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Re: undefined

#61

Post by tomaspiaggio12 »

you should read the cold start problem (book). it talks a bunch about how uber, airbnb, zoom, github, dropbox solved the cold start problem in different ways. super interesting and well explained.

in two words, two sided networks usually have a "hard part". in the case of uber, the drivers. in your case, i'd probably "do things that don't scale" like brian chesky did with airbnb, start with a super small location (probably where you live) and drive yourself / your cofounders / friends all the packages until people know the product works.

usually, with cold start products, you have to solve it many times in many locations. you can't do it worldwide day one.

Re: undefined

#62

Post by notahacker »

pjc50 wrote: post #30
hilariously wrote: post #4

My bigger question is how you would validate this isn't drugs because this seems like the perfect low effort way to send high value drugs.

Check-in explicitly asks you "have you packed your bags yourself", and then you have to either say "no I have this random package from a stranger which might contain anything" or lie to customs. TBH, I can't really think of a market for this that isn't contraband. The "last mile" looks really annoying as well. Edit: I think it's a legit marketing question for OP. Name three different kinds of item someone might want…

I think it probably works fine for national delivery couriers filling space in their van with additional extra bulky items; services to disintermediate them to move heavy goods for less cost than a dedicated courier already exist and some of them even wrap suitable insurance around it.

Internationally if it's P2P rather than P2companythatdoesthecustomspaperwork it's pretty much pure smuggling-as-a-service, and yes, people who kindly help carry the stranger's Colombian souvenir on their passenger flight for a small fraction of the ticket cost will find themselves being jailed at the other end.

Re: undefined

#63

Post by pembrook »

Take a page out of the YC playbook.

Ditch this idea and instead build a Sales Enablement B2B Saas targeted at other YC companies, fuel the pyramid scheme by selling contracts back and forth between your other VC funded B2B Saas company friends and exit before the hype around you dies down.

Bootstrapping a two sided marketplace in 2026 is virtually impossible, especially one as esoteric and low value as what you’ve described.

Re: undefined

#65

Post by TheGRS »

leros wrote: post #2

You need to cheat to kickstart one side 1) Incentivize people on one side to join without the other side. For example Uber paid early drivers money just for signing up even though they had no riders. 2) You provide one side of the marketplace to kickstart the other side. This would be like Uber hiring drivers in the beginning. This is why starting a two sided marketplace often requires significant capital. They're ve…

IIRC Uber employees would jump into taxis and offer them money on the spot to drive for them.

Its priming the pump, I agree there's probably no way around it. Once you get some adoption you can use that experience to go to other cities. Hit social networks often to generate interest organically.

Re: undefined

#67

Post by jrvarela56 »

A key term is ‘single player value’. One type of user needs to get benefits out of this marketplace as a tool so that you can use that engagement to solve the chicken and egg problem.

Re: undefined

#68

Post by freeplay »

il-b wrote: post #58

Beware of drug and cash traffickers. Unlike ride sharing, where the end user, the passenger, is responsible for everything.

This was my first thought when I saw "travelers going between countries."

You're going to have a problem getting carriers to sign up because they are assuming all of the risk. Unfortunately, "oh you don't understand - I got paid $27 by CarrierPigeon™ to bring this unmarked, brick shaped package into the country" just isn't going to fly with customs/feds.

Re: undefined

#69

Post by glerk »

There is probably no other way than to seed it. You can do this with outright bots or contractors from fiverr, but people who grew up with the internet are very good at spotting inorganic growth.

I'd start with a slow rollout to friends, family, colleagues and even LinkedIn acquittances. You'd be surprised how many people are super eager to be the first to test your apps, even with a generic cold message like "hey, remember me? I built this cool app, wanna try it out if you have a minutes? I'll send you money to cover the fees."

Re: undefined

#70

Post by maccard »

The doordash story is very relevant here - they started with a menu and a Google voice number and did the orders and deliveries themselves.
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