iPOP started on TradeMe back in 2009. At the time it made complete sense, TradeMe was where New Zealanders bought and sold everything, fees were reasonable, and listing a pair of sunnies was straightforward. No complicated setup, no big overheads. Just a Kiwi platform built for Kiwi buyers and sellers.
A lot has changed since then.
Where TradeMe Began
TradeMe launched in 1999, founded by Sam Morgan, one of those genuinely great New Zealand success stories. By 2006 it had grown into something enormous, selling to Fairfax Media for $700 million. For nearly 20 years it's been the go-to marketplace for most New Zealanders. Pretty much every adult in the country has bought or sold something on there at some point.
For iPOP it was the perfect starting point. Easy to list, easy to manage, and the customer base was already there. We didn't need to build an audience from scratch, TradeMe brought the traffic.
The Fees Have Changed
Back in the early days the fees were fair. Good value for what you got. These days it's a different story. In our category a sale costs 9.9% plus either 1.95% for Ping or 4.95% if the customer pays through Afterpay. Then there's a $0.10 listing fee per item on top of that.
Doesn't sound like much until you do the numbers. With around 500 listings running over seven days, that's roughly $200 a month in listing fees alone, before any sales commission. It adds up fast, and those costs ultimately flow through to the price customers pay.
It's Not Just Kiwis Anymore
The bigger shift has been who's selling on the platform. When iPOP started, TradeMe really was where Kiwis bought and sold. These days foreign businesses have moved in heavily, UK clothing, Chinese homewares, products shipping from warehouses overseas. Even TradeMe's own tagline has quietly dropped "Where Kiwis Buy and Sell."
That's not a criticism of TradeMe specifically, it's just the reality of how online marketplaces evolve. But it does make things harder for local businesses. It's genuinely difficult for a customer to tell at a glance whether they're buying from a New Zealand business or an overseas seller. Shipping times are the main giveaway, but that's not much of a differentiator.
A simple fix would go a long way, a visible Kiwi icon on local listings, a boost in search rankings for NZ-based sellers, something that makes it easy for customers to consciously support local. It would be good for buyers, good for local businesses, and good for the NZ economy. Hopefully TradeMe considers something like that down the track.
Why Shopping Direct Works Better
We're still on TradeMe and that's not changing, it's still a solid platform and plenty of our customers find us there. But if you want the full iPOP experience, shopping direct from ipop.co.nz is genuinely better.
You get the full range, including our complete UV400 polarised sunglasses collection and our blue light glasses, plus email updates, order tracking, and a more personal experience overall. And because we're not paying TradeMe's commission on every sale, we can keep prices sharper.
We've been at this since 2009. What started as a small TradeMe operation has grown into something we're genuinely proud of, a NZ-owned eyewear store shipping to customers all over the country from our base in Nelson. The platform has changed a lot over the years but the core of what we do hasn't: good quality sunglasses at a price that makes sense.
Either way, TradeMe or direct, your support means a lot. We're a small Kiwi business and every order counts.
