Brussels, 25 October 2022: Circular consumption is key if we are to reach the goals of the European Green Deal. Buying and selling second-hand is one of the easiest ways to consume in a circular way. CME represents companies that enable users to give their products a second or even third life and contribute to the circular economy.
Anyone who has sold or bought something on an online marketplace will most likely have a story to tell you about a time they bought the perfect item for a fraction of the original cost, or found something really special or unusual.
While contributing to circular consumption is pretty wonderful in itself, some second-hand stories are more life-changing than others and we want to share some of them with you. Below, users of CME member OLX tell their stories about a grandfather’s hidden love letters, the second life of a bike, and the kickstart of an eco-business.
#1 Grandfather’s love letters
One day I decided to tidy up the cottage in the countryside that I had inherited from my grandparents. In the attic, I found an old sideboard. It had a lot of sentimental value for me as it was made by my own grandfather. I would have kept it for myself, but my 30m2 flat was too small for such a massive piece of furniture.
The sideboard on OLX was sold quite quickly – it was picked up by a very nice older gentleman. After a few days, his daughter came to see me. It turned out that my grandparents’ love letters were hidden in the sideboard. Being so excited about that fact, I invited the girl for coffee, and a few years later, we moved into a much larger flat together. My grandparents’ sideboard is the main piece of furniture in our living room, and I know I will never get rid of it again. I hope that one day it will bring happiness to my own grandchildren.
#2 A bike’s second life
My son bought his first bicycle on OLX. When he grew up, the bike went to the basement. I decided to sell it on OLX. The bike was dusty and had a flat tyre. The next day the buyer appeared, paid, and took the bike without asking anything.
I invited my family for a birthday party a few days later for my second, younger son. I was surprised to see that my brother had given him a bicycle – the same one that my first-born son had learned to ride.
It turned out that my brother, knowing that I would like to sell the bike, had been following OLX, and when he saw my offer, he immediately decided to buy it, restore it and give it to my younger son, remembering that it had sentimental value for me.
In order not to arouse suspicion, he sent his friend to collect it. I must admit that he surprised us with this gesture.
#3 How OLX helped start my new eco-business
I am an entrepreneur starting my own eco-friendly, zero-waste gastronomy business in my beloved Cracow. I’ve been observing the increasing trend of people getting takeaway coffee, which was only accelerated by Covid-19. I decided to open a mobile café. My dream was to get a stylish rickshaw I could set up in one of Cracow’s parks. Where could I get one? OLX was my first place to go. After a quick search of “coffee rickshaw”, “gastronomic cart”, and “mobile café”, I found a few suitable offers.
One of them was especially interesting for me, so I called the seller to learn more about the offer. To my surprise, the rickshaw also included a classic Italian coffee machine from 1987! The seller was based in Warsaw. I went to Warsaw a few days later with a trailer, in case I decided to make the deal. The meeting with the seller went great. He told me about his idea of creating a mobile café and shared lots of useful business tips and ideas with me. A few days later I opened my Mech Café in one of Cracow’s biggest parks.
