Hong Kong is an expensive city where everything seems to cost more than it should. Luckily there’s a magic app called Carousell that helps you buy and sell second-hand furniture, TVs, electronics, and more. I recently just moved out of my serviced apartment and into an empty flat. During this process, I used the Carousell app to buy some furniture at a fraction of the cost. Read this article to find out how you can save thousands of dollars just by buying it second-hand. This is also ideal if you’re an international student or ex-pat that doesn’t plan on living in Hong Kong for the long term. And hey, even if you are staying in Hong Kong for the next n years, it’s always good to save some bucks.
1. Make a list of things you need
It’s easy when you only need to buy one item. But if you’re moving into an empty apartment like me, you will need to create a list of things you want to find. I recommend starting to browse the app 2 weeks before you plan to pick up things. This will help you to get a feel of how much things are selling for. Sometimes if you’re lucky, you can get big furniture items completely free of charge. When moving to my new apartment, I needed to buy some big furniture items such as a big wardrobe, sofa, TV, TV cabinet, and bedframe. It costs money to dispose of your furniture and electronics in Hong Kong so there are lots of people giving away or selling their furniture for very low prices. This may be because they are moving to a new flat or migrating. But either way its a SCORE for you!
2. Download the Carousell app and sign up for a free account
Even if you are not an active user, it’s good to create an account on the Carousell app as soon as possible. The profile shows other users how long you’ve been on the app. So, create your account and just forget about it until the day you need it. Personally, I put up a simple photo of myself. If you’d like to keep your privacy, you can upload a far-away photo of yourself and not add your full name. I don’t think it’s necessary to add your full name on Carousell but any sort of photo helps people feel some security in the person they are dealing with.
3. Adjust your Carousell Hong Kong App Filters
The best way to get a good deal is to play around with the search filters within the Carousell App. You need to beware that unlike in the early days of Carousell, merchants have started to advertise and fill up the space with their furniture ads for full price. To filter all this out, make the adjustments on the app filters as I did below.
| Carousell app adjustments to only show second-hand non-merchant items: |
| Step 1: Type the item you want to buy in the search bar |
| Step 2: Press “Filter” |
| Step 3: Sort by “Recent” |
| Step 4: For “Item Condition” select “Like new”, “Lightly used”, “Well used” and “Heavily used” |
| Step 5: Optionally add maximum price |
| Step 6: Optionally add minimum price to zero |
| Step 7: Optionally “Save Filters to get alerts” |
The two most important filters in my opinion are “recent” and “item condition”. If you choose “recent”, you can instantly put an offer on a product someone posted moments ago, a few minutes or hours ago. This way you can bid on the item that hasn’t been bid by someone else yet.
Secondly, selecting the filter “item condition” for all the non “brand new” conditions will let you filter out those merchants who are trying to sell things from their shop at full price. This not only saves you time for sorting but also MONEY!!!
4. Set an Alert for your item
To make it easier for you to get the item you want as soon as it’s available, set up an alert just like step 7 above which is “Save filters to get alerts”. This helps you immediately bid for an item when a seller uploads it. On Carousell, it’s usually first come, first serve so this is your best bet at getting those highly competitive items such as TVs where multiple people are bidding for the same listing as you. So, I strongly recommend you set up alerts for these quick-to-go items.
5. Frequently check the “Top Pick” and “Free” section
Apart from checking each of the searches, you should also check the app homepage for “Top picks” and “Free items”. Carousell combines all your recent searches and curates these two pages. This means that you can potentially find non-recent items that haven’t been sold. Remember, you put “recent” in your filter and probably missed an item posted 2 weeks ago which is not selling. These Carousell home page sections sometimes contain missed gems.
6. Make sure your trip is worth it by checking the seller’s location
Sometimes the trip is just not worth your time, money, and effort. You should always check the location of the listing and see if the Carousell listing is worth the trip. I know that you might be tempted to get that far-away product but trust me, there will always be new listings nearby of the product you’re looking for.
7. Ask for more photos if needed
For some reason, some sellers take the weirdest pictures of the product. It doesn’t mean that their listing is bad, but they probably just didn’t think to take more angles of the product. If it’s not clear, try asking for more pictures. There’s always a chance they’ll say no but mostly they accommodate.
8. Make note of wear and tear
Make sure you read the descriptions of the items and check if there’s any wear and tear. If you’re comfortable with it, go ahead and buy the item. What I did is clarify with the seller during the chat if there are any wear and tears I should know about. It’s in the interest of the seller to tell you in advance so both of your and their time isn’t wasted.
9. Set up a clear meet-up time and date
A lot of the time you can meet up at the MTR or bus stop to pick up smaller items, but large furniture items need more planning. Make sure you and the seller come up with a mutually agreed time and place to pick up the item you are buying. If the seller simply can’t accommodate any of your requests, maybe it’s better to keep looking for a different listing.
10. See what else the seller is giving away
If the seller is giving away a big piece of furniture, it’s possible that they may be selling or giving away other things too. If you’re already looking for multiple items, see if the seller has anything else on their Carousell account. Simply press the seller’s username on the listing and you can see what else they are giving away. When you’re chatting with them, let them know you’re interested in multiple products and ask if you can get a discount. They probably want to give more things away to one person anyway since it saves so much time and effort on the seller’s part. You can even ask them if they are giving anything else away that’s not listed yet and ask them to send you pictures. Remember, you’re talking to another human so chat with them sincerely for both of you to have a smooth experience.
11. Test the electronic products you buy
It’s important to test the electronic products you’re buying. If the seller doesn’t agree to let you test and turn on the item, don’t buy it. Also, ask if the seller can give you a warranty during your chat before meeting up. This is an extra level of care you could get for free for the electronic product you buy.
12. Be a responsible buyer
Sometimes we just change our mind about the product or find something better suited for us. You should let the seller know that you are no longer interested in or can’t make it to the agreed time and location. It’s important to let them know as soon as you can so they can make the item available for someone else.
13. Call a Gogovan to transport your bulky items
From my experience, Gogovan is the easiest way to transport your bulky Carousell buys in a short time frame. Once you confirmed that you will buy it, call the Gogovan and a cargo vehicle can be arranged in 15 minutes.
14. Review your seller and ask for a review
It’s good to leave reviews for the sellers and ask for reviews yourself so it will help you build a positive record for the future. People will more likely buy and sell to you if you have 5 stars and are seen as responsible by others on the app.
Conclusion
Buying and selling on Carousell have been easy for me even though I only communicate in English. From my experience, people mostly sell good quality items that they simply don’t want to send to the landfill. So, you should be able to find the right item you’re looking for at a fraction of the retail price. Just be on the lookout for wear and tear and you’ll be a happy camper.
Feel free to let me know in the comments what your experience was on the Carousell app. If you have tips of your own, please share them here!
FAQ
What is Carousell?
Carousell is a Singaporean consumer-to-consumer (C2C) marketplace that allows people to buy and sell new and used items free-of-charge.
Is buying and selling on Carousell Hong Kong safe?
Both buying on selling on the Carousell platform are pretty safe but it is important to be cautious as you are dealing with strangers on the internet. The best way to shop on Carousell Hong Kong is to never pay for an item in advance. You should always go to the meet-up point, inspect the goods then make a payment if you think the condition matches your expectations and the listing.
What is Carousell known for?
Carousell’s biggest customer acquisition point is being the marketplace for normal people to sell their secondhand items.
Is Carousell good for the environment?
Yes! Buying secondhand goods on Carousell means that you are reducing your footprint by buying pre-loved items. It is a good idea to get big household items and electronics on the platform rather than buying brand new.
Is it free to sell on Carousell?
Buying and selling on Carousell are completely free-of-charge. The platform particularly for Hong Kong mostly depends on ad and product spotlight revenue.
Is Carousell the same as eBay?
Carousell is very similar to platforms such as the American platforms eBay and Craigslist. As any other C2C platform, its important for you to shop and sell diligently.
Where is the Carousell company from?
Carousell is a Singapore-based uniform that’s worth over a billion dollars.
Wow! This is a good guide. Especially the top tips about the filters. You helped me find a great surfboard on C!! Cheers.