Strategic, Sustainable and High Tech: Ushering Barter into the Modern Age
Weary of that once treasured Hermes bag? Dreaming about a supremely stylish new Gucci scarf? You just know someone would really appreciate your wonderful designer clutch. And that coveted silk fashion accent would unfurl a wealth of style.
The solution? Barter—a mutually beneficial direct exchange of goods or services with another party—the oldest form of commerce. But banish any visions of casually swapping unwanted items casually over the back fence. Today, what’s old is new again, with a distinctively modern high-tech twist.
Swipe to Swap
Scroll through Zéya's online barter inventory and swipe right on any item you like. If someone swipes right on your offering, you may just have the deal you dreamed of—easily and seamlessly. Recently introduced in select markets, Zèya is the thoroughly modern digital barter matchmaker that makes swapping, instead of shopping, simple and accessible. It is beginning to change how people think about acquiring the goods and services they want or need in more sustainable and thoughtful ways.
Barter is Better—and Back
Mehdi Taifi, Zèya founder and CEO says: “With today’s greater economic uncertainty, barter is enjoying a renaissance. He designed the Zèya app to accelerate, modernize and streamline the trend. To that end the app offers location-based matching of users, private swap groups and flexible trade delivery options.
Taifi notes that the current emphasis on sustainability, recycling and minimizing waste have thrust trade transactions not only into the spotlight, but into the mainstream. Home furnishings, clothing, jewelry, sports equipment, technology—virtually anything can be traded. He notes with a slightly ironic grin: “Afterall, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure,” while pointing out that indeed there are many shades of grey in between to form the basis of creative trade transactions.
Taifi also notes that as part of the sustainability trend, second-hand thrifting is on the upswing among consumers of all ages, but particularly younger people. Statistics indicate that the global secondhand apparel market is worth an estimated $256 billion, up 12.8% from 2024. In 2026, it is predicted to reach $228 billion. Purchasing on the secondhand market extends the value of your dollar. And trading is even more beneficial. It’s free!
Swapping with an Eye for Luxury
When focusing on luxury goods, particularly high-end apparel and accessories, he stresses that consumers can find true value in quality, pre-owned items and that segment of the market has been particularly active on the app. “We have had users form trading groups focusing specifically on luxury categories such as designer handbags, where they can trade to enjoy variety and style without expense.
Waste Not, Want Not
As the visionary behind the company, Taifi notes, “Zèya is more than a platform. It’s a mindset and movement rooted in thoughtful, meaningful consumption and ownership.” In the sometimes-alienating age of globalization, he feels it will also unite communities of people with similar interests and forge connections on the local level, as users pass tricycles and unneeded cell phones across the literal or figurative back fence.
Swapping, not shopping in modern times is a thought-provoking concept. We sat down with Mehdi Taifi to get a more detailed picture of the Zèya app and the mindset he hopes it will create.
Jeanne Marie Phillips (JMP): Explain in more detail how the app functions and deals are made.
Mehdi Taifi (MT): The app can be downloaded from the Apple or Google Play stores. Users simply upload a photo and descriptions of items they wish to trade or details about a service. They scroll through others’ offerings and swipe right on items of interest or left to dismiss them. When the app finds a match for a potential trade, it alerts users and enables them to chat digitally and arrange a swap.
JMP: Is there a cost to purchase or use the app?
MT: There is no transaction fee and we do not foresee one in the future. As the platform expands, we will implement advertising, perhaps fees for ad-free display and for premium listings. But we do not plan on implementing a transaction fee.
JMP: You started in select markets and have expanded. Where is the app in use now?
MT: We launched the app in Miami and now have about 10,000 users there and throughout South Florida. We're also in New York City, Texas, Denver and other parts of Colorado. We're a little over 36,000 users as of today. In the short term, we plan to have enough users in each local market so that trading will take place within communities where goods can easily be exchanged.
JMP: The concept of sustainability and recycling seem to be woven into your mission. Can you comment on that?
MT: An important part of our mission is to minimize waste and overconsumption. Instead of paying cash to purchase something users need, they can just look for something they already own and are not using. That way they retrieve value from it while preserving cash and the environment. Our goal is to make swapping an important new trend.
JMP: Do you plan to build out the technology to help facilitate better matches and more efficient trading?
MT: We plan to leverage AI at some point to facilitate trades. Today, people are downloading the app on a daily basis and uploading items. We're starting to track the type of inventory on our app. Then we're asking users what items they're looking for. That information is stored, and using AI is going to allow us to create matches and make suggestions to users for trades.
JMP: Earlier you mentioned special interest groups. Can you expand on that?
MT: Through the app, users can create groups that trade specific types of items. This cuts the time spent browsing by creating a focus. The most common trades I've seen are actually designer handbags. There are a couple of groups focusing on that. One social media influencer mentioned on her page “If this actually works, I may never have to buy a purse again.”
JMP: Will you eventually facilitate cross-market matches?
MT: Hopefully in the future users will have plenty of appropriate options in their own markets. But for certain items, we may well open up trading nationally. We’ll see where the market and technology take us.
JMP: What are some of the more unique or surprising items you have seen put up for trade?
MT: A Zèya member posted a very old classic car, I believe a 1964 two-door Mercedes. Honestly, I don't know whether anyone had an item of similar value that enticed the owner to swap for it. But, it was really cool to see this listed. Once we did see a cat up for trade and had to reach out to let the user know that trading pets was not appropriate.
JMP: What is your professional background and how did this lead to the founding of Zeya?
MT: I was in financial services for quite some time, including investment banks on Wall Street. Then I transitioned to Robinhood, which early on became one of the biggest startups in our time. I had also worked for several other small start-ups. Seeing how financial services and the stock market drove the economy, I began to ask myself “how do you structure commerce in a different way?” Zèya was born.
I am the solo founder, and as we scale the platform, we’re expanding the team and entering a new phase of growth supported by investment. Zèya has just closed a multi-million-dollar strategic growth round, structured across milestone-based tranches—reinforcing strong conviction in our traction and our mission to promote the value of trade and modernize local commerce without cash in today’s world.
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