Retail returns business BuyWander raises $2M and plans warehouse near Seattle

BuyWander, the Spokane, Wash.-based startup that aims to turn truckloads of retail returns into fresh deals for shoppers, raised $2 million in seed funding to support expansion to the Seattle area. The company plans to open a 30,000-square-foot warehouse space at 18726 East Valley Highway in Kent, Wash., not far from IKEA and Southcenter Mall, on June 1. BuyWander currently operates a facility in Spokane. Launched in February 2024, BuyWander’s goal is to find a new home at the right price for goods that arrived damaged, didn’t fit, weren’t a good match, or were sent back for any number of… Read More

Apr 30, 2025 - 18:27

Retail returns business BuyWander raises $2M and plans warehouse near Seattle

BuyWander, the Spokane, Wash.-based startup that aims to turn truckloads of retail returns into fresh deals for shoppers, raised $2 million in seed funding to support expansion to the Seattle area.

The company plans to open a 30,000-square-foot warehouse space at 18726 East Valley Highway in Kent, Wash., not far from IKEA and Southcenter Mall, on June 1. BuyWander currently operates a facility in Spokane.

Launched in February 2024, BuyWander’s goal is to find a new home at the right price for goods that arrived damaged, didn’t fit, weren’t a good match, or were sent back for any number of reasons. The hope is to keep truckloads of stuff from sitting in warehouses or heading for landfills.

The company uses AI and other tech to scan, sort, and identify thousands of new and like-new products and sell them through an online auction marketplace. Shoppers collect their merchandise with curbside pickup, and warehouses also serve as bin stores where customers can dig for more deals on everything from air fryers to Apple Watches.

The startup, which employs 22 people, was founded by Jordan Allen and Brock Kowalchuk, who serve as co-CEOs. Allen previously led Stay Alfred, another startup from Eastern Washington, which leased downtown apartments and buildings in big cities and turned them into short-term rentals. It shut down in 2020. Kowalchuk was previously CEO at Kaspien, a Spokane company that helped online brands boost sales on Amazon and other e-commerce platforms. It closed in 2023.

“Most venture-backed companies serve the already elite,” Allen said. “We’re building for everyday Americans and the thousands of small resale businesses who depend on access to affordable, high-quality products.”

Allen also told GeekWire that as consumers adjust to the impact of Trump administration tariffs on new inventory, the company believes there will be an increase in customer demand for returned goods.

“It’s changing by the hour and makes future planning a challenge!” he said Wednesday via email.

BuyWander’s Spokane location just surpassed 10,000 registered users, and company revenue in March increased to $370,000. Website page views that month exceeded 1 million, and the average order value was close to $80. The company says it’s processing six semi-trucks of merchandise per week.

The funding round was led by Triple Impact Venture, with participation from Animal Capital, Data Tech Partners, Vinay Menda, Quiet Capital, Maria Routimine, Eric Klein, James Dorman, and Tom Simpson.