Vanessa Mendoza, 26, of Fresno has partnered with her mother Yamileth Mendoza to create the FreeTrade app, which facilitates bartering of goods and services between parties. Photo by Frank Lopez

A mother-daughter business duo from Fresno has created a platform bridging a barter system with modern technology.

Yamileth Mendoza is the owner and founder of FreeTrade, an app that serves as a platform for users to uploads goods or services for trading.

Users upload photos and videos of their items or services to the FreeTrade app and connect with users from all 50 states.

The app was launched in November and is available on both iOS and Android. Users can download the FreeTrade app for free and can post their items or services for a monthly fee of $1.99.

Yamileth came up with the idea for the app after the pandemic hit, with people quarantined at home, stores running out of goods, inflation, and everyday items such as toilet paper and paper towels becoming a sought-after luxury.

Yamileth’s daughter, co-founder Vanessa Mendoza, 26, who is more tech savvy and apt for social media engagement, helped her mother with ideas for app development and how to spread the word.

Vanessa is also a real estate agent, receiving her license in 2021.

Before FreeTrade, she worked in the jewelry industry for more than 20 years, selling jewelry for Crescent Jewelers, Kay Jewelers and most recently in a management position with Kevin Jewelers at Fashion Fair.

Yamileth was also a real estate agent for years.

It was during the pandemic mother and daughter were thinking of ways to connect people to help each other. The idea for the FreeTrade app was born in 2020.

“It took some time to figure out the right team to be able to build the app exactly how we wanted it,” Vanessa said.

When they were talking to app developers, Vanessa said they were quoted prices from $50,000 to $80,000, but luckily, they got it a little bit cheaper.

With Yamileth’s network of connections and Vanessa’s aptitude for tech and social media, the duo worked together to make the most fluid and efficient app system, Vanessa said. They researched similar apps, the creators and the methods they used to make their products popular.

For apps, the main sell comes with the marketing, Vanessa said.

“You could have a terrible product, but if you market it the right way, it will get sold,” she said.

Currently, FreeTrade only offers services for trading and bartering, but Yamileth is working with their developer to add a buying and selling option, which should be available in about three weeks.

Vanessa said the original idea was to keep it strictly as a trade and bartering app, but after subscribers expressed that they wanted to sell their products and services on FreeTrade, the duo decided to deliver the option.

In their business mission to help the community, Yamileth and Vanessa realized that a buying and selling feature could be beneficial to small businesses.

Vanessa notes that the FreeTrade app will not come with any fees besides the $1.99 cost to subscribe, unlike other bartering and selling apps, which take a percentage of each sale.

FreeTrade has about 500 downloads and 235 subscribers. It’s building clientele, but there is not a large inventory, Vanessa said.

“One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure,” Vanessa said. “You never know who is going to want what you’re selling. Post it on FreeTrade, that way the inventory keeps growing. Its little by little — it takes time,” she said.

The app is also eco-friendly, Vanessa said, with used clothing and items being reused instead of being thrown away and ending up in a landfill somewhere.

At a time with a shaky economy, inflation and more consumers conscious about where their stuff comes from, how its sourced and its impact on the environment, Vanessa feels this is a good era for trading and bartering.

 

It’s not just meant to exchange items. Vanessa said FreeTrade could be good platform for small businesses and beginning entrepreneurs to offer their services in exchange for other services and goods.

“It’s another way that we could help the community and not involve money,” Vanessa said. “It doesn’t all have to revolve around money. Its better than giving your items to a thrift store for a few cents, and you could actually trade for something that has value to you.”

To help spread the word, they have reached out to influencers on Tik Tok, Facebook and Instagram.

However, influencers sometimes charge hundreds of dollars for a single 30-second video clip, which isn’t always feasible.

Yamileth and Vanessa’s hope is that the FreeTrade app takes off in Fresno first, and once it gets bigger, becomes popular in other states.