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Re: undefined

#161
> Travelers going between cities/countries carry items for people who need to send stuff.

Be thankful that you are having trouble recruiting users because a lack of users is what preventing your company's name being on the headline when someone gets executed in China or Singapore for carrying someone else’s drugs.

And even if nothing illegal is in the package, your users will still likely run into troubles when the security agent asks if all items in the bag belongs to the traveler. If you answer honestly they will likely double and triple search everything, if you lie and say no you are automatically breaking the law for making a false statement to a federal agent.

Re: undefined

#162

Real talk, though, you should already have talked to enough people about solving this problem for them that you have a list of contacts who are eager to sign up. Sounds like you don't have that. I'm kinda going to guess that you fell into the trap of building something without validating the need for it first. Because to be completely honest, no business would ever sign up for this, and no reasonable individuals will…

I will start off by saying, yes, the OP is really light on location and painpoints to have a real concrete conversation. I wish there was more detail about the environment and the hypothesis being tested. Then I will say your first sentence is absolutely correct as well! I just start to dislike the rest not because you're wrong, but, because: > Because to be completely honest, no business would ever sign up for this,…

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Re: undefined

#163
> Travelers going between countries carry items for people who need to send stuff.

Drug mule as a service in 3... 2... 1...

Re: undefined

#165
founding team at Backpack(yc) here! we solved this by starting with demand.

get real orders first, then solve fulfillment. if we had no traveler that matched the route/timing, one of us would literally take the flight.

not scalable, but early on that’s not really the problem.

one of the thing that matters in this model: traveler supply has a different clock than demand. people usually know their trips weeks ahead, so having them in the funnel helps. but I still wouldn’t wait for perfect supply coverage before testing whether senders are really there.

in the early days, you’re not really a marketplace. you’re just making the service work by hand.

happy to chat if useful.

Re: undefined

#166

founding team at Backpack(yc) here! we solved this by starting with demand. get real orders first, then solve fulfillment. if we had no traveler that matched the route/timing, one of us would literally take the flight. not scalable, but early on that’s not really the problem. one of the thing that matters in this model: traveler supply has a different clock than demand. people usually know their trips weeks ahead, so…

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Re: undefined

#167
post #166

founding team at Backpack(yc) here! we solved this by starting with demand. get real orders first, then solve fulfillment. if we had no traveler that matched the route/timing, one of us would literally take the flight. not scalable, but early on that’s not really the problem. one of the thing that matters in this model: traveler supply has a different clock than demand. people usually know their trips weeks ahead, so…

[flagged]

connected

Re: undefined

#169
post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't this fixed by: A: unpacking and inspecting the packages? B: The company assuming the risk and liability. C: The company collecting evidence through KYC and cooperating in the case of crime? Probably too much hassle to save some bucks when compared to a courier service, though.

A. Maybe. Are you going to ship with someone who is going to open your package and rifle through it, though? I would personally also not feel confident in my ability to check fully for hidden illicit material if I were the courier. B. No. Absent laws indemnifying the courier, a company saying “I’ll take the heat for those drugs you’re carrying” is not a meaningful act. C. No. This seems like more of B. This is all su…

Also if you can get away with it, all drug traffickers would soon have an online order for their package so if stopped they can just say they're an innocent courier.
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