Reaching outside Facebook

Cyd Ruffino was looking for new ideas as fundraising season for Alabama Forever began. The organization raises academic and athletic funding for low-income schools across the state, and as a nonprofit, relies on donations to meet their needs. 

One day, Ruffino agreed to sell some pieces of furniture online for a percentage of the sales to be donated to Alabama Forever. That’s when her idea struck.

With Internet resources and websites such as Facebook on the rise, Ruffino thought about the possibility of a new fundraising opportunity with trading sites. This led her to meet with Laura Silsbee, the creator of the popular trading platform Mountain Brook Trading.

Originally launched on Facebook, Mountain Brook Trading allows users to post photos and information about items they would like to sell. Since its start in 2012, the page has grown to over 55,000 members. Silsbee recently moved the site to varagesale.com, where it is now up to 18,000 users. 

Unsure of where the site would go next, Silsbee was approached by Ruffino with the idea of creating a safe trading location. Many users of the site have had concerns with privacy in the past. By creating a safe location, Ruffino and Silsbee hope to be able to provide the anonymity that some users prefer while also raising funds for Alabama Forever.

 “She said, ‘I have this machine, and I don’t know what the next level should be,’” Ruffino said. “I said, ‘Well I have this idea, and I can’t do it without you.’”

Their business model is a unique one, but Ruffino and Silsbee are confident that they will be providing an asset to the community. Located next to Alabama Forever’s office space in Crestline Village, MBT on Dexter will act as a drop-off and pickup location and will accept select premium home good items worth $50 and above. Delivery and pickup services will also be available for an additional fee, they said.

 “If you’re looking for an armoire or a bed or a desk and you don’t want to go buy one new and spend $600 on it, [you can find] one that’s almost like new,” Silsbee said.

A showroom will display certain items while they are on sale, and a warehouse space will keep the rest of their items in storage. While being stored at the location, Ruffino and Silsbee will attempt to sell the items through the Mountain Brook Trading platform on varagesale.com. Mountain Brook Trading will also be adding Facebook back into use, but only Ruffino and Silsbee will be allowed to post items on the page. 

MBT on Dexter will set asking prices, which will change as needed, but the price will never go below the seller’s set bottom-line price. Sales are expected to be made in about one month, with the service charging a 40 percent commission. The location will offer optional memberships for $10 per month, which will make the sale of member items priority, allow members to shop in the show room and allow the use of the location for drop-off and pickup whether members are using MBT on Dexter’s services or not.

Items that cannot be sold can either be taken back by the seller or donated to Alabama Forever. Donated items will be tax-deductible for the seller. Once donated, Alabama Forever will sell items for what they can and donate 100 percent of the profit to its charity. 

Rather than a store, Ruffino and Silsbee explain that their idea is more of a concierge service. They realize that many members of the community may want to make a profit by selling unwanted items, but do not have time or would rather not use an online platform themselves. 

 “This will give them their schedule back, so they can do whatever it is they need to do,” Ruffino said. 

Mountain Brook Trading is now accepting pieces for its location. It will be located at 2 Dexter Ave. For more information, visit varagesale.com.