HokieX

HokieX is an online thrift shop designed specifically for Virginia Tech students, faculty, and the surrounding community. It is novel compared to other similar platforms like Facebook Marketplace as it includes verification for VT affiliates, including students and faculty. With this feature, our application will have reduced numbers of scammers and scalpers compared to competitors. However, this feature does not exclude people who are not affiliated with VT: Blacksburg residents and others in the surrounding community can also sign up and use the application. Its local focus also lends itself to Blacksburg and VT as there is a strong sense of community in this area. This means that, although those with malicious intentions could still gain access to the system, the community will reject them using the report system and keep the platform safe organically.