Changed the way I shop, made thrifting a hobby

I’ve been using Yaga for several years and it’s been pretty cool to see how they’ve improved, from a bargain-bin structure where you had to scroll through everything, to a more sophisticated store with multiple product sections and filters. I went from selling a few random items to thrifting as a hobby. It also really helps that Pudo offers a convenient and affordable shipping option. I use the money as my ‘clothing fund’ and it’s totally changed the way I shop. I almost never buy clothing from stores now, and when I do I’m much more mindful because I have a better sense of what’s worth it. Yaga is also turning into a good spot for books, games and tech stuff.

Naturally there are plenty of ****s floating around and you need to be careful and do your research when buying expensive, high-end items. I don’t know what Yaga could do to prevent this though. They are at least very responsive when it comes to dealing with ****s, because these are prohibited. I recently bought a backpack that turned out to be ****, and when the seller refused to accept a return and refund me according to Yaga’s policies, they emailed her on my behalf to resolve the situation. I was impressed with their prompt response. The only downside is that I lost R60 to shipping costs and got nothing but admin in return. Perhaps a voucher could be awarded in situations like this?

They’ve just changed their business structure, allowing sellers to sell for free instead of taking a 9% commission, and charging buyers a 9% ‘buyer’s protection fee’ instead. I’m curious to see how this will affect sales, because this can seriously dissuade buyers on tight budgets. On the bright side, it’s great not to have to do the mental gymnastics of figuring out how much you’ll get after factoring commission, delivery, discounts, etc. The new model also makes Yaga way more accessible to small businesses, and most us could use a side hustle.