Having launched in Italy last year, Barcelona-based general goods marketplace Wallapop has now landed in Portugal. CEO Rob Cassedy (LinkedIn profile) told website El Economista, “In Portugal, it will be possible to buy both products in the Portuguese market and in Spain. However, he added that “In Portugal, items can initially only be sold domestically.”
According to Cassedy, “There are similarities between the three European markets [Spain, Italy and Portugal], and we think that we will be able to break down the same barriers. If you can’t find something in Spain, you can find it in Milan or Lisbon, with easy shipping between countries … The product catalog will be much broader and, therefore, will offer better prices.”
He asserted that with inflationary pressure mounting, consumers were becoming more price sensitive, boosting demand for second-hand goods, and that they were looking to “monetize” more goods that they owned but did not use anymore. He added that the ongoing shift towards sustainability provided an additional boost to demand.
Cassedy noted that Wallapop had 15 million monthly users and more than 300 employees. He said that revenue at the company had beaten expectations during the first half of 2022 (without revealing any specific figures), with revenue from Wallapop Shipments rising by 59%. He added that Wallapop Shipments (“a service that allows short- and long-distance shipping of products published on Wallapop in a safe way for both users,” according to its website) now accounted for 44% of all transactions on the platform.