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Ask HN: Simple little business - what should I call it?

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Re: Ask HN: Simple little business - what should I call it?

#71

Post by a-priori »

cosgroveb wrote: post #56
AlexMuir wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Take 30%. Seriously.

And, put a minimum on it. They pay you $10 per box (for example) up front, and when it sells you pay back the difference.

You don't want to get burned by people giving you junk that won't sell for anything.

Re: Ask HN: Simple little business - what should I call it?

#72

Post by stiggz »

cash for trash, junk 2 cash, turn around crap, cleanup shop, garbage cash, fill it up, empty my trash... i dunno, anything that makes it seem like you're taking peoples unwanted stuff and giving them cash and is easy to remember. You can always have two names, one for collection, and the other for sales... for sales, use names like: valuable bits, hidden treasures, needle in a haystack, cheap electronics, etc. You get the idea.

Re: Ask HN: Simple little business - what should I call it?

#74

Post by olalonde »

aberkowitz wrote: post #67
olalonde wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cash4gold is not a scam and they make a shit load of money. The trust issue in my opinion will lie in you walking away with people's stuff with no real incentive in getting the best price out of it since every sale is profit for you. Also, what will you do when an item doesn't sell after some time? Do you ship it back to its owner? Just think carefully about your business model because profit-sharing might not be the…

Cash4gold is a scam in the sense that they prey on uninformed people, and make it difficult to get items you do not wish to sell back.

I'm with Arrington on this.

"Making obscene profits may make you jealous, but it isn’t evil. There’s a reason so many people are using the Cash4Gold service – it’s easy and convenient. They don’t make promises on their website that they don’t keep, and they aren’t tricking or scamming people. They are simply buying low and selling high, and that’s capitalism at its finest."[1]

[1] http://techcrunch.com/2009/10/04/there-is-a-difference-betwe....

Re: Ask HN: Simple little business - what should I call it?

#75

Post by nck4222 »

WesleyJohnson wrote: post #54
nck4222 wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. Maybe it's good for people looking to get rid of clutter, but what person is going to want to go and buy some clutter?

Many, many people. The old phrase "One man's trash is another man's treasure" really does apply. Check the craigslist "FREE" section or look at something like freecycle to get an idea of people jumping on the chance to own something someone else will toss in the trash. Granted, those are free exchanges, but it's not that large of a leap to see people paying for things as well.

I agree, but if you're trying to get someone to buy something from you, you don't tell them to take a look at some clutter.

freecycle sounds happy, the products are free, you're doing good by recycling. clutterbin sounds like a bunch of clutter thrown randomly in to a bin that you have to wade through.

Re: Ask HN: Simple little business - what should I call it?

#76

Post by martialtiger »

brownboxauctions.com discardedgoods.com brownboxgoodies.com

Checked and all are available as of 2010-10-22 9am PST.

On a side note, my younger bro was considering doing a student storage business. I'd like to hear any feedback suggestion you may have regarding it, if at all possible.

Re: Ask HN: Simple little business - what should I call it?

#78

Post by eavc »

UnPackage.com

With spelling of Un-Package in normal copy and also buying Un-Package.com to redirect. Probably get Un-Packages.com and UnPackages.com too until you're sure whether you want the verb or the noun as your main focus.

----begin sample copy----

Introducing Un-Packages -- a greener, easier, and more lucrative way to get rid of things you don't want. It's just as fun and easy as buying something online, but in reverse!

1. Put something in a box.

2. Put it outside.

3. Wait for pick-up.

4. Receive money a few days later.

5. Decide what you want to do with your extra money.

It's really that easy. Request an Un-Package today and have less clutter and more money tomorrow.

_______ end copy ______

EDIT/OFF-TOPIC: Incidentally, I enjoy coming up with names for things and have done it successfully for friends' websites and businesses in the past, but I've never made any money off of it.

I've flirted with charging for a service like this in the past, but I've never gone through with it. If anyone would like a few ideas, I'd be glad to spend a little time on it for either no charge or for an optional gratuity in return for a winner.

Re: Ask HN: Simple little business - what should I call it?

#80

Post by eavc »

AlexMuir wrote: post #35
thirdstation wrote: post #14

clutterbin.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.

Agreed. I submitted an alternative initially with this exact idea as an introduction, but I deleted it to let my submission read more easily.
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