Sell My Bow (sellmybow.com) is the first online marketplace exclusively for second-hand archery kit. International competitor and coach Duncan Busby recognised the difficulty he and many other archers faced when trying to sell kit. “I found it incredibly frustrating to list my kit online. Marketplaces such as Ebay have become more complex and time-consuming and I was losing a large chunk of sales in fees. Facebook is the best place to connect with other archers, but due to its policy towards the sport and what it considers the promotion of weapons, it’s become increasingly restrictive.

“My sales posts were constantly rejected by Facebook. Even if I uploaded a photo of archery equipment without any description, it would often be kicked back by their algorithms. I didn’t know how else to connect with the archery community, so I decided to create a single marketplace where every archer, whatever their discipline, can list kit; a safe space without debate or politics, that focuses solely on the sale of archery equipment.”

Sell My Bow operates a secure platform that allows archers around the world to trade in confidence, using an internal messaging system; it also has a lost, stolen and found page. “This was a personal decision after a friend had their entire kit stolen from a lock-up. I didn’t want to see it being re-sold before it could be recovered, so I hope it allows the entire community to keep a lookout for missing items and report any they’ve found.”

The marketplace lets you share your listings to Facebook and Twitter, and every listing includes a copy link so you can share it to any other online platform too. “Sell My Bow is designed to be a conduit between sellers and buyers; we want you to reach as many people as possible without the usual limitations. Adding your kit to the marketplace allows you to advertise it once but promote it endlessly.”

Sell My Bow prides itself on being an inclusive marketplace, so every international listing includes a handy currency converter and shops are also encouraged to list on the platform. “It’s the perfect place for businesses to offer second-hand, ex-demo, shop-soiled or end-of-line equipment to the entire archery community, and we’re pleased to include a number of shops on the marketplace already.”

Sell My Bow is free to browse and has no joining fee. Standard listings are £1, whatever the item’s value, and there is a ‘featured listing’ option, which adds your item to the home page as well as at the top of the marketplace search results. Perhaps the biggest difference from Ebay is that Sell My Bow charges no commission, so sellers retain all the proceeds.

“We’re seeing successful sales nearly every day. I’m so grateful to those archers who took a chance on such a new platform, and we’re getting amazing feedback all the time. I hope that as the marketplace grows and develops, Sell My Bow will become everyone’s most favourite and trusted place to buy and sell their preloved archery kit.”

Original article available here: https://www.pressreader.com/uk/bow-international/20220811/281814287627197