Neighbourhood network Nextdoor is launching the ‘Uni Swap Shop’, offering thousands of student essentials for free ahead of Freshers Week this September.
The average cost of buying essential items to go to university is just under £1,000 at £984 and the ‘Uni Swap Shop’ is an opportunity for parents and students of parents to pick up essential items for free or at very low cost saving them a small fortune..
Ranging from brand new to second hand, students can pick up items across homeware, kitchenware, electronics, clothing and educational tools such as books, stationary and organisers, with one in four items on the platform being completely free.
It’s not only students who can get involved either, if any ex-students or local neighbours have high quality items to give away to a second home nearby, all they need to do is upload items to Nextdoor’s For Sale & Free function.
“A quarter of items listed on Nextdoor are already free, and we want to make it as easy as possible for students to get all of their essential items without breaking the bank before they get there. Nextdoor’s For Sale and Free feature is a really accessible and cost-effective platform and with inflation continuing to rise, it can really help families save a small fortune.”
Laura Roche, Managing Director at Nextdoor UK
Most items on Nextdoor are sold locally, limiting the need for car usage, postage and delivery costs. This means students can shop sustainably and source everything they need for university local to them, without buying brand new items.
Top Tip: Save £400 and use Nextdoor to find preloved university course books and study resources as these can be an expensive outlay and most aren’t used once students have finished their course.
Starting university can be daunting, but apps such as Nextdoor are the perfect platform to get to know your new city or campus and meet new friends. Here’s why Nextdoor should be an essential app on your phone this Freshers Week:
- Save money: Nextdoor’s For Sale & Free section is an instant money saver for parents and students looking to cut back on expensive costs and seek great value items for less. 1 in 4 items on the platform are free which will be helpful to many amidst the cost of living crisis
- Meet new friends: Nextdoor connects users to their immediate, local community – meaning they can connect with people within X miles of where they live – an impactful tool for making new friends at a time that can come with loneliness and homesickness
- Find events: Neighbours frequently post about events taking place in the local area, including free events, so users can find people who have similar interests as them and make new friends whilst enjoying hobbies or trying new experiences
- Local knowledge: Nextdoor is full of small business recommendations – whether that’s for bars and restaurants, local services such as beauty salons, handymen or even a new gallery opening. Don’t overlook the knowledge of locals to help students get to know their new city
- Swap a Skill: Connect with other students to learn new skills for free, such as music lessons or a new language or enhance your cooking skills in the kitchen and swap tips and recipes with local neighbours.
Nextdoor is completely free to download. To sign up to Nextdoor or to find out more, visit www.nextdoor.co.uk
