The story

In these challenging financial times, more of us are hunting out “pre-owned” bargains. Why pay shop prices when you can snap up a secondhand deal online?

But eBay can be maddening when you find the perfect item only to see it’s “local pick-up only” and that it’s 200 miles from your doorstep. Step forward EggDrop – a cute marriage of GPS and selling smarts to find great sales in your area.

The experience

Think of EggDrop as a kind of eBay/Foursquare hybrid. Basically, the seller uploads a snap of their item and posts with relevant information and a price tag  (anyone who’s been remotely near eBay will know the formula).

Buyers can then browse according to what’s offered in their area – perfect if you’ve hired a transit for the day and want to do a mad sweep for bargains – or you’ve just moved into a neighbourhood and don’t want to lug a sofa across town.

Unlike eBay, there’s no frantic bidding process – the focus is on quick and easy sales –prospective buyers simply put in an offer, which is then either accepted or rejected by the seller.

Items on sale near you can be viewed on a map that can be adjusted with a slider, and you can of course filter by category. There’s an OK selection of objects, but like any initially US-launched app, this needs time to grow a user base to reach a useful tipping point this side of the Atlantic.

The interface itself is plain and simple and instills trust, as does the “Karma” rating system, and there’s easy options to spread the selling word through Facebook, Twitter and Craigslist. Real-time messaging between buyers and sellers and no listing fees make this an even more attractive option.

The bottom line

A neat idea for those who want to but local. Try it out before you reach for the big guns next time.