About Us

Binster is a Women-Owned Tech Startup with a digital secondhand marketplace designed to bring communities together.

Our Mission

Binster’s mission is to help shoppers find quality, gently-used and upcycled items from local resale businesses.

  • Shopping secondhand helps reduce waste!

  • Extending the life of existing items reduces the strain on natural resources that would’ve been used to create new items or dispose of existing items.

Why shop secondhand?

  • Local resale shops carefully curate their inventory focusing on cleanliness, quality, function, and style.

  • When we support local businesses, everyone wins! Shopping local reduces your environmental footprint and helps your local economy and community.

Why local businesses?

Meet the Founders

Binster was founded by two gals with a shared passion for the environment, Meredith Chee and Tammy Okubo. Tammy and Meredith could not unsee the environmental problems being created with today’s consumer culture. They thought there must be a better way. Both problem-solvers by nature, they put their heads together. After many brainstorming sessions to evaluate different ideas – and there were a lot! – they always came back to the concept now known as Binster. This idea aligned with both of their core values which include doing good for the people and planet. Designing solutions to reduce consumer waste is a large problem to solve, but also comes with significant potential impact. Now, they are on a mission to reduce consumer waste and build a like-minded community.


  • Co-Founder

    I felt compelled to create Binster because I can’t ignore the environmental challenges facing the Earth. I love spending time outdoors – hiking, skiing, taking my dogs to the park or the beach. I want our environment to be able to provide for all of Earth’s inhabitants – animals and people – sustainably. We’re destroying our planet faster than it can replenish. I want to do my part to help allow the Earth to be healthy.

    Aside from finding ways we can all help to preserve the Earth, my interests vary from outdoor activities, yoga (so many bruises when I first started trying inversions), papercrafts (custom greeting cards are my jam), and doggy training. With 7 dogs, a well-coached pack is a must! Some of my more leisurely pastimes include reading (check out the digital resources of your local library – makes things convenient), experimenting with kombucha homebrew flavors, and all Pittsburgh sports…Let’s Go Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates!!!


  • Co-Founder

    I believe in humanity, and when we come together in our communities, we are stronger and that is the key to changing the consumer culture. It blows my mind that environmental studies and existing solutions assume that consumers will not change their habits, and I am here to challenge that assumption. We as the consumers have the largest power to flex, we can choose to live differently, immediately, and have real impact today. Building Binster gives us all a way to live differently.

    Outside of my day job and building Binster, some of my interests and activities include serving on the leadership board of the University of Portland Engineering Alumni Affinity chapter. UP played a huge part in molding me into who I am today. Staying connected with the University and other Alums has been a great way to stay centered and provides opportunities to pay it forward.

    Other activities include cheering on the Portland Trailblazers (huge fan…even when I get frustrated with our lack of consistency on defense), cooking (when I have time), and occasionally tackling an upcycling project. Cooking and upcycling have been great creative outlets. It’s amazing what these hands can do.