Buyback marketplace for diabetes supplies from private sellers
A web platform that prices each shipment, automatically arranges shipping in both directions, and keeps the user informed at every step — delivered 1,100+ buyback requests in its first 10 weeks.
About the Project
The goal was to launch from scratch a web platform that buys unused diabetes supplies from private individuals — effectively an "online store in reverse." The user picks the items themselves, specifies packaging condition and expiration date, and immediately sees the calculated payout. They can then submit the request — no calls, no email back-and-forth, no manual reconciliation. The second half of the work was fully automated two-way logistics. The system has to arrange shipment of an empty box to the user and the return shipment of the packed box to the service warehouse — and in parallel, send real-time email and SMS updates at every step.
About Customer
Stefan, a founder from Miami, focused on fast validation, unit economics, and iterative product development. He came in on a tight budget, so we built the product in deliberate phases: ship the core, collect real demand, then add the next blocks only after unit economics is confirmed. Revenue and operating profit from the first iterations went straight back into the next phases of development and scale.
Online store in reverse
The user sells through the cart instead of buying. The familiar e-commerce UX had to be adapted to the inverted money flow and the item-valuation logic.
Item valuation
The price depends on packaging, remaining shelf life, and similar factors. That demanded flexible rules and an intuitive interface for tuning them.
Logistics automation
The system had to generate two shipping labels: one to send the empty box to the user, one for the return shipment to the warehouse.
Status sync
The business needed to see exactly where every parcel was — sent, in transit, delivered, inspected — without manually tracking shipments.
Step-level notifications
Users needed transparent tracking so they'd know the moment the box ships, the parcel comes back, items are inspected, and money is on the way.
Abandoned carts
Some users hit the price screen but didn't finish the request, so we had to bring them back gently with automated reminders.
Proposed Solution
We built the platform as a public storefront on React with a headless backend on Directus, combining valuation, automatic two-way label generation, order management, and notifications. Directus acts as the core for products, requests, pricing rules, and integrations with the postal services.
Discovery and the buyback flow
We designed the full user journey in detail: what the user sees on the storefront, where they enter item data, when they first see the amount, and at which step they choose to submit. Simultaneously, we defined the request states — when it's still a draft, when it's an active buyback, and when it's ready for payout.
Pricing rules
We designed the model so the price isn't hard-coded. The team adjusts coefficients and exceptions from the admin panel once real product statistics start to come in.
Familiar interface
We kept the storefront, cart, and checkout familiar, like a standard online store, while clearly guiding users that they’re selling items and receiving payment. We refined the wording and tooltips over several iterations to make the flow intuitive even for first-time users.
Automatic two-way shipping
The system automatically creates the outbound label (empty box → user) and the return label (packed box → warehouse) without operator involvement.
Ops panel for the internal team
In Directus we designed a managed admin panel where the team sees requests, parcels, statuses, and event history. Statuses pull straight from the postal carrier so the system knows what's happening at every stage on its own.
Notifications and abandoned-cart recovery
We implemented notifications at key steps so users always know what’s happening. We also added automated reminders with a one-click return for users who priced items but didn’t complete the request.
The client wanted a working model as fast as possible, so we defined the scope for the first release upfront and focused on payout calculation, request submission, logistics, and statuses. We mapped how people learn about the service, the products in scope, how the price is formed, and the user actions before and after the box ships. We collected the transparency requirements both for the user (clear "how much and what for") and for internal accounting, so the finance side could lean on the platform's data model.
+2 Resource
Results
The platform turned a manual, fragmented buyback process for diabetes supplies into a managed online flow — transparent for the user, clean operationally for the team. Buyback, logistics, and customer communication are unified in one system that scales to new product categories and regions.
1,100+
buyback requests in the first 10 weeks
100%
of shipping labels generated automatically — both outbound and return
~6 minutes
from picking items to a submitted request
−60%
support requests after notifications went live
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