goodbuy

(it me! Cara, Co-founder!) I've been the daughter of small business owners my entire life. I've watched the ups and downs first hand. Seen the weight of mega e-commerce retailers crush small businesses (especially throughout this pandemic). The absolute impossible task they have of trying to compete with the SEO and marketing budgets of big box stores. The truth is: there are thousands of small values-aligned businesses out there, that carry the EXACT product you want - YOU JUST CAN'T SEE THEM. So... I co-founded goodbuy just a few short months ago. I used that chip on my shoulder ;) and built a browser extension that would boost the visibility of small values-aligned businesses everywhere. Shopping consciously is typically time intensive, and is a labor of love, but with a pretty simple implementation of tech, it doesn't really have to be. (deep breath) So this is me releasing our baby into the world. I am really proud of what we've built. I truly hope you like it too. Looking for honest feedback, a little love, some shares (if you're into us), and of course, any suggestions around how to make this product incredible. Thanks SO MUCH! Cara Oppenheimer (co-founder, and small businesses groupie!)

SO excited that goodbuy is officially out in the world. Some incredible work went into creating it and I can't wait to see the incredible impact it will have. I just found my new favorite Black-owned, women-owned book shop through the tool, and am excited to see what other hundreds of small businesses have been hiding from me on page 12 of the normal retail websites. It's truly the browser extension I never knew I needed, and I hope everyone else feels the same!

After ditching that one mega-retailer (you know the one), a little over two years ago now, I've since made shopping intentionally, (and consuming consciously) a top priority whenever I'm looking for that "special something" for myself or the humans I care about. BEFORE goodbuy, that often meant needing to plan weeks+ in an advance to make sure I had adequate time to: research, sleuth influencer reviews, build in buffer time for shipping, and of course- to double check that I was supporting a small business and human(s) whose values aligned with my own. Intentional? Yes. Time consuming? Double yes. Now, WITH the goodbuy Chrome extension I'm able to search easily, thoughtfully, and meaningfully for the items I need, from the people I want to support... all within a matter of SECONDS. It feels even better than before AND I've found some of my new, favorite values-aligned small businesses without the stress and time that was required of me before goodbuy existed. Plus, for shipping from small businesses that are TRULY worth the wait- goodbuy created 'card gift,' a beautifully-designed, customizable card to share with the people in your life when that awesome gift you ordered is juuuuust going to miss the date you were hoping it arrived (it's like receiving a rad gift x2!) goodbuy is helping folks everywhere make 'gooder' choices everyday & I hope everyone has a chance to experience it the way I have :)

This tool changes how I shop, without me having to make any extra effort. Like yesterday, I was going to buy holiday ornaments at Target and West Elm, and instead I ended up at this incredible family-owned, handmade ornament store. And now every year when I hang it on my tree, I'll think of the real humans who made it and who I supported with my business. That's just one of 9 purchases I've made so far on goodbuy, from gifts (winter boots for my daughter, AAPI-owned, American made) to everyday items (waterbottle, local, sustainable, certified ethical) it's changed me from feeling guilty about shopping to knowing that my purchases are an accurate reflection of who I am as a person and all of the folks and causes I want to support.

In a world where shopping big box stores is easy, fast, and cheap, it's typical to forget about the ramifications of supporting these huge conglomerates. When I am spending my earnings, I want to support businesses that are intentional about their impact on the planet and the humans behind the scenes. Yes, installing goodbuy takes a few minutes but it will forever change the course of my choices. Value-aligned results pop up in seconds (ex: women-owned, American-made, vegan, LGBTQIA+ owned, Black-owned, seriously whatever matters to you). I am now easily supporting businesses that actually feels good to support. I am now finding stores that are super rad. I am now more passionate than ever about creating new shopping habits. We all know that we want to make more conscious, informed decisions about our impact. Instead of feeling drained and exhausted, I am feeling EXCITED. That is what truly makes goodbuy a life changing tool.

I mean seriously. Where have you been all my online shopping life? This extension is like magic. It literally maps my values into buying products and supporting businesses I want to support. Not just businesses I'm forced to support. F-ing brilliant.

Loving the mission of goodbuy and excited to be part of getting this browser extension onto more browsers! Small businesses deserve a more fair playing field and way more visibility than they get. This tool seriously makes shopping feel better and it is really fun to discover brand new small businesses.