Some TCU students helped bring a new marketplace to campus that is the first of its kind.
The beta version of ‘eBay on Campus’ launched last month at TCU and the university became the first in the world to have access to this college-specific marketplace.
eBay On Campus was designed and co-created by eBay interns and TCU students, including sophomore Neeley Business School students Christian Schenkel and Mitch Thompson.
“Us interns were able to provide a lot of helpful and useful information about our target audience since we are currently in college ourselves,” said Thompson. “A major part of the process and creation of the platform was the constant teamwork and communication that we had.”
Thompson hopes that the university can set the example for other schools.
“The pilot launch is important because it’s supposed to show us how the product should look when it is rolled out to all schools,” he said. “We felt TCU would be a great representation of college campuses around the nation.”
The marketplace is currently available only to IOS users and has a number of in-app features.
Members of the campus community can buy and sell amongst each other, similar to the TCU Announce website.
TCU organizations also have the opportunity to fundraise inside the app and users are allowed to pay for purchases through cash, Venmo or trading items. There are also designated meet-up locations in high-traffic areas on campus for increased safety.
“Some of the features that I think are particularly appealing are the designated meet-up locations, specifically selected in high-traffic, well-lit areas of the TCU Campus for increased safety,” said Jessica Cates, the director of the Alcon career center at Neeley. “Along with the fact that it uses the full power of the eBay app, but to no cost to the seller or buyer.”
To sign up for the marketplace, students can download the eBay app and scan the following QR code inside:
After verifying their TCU email, they will have access to eBay on Campus.
The app is currently only available for iOS users, but there are plans to expand to Android users.
