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Skip the Post Office, Use Shyp

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Re: Skip the Post Office, Use Shyp

#21

Post by ChrisNorstrom »

hayksaakian wrote: post #2

What's with all the snail mail startups / projects in the last few days? Did USPS open up some regulation or something, what's going on?

The rise of Fab.com thefancy.com and the other design websites that sell physical products that the owners ship have motivated startups to make fulfillment more efficient I think.

Fulfillment is the biggest pain in the ass of a business. You won't understand until you have to do it yourself. Even 10 packages can take an hour from beginning to end. So a few startups caught on and the rest were inspired to offer solutions as well.

I personally can't use Shyp because I have a sweet & easy setup already.

1) I have all my shipping supplies in the basement (boxes stacked to the ceiling).

2) I pack my orders (from DayOnePP.com) and buy postage using Stamps.com and print it out on sticky labels using my laser printer.

3) As long as 1 box is Priority Mail the USPS will pick up for free the next day. She's usually here at 3pm so I know when to be ready.

4) If not, there's always a post office within 5 minutes that has a 24/hour package drop off container. I just run through that before work and drop off all the boxes I've got.

It literally cannot get easier. I don't wait in line for anything and still get the cheapest prices on postage by using the online discounts that stamps.com(& PayPal Shipping & Pitney Bowes Smart Postage & Endicia offer) .

Re: Skip the Post Office, Use Shyp

#22

Post by hayksaakian »

ChrisNorstrom wrote: post #21
hayksaakian wrote: post #2

What's with all the snail mail startups / projects in the last few days? Did USPS open up some regulation or something, what's going on?

The rise of Fab.com thefancy.com and the other design websites that sell physical products that the owners ship have motivated startups to make fulfillment more efficient I think. Fulfillment is the biggest pain in the ass of a business. You won't understand until you have to do it yourself. Even 10 packages can take an hour from beginning to end. So a few startups caught on and the rest were inspired to offer soluti…

I asked because when I did a lot of shipping I had the same setup that you just mentioned. I'd just use the paypal hookup to print shipping labels for no additional cost.

Beyond actually packing and shipping the product I don't see what else there is left to solve.

Re: Skip the Post Office, Use Shyp

#23

Post by hayksaakian »

kevingibbon wrote: post #16
j79 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. Not only is USPS pickup free (as well as others), but depending on the method of shipping (USPS Priority, UPS, FedEx), the packing material could also be free. The question now begs whether the benefits of their service warrants the extra cost?

We hope so! This is only v1 of our service. We will be adding UPS, Fedex and OnTrac support shortly. We will find the fastest or cheapest option with all supporting carriers on the fly. Size of the box is also a very important factor. Using the free USPS boxes, it can be double or even triple the cost of a tight fitting box. Size does matters ;) We currently have 20 different sized boxes in our warehouse. We are tryi…

I'd have to disagree, simply using the smallest priority flat rate box possible was typically the best option for me.

What would be cool is if you provided the same kind of service that paypal does for shipping (print and prepare labels etc.) as an addon / plugin to shopify or other shopping cart systems.

Re: Skip the Post Office, Use Shyp

#24

Post by epa »

kevingibbon wrote: post #18
groby_b wrote: post #17

Question: How are you going to protect my shipments from being damaged if they're not packaged? Or do you package on my site?

We have custom bags that have heavy padding on the inside. We have designed them to transport fragile items. If multiple items are going in the same package, we bubble wrap each individually on site. We take these bags with contents to our warehouse where we professional package all items for transport.

And if it is damaged on arrival, who is liable, you or the shipping company. Who do i have to deal with to get paid for my broken item?

Re: Skip the Post Office, Use Shyp

#25

Post by kevingibbon »

ChrisNorstrom wrote: post #21
hayksaakian wrote: post #2

What's with all the snail mail startups / projects in the last few days? Did USPS open up some regulation or something, what's going on?

The rise of Fab.com thefancy.com and the other design websites that sell physical products that the owners ship have motivated startups to make fulfillment more efficient I think. Fulfillment is the biggest pain in the ass of a business. You won't understand until you have to do it yourself. Even 10 packages can take an hour from beginning to end. So a few startups caught on and the rest were inspired to offer soluti…

awesome. Yes, this is the same kind of setup that lead me to start Shyp.

Looks like you have a great system but there is still room for improvement. Our new pricing is actually free pickup if you send 2+ packages.

In v2 or v3 we will have a super easy way to import orders directly into Shyp. Just export and choose your pickup time, thats it. We will come, separate all items (providing they have a UPC or serial) and verify.

We will ship each item the best way possible (speed or price). Our goal for high volume shippers is to actually save them money from current processes. We make our margins from the discount we have negotiated will all the providers. Everybody is happy at the end of the day.

Re: Skip the Post Office, Use Shyp

#26

Post by kevingibbon »

hayksaakian wrote: post #23
kevingibbon wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We hope so! This is only v1 of our service. We will be adding UPS, Fedex and OnTrac support shortly. We will find the fastest or cheapest option with all supporting carriers on the fly. Size of the box is also a very important factor. Using the free USPS boxes, it can be double or even triple the cost of a tight fitting box. Size does matters ;) We currently have 20 different sized boxes in our warehouse. We are tryi…

I'd have to disagree, simply using the smallest priority flat rate box possible was typically the best option for me. What would be cool is if you provided the same kind of service that paypal does for shipping (print and prepare labels etc.) as an addon / plugin to shopify or other shopping cart systems.

Flat rate is rarely the best option unless your item is very heavy.

Check out Ordoro for printing labels. I think they integrate into shopify. Not our business.

Re: Skip the Post Office, Use Shyp

#27

Post by kevingibbon »

epa wrote: post #24
kevingibbon wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We have custom bags that have heavy padding on the inside. We have designed them to transport fragile items. If multiple items are going in the same package, we bubble wrap each individually on site. We take these bags with contents to our warehouse where we professional package all items for transport.

And if it is damaged on arrival, who is liable, you or the shipping company. Who do i have to deal with to get paid for my broken item?

We inspect every item at our warehouse. If it was damaged during transport to us, we cover 100%. If it is damaged from us to the destination, it will be up to the shipping company. We offer insurance through USPS.

We are looking to cover round trip but still seeing if that is economical for us.

Re: Skip the Post Office, Use Shyp

#28

Post by cdvonstinkpot »

Another downside to your app is that it's on the iPhone platform, and I use Blackberry.

If you had a way for me to use a normal digital camera with my PC it would help get me on board.

There was some other new service here on HN recently that was called 'Sold' for selling stuff but it only worked on a certain platform I didn't have a device for, too- so I guess its not uncommon for startups to exclude whole market segments by device ownership.

Re: Skip the Post Office, Use Shyp

#29

Post by [deleted] »

kevingibbon wrote: post #26
hayksaakian wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd have to disagree, simply using the smallest priority flat rate box possible was typically the best option for me. What would be cool is if you provided the same kind of service that paypal does for shipping (print and prepare labels etc.) as an addon / plugin to shopify or other shopping cart systems.

Flat rate is rarely the best option unless your item is very heavy. Check out Ordoro for printing labels. I think they integrate into shopify. Not our business.

[deleted]

Re: Skip the Post Office, Use Shyp

#30

Post by calbear81 »

kevingibbon wrote: post #19
cddotdotslash wrote: post #12

The recent surge in physical shipping startups is interesting, but concerning as well. How can these new companies with limited funds afford to be sending drivers around to pickup packages and visit various locations? I think yesterday there was a company that would come pickup your mail from your mailbox. How is that possibly sustainable? And how can it scale to anywhere beyond maybe San Francisco? It just seems lik…

By being profitable on every transaction from day 1. I can't speak to other shipping startups but we make good margins after paying our delivery drivers. If this works in SF it will most likely work in other major cities. Shipping stuff sucks everywhere.

Are you seeing more traction with in city deliver (so basically courier on demand for individuals) vs. people who want to eliminate the hassle of shipping out of the city?
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