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Google acquires BufferBox (YC S12)

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Re: Google acquires BufferBox (YC S12)

#151
post #58

Slightly offtopic tangent: So by now we're all aware that these are already ubiquitous in Europe. The question I have is why it took so long to reach the US? Why didn't the main shipping companies there like FedEx and UPS step up and use their existing infrastructure to build something like this, much more easily than a startup could do.

These services are in part an answer to relatively high labour cost for low/semi-skilled work, in particular outside normal working hours.

That is, in European countries with strong labour laws and unions, it's relatively expensive to pay people to deliver packages when most people are at home (early evening hours). The obvious answer is something like the Packstation, replacing labour cost with machines.

The US has a much wider market for very low income jobs because the marginal cost are lower, thus US companies can make money with jobs like people guarding parking lots, something you hardly see in Northern Europe (the weather might play a role, though...).

So naturally, such solutions spring up earlier where the relative win is higher. Plus as others mentioned the denser/more urban life style.

That's not a clear win by the way, lots of relatively decent jobs for low skilled workers are lost to these machines. The machines are cheap, but it might still have been more efficient to pay slightly less to the delivery workers (and kept them in jobs).

Re: Google acquires BufferBox (YC S12)

#152

I'd love some data on what the demand is for this. Don't most people have a fixed address that can receive packages? Can anyone share a typical need that a large demographic has? I'm sure I'm missing something, so enlighten me....

NYC, 8 million people. Many of them don't have doormen and no where to have their packages delivered. I pay for a mailbox which is somewhat close to my house and I'm lucky that they receive/hold packages for me (during a limited time). THis service is useful for those in large urban environments.

Furthermore, anyone who doesn't want their packages stolen, damaged etc because they aren't home to receive delivery is also a large market.

Yes, UPS does have an area where you can go pick up your package if it isn't delivered, but that is super annoying. I've had to do this many times and not only does their customer service suck, lines are fairly long, and the hours are very limited. It completely negated the point of ordering something online to avoid bad service, lines and store hours.

Re: Google acquires BufferBox (YC S12)

#154
post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazon and Bufferbox did the sensible thing from the start: one time use access codes.

How long is the code? What happens if I approach a bufferbox in the middle of the night and try to brute force a TAN?

Wouldn't be much of a problem with exponential backoff time and even a 6-digit pin.

Re: Google acquires BufferBox (YC S12)

#156
Here's my guess - Google will offer a service where you can have some or all of your mail forwarded to a BufferBox. That mail will be scanned by Google - applying the technology they honed from scanning books, and possibly also the technology they purchased with re-captcha. So now you've got mail in digital form, which they'll make available to you online for review - with the option to have things you want handled in-person to either your actual mailbox, or to your buffer-box.

The problem is - people have no experiencing with Google related to mail - so they may be reluctant to trust them to be part of this equation. So they start with packages - offering a service to help out with package delivery, and acclimating people to Google being part of the mail-delivery equation. When people are ready, they offer the scanning service.

Re: Google acquires BufferBox (YC S12)

#157
post #52

This is a german Packstation: http://images.computerwoche.de/images/computerwoche/bdb/1841... Welcome to the future, America. I'd be happy to see what a startup under Google can do, but the competition isn't exactly asleep.

With Germany being notorious for its copycats, it's funny to see this in reverse. Who would have thought that an idea that exists in Germany for almost 10 years would still be great for a startup in the US/Canada.

The big difference between Rocket & BufferBox/Amazon is the implementation of the idea. Rocket doesn't just take an awesome idea and bring it home, they CLONE the initial product, usually copying layout and look & feel. It's this cloning action that draws the ire of the tech world, not the fact that they take international ideas and implement them locally.

Re: Google acquires BufferBox (YC S12)

#159
post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Germans are pretty conservative. There was a successful German startup that I looked at, that bragged about how cash flow positive they were. I said FFS, why? In the US in a high growth startup land grab type business, you would put all the cash back into the business to grow it as fast as possible, including internationally, instead of hoarding it and bragging about how solid and conservative you are.

Different values? Maybe they're happy with what they've got and don't need to risk it all for a very small improvement in their already fantastic lifestyle? I'm not criticizing founders who decide to go for it all, but I definitely wouldn't look down on a small but successful business like their clueless. I personally find the profitable and sustainable business model way more attractive than the grow for the sake of…

Sometimes the only defensible market position is #1. it's a natural winner-take-all market with strong network effects.

You could end up #1 in Germany against a #2 who is #1 in the rest of the EU - when by moving faster you could have been #1 in the entire EU.

Re: Google acquires BufferBox (YC S12)

#160
post #156

Here's my guess - Google will offer a service where you can have some or all of your mail forwarded to a BufferBox. That mail will be scanned by Google - applying the technology they honed from scanning books, and possibly also the technology they purchased with re-captcha. So now you've got mail in digital form, which they'll make available to you online for review - with the option to have things you want handled i…

Besides the legal and regulatory hurdles Google would have to overcome to make this work, I don't think Google wants to be in the business of making an industry more efficient when that industry doesn't need to exist in the future at all. That is to say, why scan mail when you can just convince people to use email?

Packages, on the other hand, will still need to be delivered for the foreseeable future.

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