Silvia Romero and Alberto Aznar run Beseif, Beseif is a payment and delivery system that specializes in retail sales, allowing users and others to easily and securely buy and sell. The goal is to prevent fraud in this type of operation, as thousands of incidents occur every day. In this interview, we will talk about all this and more.

What is Beseif?
Alberto Aznar: Beseif is a payment and delivery system that specializes in retail sales. It is mainly used to buy and sell second-hand items online, but there are many collectors, artisans and small businesses that use the platform.
Silvia Romero: Our job is to make the exercise of buying from a stranger as simple and safe as buying it from a trusted store.

How did the idea come about?
A. A .: The idea came up one summer when I decided to buy a surfboard from a well-known advertising portal. I found a board at a great price, the seller had good reviews and I paid for it with confidence. However, the days passed and the board did not arrive. When I realized that I had been the victim of a scam, I tried to get my money back. I filed a complaint at the police station and a complaint at the consumer’s office, but there was no way. Researching, I found that these types of situations occur very often.
S. R .: When he told me what had happened, we started thinking: What if there was a tool that would act as a mediator between two strangers in second-hand sales? Thus was born Beseif.

What sets Beseif apart from other product sales platforms?
A. A .: There are hundreds of classified ad portals, buying and selling forums, second-hand markets ... that do not target transactions. Typically, buyers and sellers talk together and manage the transaction on their own.
We provide a secure way to handle the payment and delivery of these items.
S. R .: On the other hand, we also integrate our technology as a white label in those Marketplaces where we want to offer the service directly to its users. We allow them to add a "Buy" button to their ads, and they can start trading by adding their own commission.

What benefits do Beseif users get?
A. A .: One of the keys to our success is that for us the safety of the buyer is just as important as that of the seller, and to that end we have added some control mechanisms to the process.
S. R .: However, the value of the platform is not only in the security. Thanks to the platform, the second-hand market is not heavy. You don't have to worry about managing second-hand sales. With Beseif, users can easily manage payments and shipments in just a few clicks.

How does it work?
A. A .: The operation of the platform is very simple. The buyer pays and the amount is backed by Beseif in a secure deposit until the transaction is completed.
S. R .: In addition to payment, we manage all logistics. We pick up the package at the seller’s home and deliver it to the destination. Once the buyer has verified that the receipt is correct, payment will be made to the seller. If it doesn't work out, you can return it for free and recoup the investment.

How are sales delivered?
A. A .: When a buyer wants to buy an item from an individual on a platform that does not have an integrated payment system, it is common for Google to search for a type of management to perform this transaction securely. And there we are.
S. R .: The sellers themselves also inform us in their ad descriptions, in which they state that for greater security, the transaction will be handled through Beseif.

What happens in the case of fraud? How are they perceived?
A. A .: Beseif always backs up the purchase amount until the transaction is completed. The buyer has 48 hours from the date of receipt of the item to verify that everything is correct. If there is a problem, you can request a free refund, stating the reason for the refund, and an investigation will be opened to determine what happened.
S. R .: The control processes we carry out at Beseif make it easy for us to detect fraud. However, using a platform like Beseif to manage transactions between individuals already avoids criminals.

How has the pandemic affected Beseif in particular and these types of platforms in general?
A. A .: The pandemic has accelerated the growth of online shopping and many people who have never made a second hand purchase have tried it for the first time.
S. R .: The fewer resources we have, the smarter we become, and unfortunately, the pandemic-induced economic crisis has seen many people in the second-hand market the opportunity to save or make money.
We are witnessing changes in Beseif's consumption habits. In fact, we grew by 83% at the close.

Do you think this is the right time to start a business?
A. A .: It’s as good as any other moment, as long as there’s a need to cover the market.
S. R .: It should be clear that taking action is not a good idea to implement. Having a good product or service is not always enough. It is necessary to know the market times to know if the project has a place. Competence and customers need to be reviewed and valued to determine if they are willing to pay for our product or service.

How important are new technologies for a business to succeed today?
S. R .: If a startup characterizes and distinguishes something from a large company, that’s flexibility and agility in dealing with change. Not losing the ability to respond quickly to change is essential for a business, which makes it essential to rely on new technologies to deliver an innovative product or service at high speed.

What advice would you give to young people who are thinking about starting a business?
A. A .: There is no magic formula for successful entrepreneurship. There is nothing better than jumping into the pool and learning from your mistakes.
S. R .: Our advice is to set 3-4 unbreakable standards. It’s a tough road and a lot of decisions have to be made, not always easy ones; therefore, not breaking the basic rules is essential for the proper development of the project.

What are your future plans for Beseif?
A. A .: Since the product was launched, we have been able to integrate our technology into 10 Marketplaces and more than 40,000 users have registered on the platform. As a result, we have managed around 2 million euros in purchasing and sales operations.
S. R .: So far, it’s the users who have found us, but we want to turn the situation around and look for customers. We want to accelerate the growth of the business by focusing on marketing actions to reach more people.
That’s why we’ve just started an investment round on the Startupxplore participatory financing platform so that small investors who believe in our idea can join the project.