Free peer-to-peer marketplace for UC Berkeley students
| .edu-only authentication |
72hr auto-expiring listings |
Pinterest-style discovery feed |
$0 platform fees |
Berkeley students buy and sell textbooks, furniture, electronics, and dorm supplies every semester — but existing platforms (Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist) have no identity verification, stale listings, and zero campus trust infrastructure. Students deal with no-shows, scams, and listings from non-students.
Curb is a campus-only marketplace where every user is verified through their .edu email. Listings auto-expire after 72 hours to keep inventory fresh. The interface uses a Pinterest-style visual feed for discovery instead of the text-heavy list format of older platforms.
What I built:
- Authentication layer — .edu email verification ensures only current students can buy/sell
- Auto-expiring listings — 72-hour TTL keeps the marketplace current, no stale posts
- Visual discovery feed — Pinterest-style card layout with image-first browsing
- Trust system — verified student identities replace anonymous marketplace interactions
- Zero fees — no platform cut, built for students by students
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Frontend | React, responsive design, image-first card UI |
| Backend | Node.js, RESTful API |
| Database | Firebase / Firestore |
| Auth | .edu email verification, session management |
| Storage | Cloud image storage with compression |
- 72-hour expiry — analyzed listing lifecycle data from campus buy/sell groups; most sales happen within 48 hours or never. Auto-expiry eliminates the "is this still available?" problem
- .edu gate — campus-only trust is the core differentiator. No verification = no account
- Image-first feed — students browse visually. Text-heavy listings from Craigslist-era platforms have lower engagement
Built by Tanya Hemdev · UC Berkeley · Cognitive Science + Data Science