Silicon Beach HipSwap offers delivery, celebrity wares

SXSW: Silicon Beach HipSwap offers delivery, celebrity wares

By Kimi Yoshino

March 13, 2012 11:33 AM PT

Reporting from Austin — Want to sell stuff on Craigslist, but the idea of a blind meet-up gives you the heebie jeebies? Los Angeles-based HipSwap has the solution.

The Silicon Beach start-up announced at South by Southwest this week the seven-city launch of its website and mobile app, a Craigslist- and eBay-like marketplace that connects local buyers and sellers -- with a twist.

The company offers delivery service and, in true L.A. fashion, gives people a peek into the wardrobes and homes of celebrities.

Jillian Barberie Reynolds of “Good Day LA” let a HipSwap video camera into her closet -- which is actually a converted bedroom -- and said she plans to sell many of the designer bags, shoes and clothes she has accumulated over the years. (For $375, you can buy a pair of size 6.5 sparkly Jimmy Choo black heels that Reynolds wore to Kim Kardashian’s wedding.)

“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” will also soon start peddling their wares on the site, said CEO and co-founder Rob Kramer.

Kramer said his app streamlines the selling process, making the photo and upload a minimal-step process. HipSwap charges a 3.5% transaction on the sale, which is billed monthly through PayPal or a credit card.

After a four-month beta test in Los Angeles, HipSwap is now also available in Austin, Chicago, San Francisco, New York, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. HipSwap is doubling the rate of users every 10 days, Kramer said.