoo, a peer to peer marketplace for secondhand things like electronics, fashion, home items and furniture, facilitated since 2015 over 30,000 transactions worth over 7 mil AED (~USD 2 mil). With “Impacter by Melltoo" the startup encourages everyone to start giving back to society.

“The average household in the UAE has over 10,000 AED (~USD 2,720) worth of goods that sits in storage. Many people want to donate this stuff, but charities can’t accept them because they don’t have the ability to process in-kind donations like TVs, electronics, or a fridge. This is where we come in. By leveraging our marketplace, we help people sell their stuff and transform it into cash for a cause.” said Morrad Irsane, cofounder of Melltoo.

With charities and NGOs like Emirates Red Crescent, Salma Aid, Emirates Wildlife Society and World Wildlife Fund in support of this movement, Melltoo will tackle causes that affect us all and donate towards humanitarian relief and environmental and wildlife conservation via partner organizations.

Prospective donors, or sellers known as “Impacters”, start by uploading a photo of the item they wish to sell for a cause to the Melltoo app. Potential buyers contact sellers through a built-in chat, eliminating the need to share private details or phone numbers. Once a buyer has placed an order, Melltoo sends a courier to collect the item for delivery to the buyer. Buyers and sellers don’t meet, hence “no-meetup classifieds”. Once the transaction is complete, proceeds from the sale go directly to the cause selected by the seller.

“We call it Impacter because sellers are making an impact by reselling for a cause. On the one hand, they reduce overconsumption and overproduction by buying and selling secondhand. On the other hand, they give back to society and help those in need by doing so. The sellers are Impacters, they are the true heroes, Melltoo is just an enabler in the process.” explains Sharene Lee, cofounder of Melltoo.

Melltoo Impacter has been nominated for the World Summit Awards 2018 for social impact through digital innovation for solutions in Government and Citizen Engagement from the UAE. For transparency and compliance, the startup will publish a quarterly report detailing the amounts donated and donor aliases.