Following its recent relocation to Kent, Washington, BuyWander Inc. has raised $21 million in Series A funding as the Spokane Valley-founded auction marketplace prepares to expand into more U.S. cities, invest in technology, and build its leadership team. 

BuyWander, an online auction marketplace for returned and overstocked retail merchandise, plans to use the capital for national expansion, technology development, and leadership investments, says co-founder and CEO Jordan Allen.

“This capital really allows us to continue our vision of helping people get ahead,” Allen says.

BuyWander is using its Spokane Valley facility to test operational improvements before introducing them to facilities in other markets. Spokane Valley is BuyWander’s largest market by revenue and product throughput, providing the company with a high-volume environment in which it can test changes before applying new approaches elsewhere, Allen explains.

“Spokane's our testing ground,” Allen says. “We’re just constantly making changes and improvements.”

The company's goal is to improve its processes in current markets while expanding into new cities. The company now operates in eight U.S. cities, including new locations in Denver and Chicago. A location in Minneapolis also is expected to open in October.

“We’re always testing out these new things in the Spokane market that we think are going to help drive more throughput and just keep the business as simple as possible as we grow,” says co-founder and Chief Financial Officer Brock Kowalchuk. “This round lets us build that foundation ahead of demand, so every new market opens with the same reliability customers already expect from us in our existing markets.”

Additionally, Greg Greeley, a long time resident of Spangle and CEO of New York-based publishing firm Simon & Schuster LLC joined BuyWander’s board of directors on Sept. 15. Greeley formerly served as president of homes at Airbnb and as a vice president at Amazon Prime, among other roles. Greeley joined the existing board to help guide the company's aggressive expansion plans into new markets, Allen says.

Looking ahead, Allen says BuyWander plans to balance opening in additional markets while increasing capacity and improving customer experiences in the markets it already serves.

“Expand, improve, expand, improve,” Allen says. “We want to create the world’s most trusted brand in this retail return space.”