ThrowAwayRecycler.com sounds like a good one. If you dont like it you can also try CashForYourJunk.com but some people might get the wrong idea.
Ask HN: Simple little business - what should I call it?
31–40 of 116 posts
Re: Ask HN: Simple little business - what should I call it?
#32I upvoted my favorite TLD on the page (clutterbin.com) However, I'm curious about your business model. 1. How much revenue are you bringing in? 2. What is the commission structure like? 3. How many customers do you have? 4. Where is your business located (generally, of course)? 5. Does this business model scale well? Thanks in advance, I know I'm prying but it seems very interesting. I've chatted with a friend of min…
I'm not started yet - I just used the present tense for brevity above. I'm going to test the market over the next couple of weeks with a sample dropoff. I founded a student storage business [http://www.thebigspace.co.uk] 7 years ago and so I've got a good grasp of the logistics of collecting and moving boxes. I also have lots of empty boxes.
1. Zero so far.
2. I'm going to start at 15% after selling costs (ebay fees and shipping)
3. I'll start by dropping boxes to 100 houses and see what I get back - if it works at that scale then I think it should scale up.
4. UK.
5. I hope so. I suspect it will because I can bulk up similar things and then ship them to the markets where they'll sell well. Eg. Old phones still fetch good money in Africa. XBox and Playstation games sell well in Eastern Europe. Likewise, DVDs are still in demand.
I think the advantage over the dropshop model is:
1. Much more appealing for householders: I've got loads of stuff that just depreciating year by year. By the time I've found a box, boxed it up, found a dropshop, driven it there, and filled in the forms I could have sold it myself. This way you just pick the box up at your front door, walk round the house and fill it, write your email address on the box, and leave it back at the door.
2. Scalability: I can do this nationally by shipping inbound boxes for $7.50. I can also use a rep system, whereby local people (think Avon ladies) take on their area on a part time basis.
3. Low overhead: No premises. Centralised facility for sorting through things - ideally with the facility to simply enter a model number and condition for common items to generate a standard listing, without the need to write anything or photograph things.
Drop me an email if you want - me@alexmuir.com
Re: Ask HN: Simple little business - what should I call it?
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sounds dangerously close to casino spam to me.
Not sure I follow you, can you elaborate?
The word "cash" is the most descriptive word ("box" is a rather generic term) in those names. Apart from that, the names sound completely generic. They remind me of get-rich-quick schemes and of shady online casinos, which are all purely about putting money somewhere.
Your business idea, as I understand it, is mostly about people getting rid of unused stuff, and paid for it, but without freezing their feet off in a fleamarket. I'd rather focus on that positive experience, because that is something online casinos don't have.
Re: Ask HN: Simple little business - what should I call it?
#34[deleted]
[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: Simple little business - what should I call it?
#35clutterbin.com Think about what you're doing for people and maybe you'll get more ideas. You're helping people by making it easy to clean up their unwanted clutter and then magically, they get money and peace of mind because they're not surrounded by stuff they don't want :-)
I don't love this to be honest. I don't want to be seen as an alternative to the bin - if it's ready for the bin I'm not going to be able to sell it. I want people to feel comfortable putting an old laptop in there, perhaps a 19" TFT screen etc. For me clutter and bin are two negative words.
Re: Ask HN: Simple little business - what should I call it?
#36Reminds me of cash4gold. I think a better business model would be to pay them directly for the box. The drawback is that you have to become good at evaluating the market value of what's inside the boxes.
You could probably just pay them a standard amount for their "junk". Most people have no idea of the value of things that they are trying to get rid of.
Re: Ask HN: Simple little business - what should I call it?
#37I upvoted my favorite TLD on the page (clutterbin.com) However, I'm curious about your business model. 1. How much revenue are you bringing in? 2. What is the commission structure like? 3. How many customers do you have? 4. Where is your business located (generally, of course)? 5. Does this business model scale well? Thanks in advance, I know I'm prying but it seems very interesting. I've chatted with a friend of min…
I'm not started yet - I just used the present tense for brevity above. I'm going to test the market over the next couple of weeks with a sample dropoff. I founded a student storage business [ http://www.thebigspace.co.uk ] 7 years ago and so I've got a good grasp of the logistics of collecting and moving boxes. I also have lots of empty boxes. 1. Zero so far. 2. I'm going to start at 15% after selling costs (ebay fee…
This sounds partly similar to businesses who clear out deceased people's houses. Perhaps you can learn from them?
Re: Ask HN: Simple little business - what should I call it?
#38Reminds me of cash4gold. I think a better business model would be to pay them directly for the box. The drawback is that you have to become good at evaluating the market value of what's inside the boxes.
It's a trust issue. This way, our interests are aligned, and people aren't going to think 'Hey, this might be worth something - I'll hang onto it'. I'm going to get the best price for their stuff, and they can see it. Cash4gold pay as little as they can get away with - I don't want to be 'exposed' in the scams section of the paper.
Re: Ask HN: Simple little business - what should I call it?
#39According to nxdom these .coms are available:
ridya,
selldr,
payrid,
clutterz,
easyrids.
Re: Ask HN: Simple little business - what should I call it?
#40I really like this idea. I'm curious on how you avoid the scenario of people thinking you're underselling how much you made on eBay? Or do you not see that as an issue because it's really unwanted stuff anyway, so any money made is a profit? That and you could potentially link them to the auction listing(s) for their items to see the progress.
Maybe have policies that all auctions are $1 starts with no reserve and they get what they get?