Amazon 'Local Finds' for Buying, Selling New and Used Products Launched in India

On Friday, Amazon India appears to have rolled out a new feature called Local Finds. Some of its app users, including some on the Gadgets 360 team, received a notification announcing Local Finds, which has just been launched to help people buy and sell new and used products from people in their city.

The Local Finds feature does not seem to have rolled out to all users yet - on some of the phones we checked with, even with the latest version of the app, there is no mention of Local Finds. However, on desktop, the feature can be accessed on this page. You can also search for these by typing 'Local Finds' into the main search bar, and clicking on the suggested results. There are 10 categories currently visible - Books, Mobiles, Tablets, Video Games, Mobile Covers, Movies, Jewellery, Clothing, Home, and Music.

Gadgets 360 has reached out to Amazon India to get more details about Local Finds, and we will update this article when the company responds.

Under the Local Finds Books section, you will find a number of secondhand titles in the city that your default address is. If you click on the title, you can still buy a new copy, but if you choose used books, you will see the local sellers only. The listing shows the condition of the book, and the book can be inspected before accepting the delivery.

Local Finds in books tends to be a listing of popular titles, so expect a lot of Amish (four of the first five entries) and other similar titles. Ironically, in some cases, the used books are more expensive than new books.

In the Local Finds Jewellery category on the other hand, Local Finds showed us new items; the section shows jewellery from designers in your city. You can shop by category, such as earrings, bangles, necklaces, and so on, and there are featured jewellers listed on the site as well. You can list an item and set up your own store as well, and Amazon's site says there is no CST required - which makes sense since the products are being sold locally, though if the earnings exceed Rs. 20 lakh then you'll have to register for GST.

Listing an item or setting up a store to sell products on Local Finds was really simple - you first have to choose a category, (between electronics, laptops, books, jewellery, women's clothing, mobile accessories, computer accessories, and home furnishing) and then you have to add a photo. After that you need to add some details depending on the category - for example, in video games you'd be selecting the platform, brand, genre; in women's clothing if you choose stoles you have to add the colour and pattern type.

All this is done via simple drop-down menus, and then you choose the item condition, add a title, price, and any additional description you want to add. After that, you need to give you contact details - your address, email, and phone number, and then the listing goes live.

If someone places an order, Amazon will come to pick up your product, pack it and ship it, and you will receive your payment within a week, the company says.