The year was 2010 and Ben Edwards was having trouble finding Android phones to use as test devices for a development project. Turning to eBay and Craigslist proved perilous and time-wasting for buying used phones. Blocklisted phones, junk devices, inefficient communication, and downright fraud plagued the antiquated marketplaces.
Knowing there had to be a better way, Ben created Swappa – as a better marketplace for buying and selling quality phones. Fast-forward eight years to today, and Swappa has grown to millions of dollars per month in commerce. To support this thriving marketplace, the team has also grown from one person to nearly 40 employees, AKA Team Swappa.
From the rolling mountains of California to the beaches of Tarpon Springs, Florida, Team Swappa spans the country and works in every North American time zone (except for the Hawaiian zone that is). In almost the exact middle of the United States, you’ll find Swappa’s birthplace of Kansas City. This is where a handful of our team, including our founder Ben, live and work, and where Swappa has a small office. But we’re not really the office type; our team works 100% remotely across the nation, and a couple even work abroad!
You might say, Swappa is… everywhere.
To connect with our users, and to share a little Swappa behind the scenes, we’d like to introduce you to the one, the only, the hashtag Team Swappa.
(Some teammates not pictured above)
Who is Team Swappa
We are a small, but mighty team of tech enthusiasts who work together to connect our users with the latest tech, at a better price. At Swappa’s core, this involves our development team that works to make sure our website can support the tens-of-thousands of devices that are sold every month, and to make the experience as flawless as possible for our users. It may sound like a breeze, but let us assure you, this is no easy task.
Additionally, our support team of 20+ people are key to Swappa’s success. Our amazing team works 24/7/365 (really) to review every single listing to make sure devices are functional and as described in the seller’s listing. This step in our process is one of the reasons that Swappa is better than eBay or Craigslist – actual people who approve the devices to be sold to our users (plus it doesn’t hurt that our fees are lower than eBay’s too). And did we mention our support team is available at any time of the day, on any day to help users with any questions or concerns? Seriously, email us at 3AM on Christmas Eve and you’ll get a response faster than most companies on a normal Tuesday. Yeah, they’re awesome.
Another integral part of Team Swappa is the business development team, the marketing, design and content contributors. While we may be small in number, we work hard to maintain great relationships with our partners and business sellers, as well as provide killer content that helps our users know how to use Swappa, share it with them through online channels, and to help build programs like our affiliate program. This list includes just a few examples of how we work to grow Swappa and connect with our users.
Tools We Use to Connect
Working remotely means we have to have clear communication on a consistent basis. At Swappa, we communicate through a few different tools – Slack for communication, GitHub for code, Trello for organization, FreshDesk for support, Google Docs to share ideas and more detailed content, and Google Meet for conferencing.
Connect with Team Swappa
In addition to communicating with each other, we always enjoy connecting with our users. You can find us on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter or Instagram. We love shout-outs, feedback about the process, or just friendly messages from our users.
We hope you enjoyed learning a little more about our crew. We love what we do and we strive for our users to love Swappa – because Swappa is, after all, the best place to buy and sell used tech.
