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YC Demo Day Session 1

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Re: YC Demo Day Session 1

#91

Post by idlewords »

Cookingboy wrote: post #90
idlewords wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Worse, this kind of sentiment is undemocratic. The sheeple pass the laws, and the few Nietzschean supermen with the guts (and money) to do it disregard them, to prove they're wrong.

Not sure if you are being sarcastic or not. I thought democracy == people rules, but it seems like you are suggesting we discard "sheeple"'s opinion and follow the lead of a few "supermen with guts and money". Not sure who's being undemocratic here. Also, whenever someone uses the word "sheeple" in their argument they lose all credibilities in my eyes.

The second sentence is sarcasm.

Re: YC Demo Day Session 1

#92

Post by davemel37 »

weixiyen wrote: post #74
Cookingboy wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love how you can start a smuggling organization (from the description, it's just that, this is not even legal gray area bullshit, it's legally black) and call it a "disruptive startup" these days in Silicon Valley AND get funded by YC, I mean, what the actual fuck? No kidding it's a $16 billion market in China alone, that's why people risk on getting EXECUTED to be in the smuggling business. Edit: this is from thei…

Agree with your comment, but an inundation of these type of comments on HN in the past seem like a very good indicator that the company will succeed to the tune of multi-billion$ valuations.

This is actually quite astute. The problems with ideas like Backpack are obvious, but there is probably a safe way to address all the concerns with the right approach.

Personally I would never use Backpack after reading about people who unknowingly took a package to another country that had drugs and spent years in jail despite their ignorance.

However, if somehow there is a way to do this legally and still capitalize off arbitrage. For example, maybe brands have different MAP pricing in different countries, and even with paying taxes and securing the items, there is a gray market opportunity to exploit.

The simple reality is that this is done on a daily basis already, so finding a way to do it at scale in a legal way has massive potential.

If I was YC, I would consider investing a few bucks to try to tackle this problem knowing that there are hurdles to overcome and some creativity required to make it work.

Re: YC Demo Day Session 1

#93

Post by davemel37 »

ryanSrich wrote: post #71
e15ctr0n wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Breaking the law seems very much the modus operandi of Silicon Valley startups these days. Just look at AirBnb, Uber, Lyft, Aereo, 23andMe et al.

And rightfully so. Some laws exist to protect the consumer. Most laws exist to extort money and funnel it to a very specific group of people.

I really hope you don't actually believe this is the case with most laws.

Some laws need to catch up to the modern world, but thinking that they are all in place to enrich certain people is really far fetched. (I do think that all laws that were passed were voted in place by legislators who are self-serving...but that doesn't meant they dont have a good reason to exist.)

Not to say there aren't incumbents who feel threatened by the new world and will latch onto archaic laws to protect their empires...any good idea will have this hurdle, but the laws themselves almost always do serve a function that is in society's best interest.

Re: YC Demo Day Session 1

#94

Post by mgkimsal »

fnom wrote: post #38
mgkimsal wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Airbnb is also a network for (hotel/business) tax evasion too.

well at least in germany you are supposed to declare this income. but that is the same with any form of rent that you gain based on your property. so it doesnt matter if i rent out a property that i own for the whole year via a classified ad in the newspaper or for 1 week via airbnb.

declaring income is one thing, but hotels in most areas collect specific hotel taxes levied by a municipality, and airbnb people aren't collecting and remitting specific hotel taxes.

Re: YC Demo Day Session 1

#95

Post by bduerst »

mgkimsal wrote: post #94
fnom wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

well at least in germany you are supposed to declare this income. but that is the same with any form of rent that you gain based on your property. so it doesnt matter if i rent out a property that i own for the whole year via a classified ad in the newspaper or for 1 week via airbnb.

declaring income is one thing, but hotels in most areas collect specific hotel taxes levied by a municipality, and airbnb people aren't collecting and remitting specific hotel taxes.

The typical AirBnB location is not a commercially-zoned, licensed hotel. Municipalities can update their laws to be more relevant if they feel they are losing tax revenue.

Municipality tax relevance is a far cry from international laws that are already in place.

Re: YC Demo Day Session 1

#96

Post by grayclhn »

Cookingboy wrote: post #50
alexchamberlain wrote: post #6

>> Backpack is a company that arbitrages the cost of goods in different countries by using international travelers as a distribution network I don't understand this one - with a world focused on security and import taxes, how does this work out?

I love how you can start a smuggling organization (from the description, it's just that, this is not even legal gray area bullshit, it's legally black) and call it a "disruptive startup" these days in Silicon Valley AND get funded by YC, I mean, what the actual fuck? No kidding it's a $16 billion market in China alone, that's why people risk on getting EXECUTED to be in the smuggling business. Edit: this is from thei…

I remember reading one PG's essays a while ago that concluded

1. YC should fund riskier startups

2. Many good ideas sound bad at first.

Funding a criminal smuggling operation seems to fit both criteria.

Free idea for the next batch (or pivot!): often non-US citizens will be willing to work for lower wages in difficult jobs than US citizens. Why not match them up with people who are already driving across the US border, who can help get them in the country?

Here's the link: http://paulgraham.com/swan.html

Re: YC Demo Day Session 1

#97

Post by mentat »

pbreit wrote: post #77
benologist wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. The entire purpose is to save money by not paying taxes on items by illegally not declaring those items when you enter a country. It may break US exporting laws and embargos, or international laws too. It's almost certain the founders and everyone near them is going to end up arrested and probably imprisoned like any other smuggling organization.

Hyperbolic much? At least a portion of the purpose access to items that might be difficult or impossible to obtain. Further, it's entirely legal to bring home modest quantities of various items for possible resale, in some cases at a profit, others not.

In the US it is not legal to bring home items for resale without declaring them.

Re: YC Demo Day Session 1

#98

Post by akiselev »

mind_heist wrote: post #41
mgkimsal wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Airbnb is also a network for (hotel/business) tax evasion too.

I think you are over simplifying the complexities involved with this analogy . Backpack seems to break a lot of laws explicitly. I would rally love to see what the founders have researched about different destinations and airports.

Many (if not most) of AirBnB's major markets explicitly forbid short term rentals without a hotel or bed & breakfast permit and associated taxes, yet AirBnB lists and drives business to them seemingly indiscriminately without so much as asking for such paperwork.

What's the complexity? Airports and felony charges instead of evictions and injunctions?

Re: YC Demo Day Session 1

#99

Post by aganders3 »

mind_heist wrote: post #80
aganders3 wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't speak to their overhead, but the fees certainly seem excessive and in some cases insulting (e.g. at-home ticket printing convenience fees). They have also been criticized, sued, and investigated for anti-trust practices. In fairness, I don't think any of these challenges have been successful (though some have been settled and the terms are not public).

Hmm .. Fair enough ! I do recollect paying more for being able to print at home (or) to get it on the mobile app. But what's evil on the side of the musicians . Do they get swindled like this too ?

My (very limited) understanding of the lawsuits brought by musicians is that it stems from a desire (by the artist) to keep ticket prices low. TicketMaster has exclusive contracts with many venues, preventing artists from selling tickets directly to fans or through other ticketing services.

Re: YC Demo Day Session 1

#100

Post by Cookingboy »

grayclhn wrote: post #96
Cookingboy wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love how you can start a smuggling organization (from the description, it's just that, this is not even legal gray area bullshit, it's legally black) and call it a "disruptive startup" these days in Silicon Valley AND get funded by YC, I mean, what the actual fuck? No kidding it's a $16 billion market in China alone, that's why people risk on getting EXECUTED to be in the smuggling business. Edit: this is from thei…

I remember reading one PG's essays a while ago that concluded 1. YC should fund riskier startups 2. Many good ideas sound bad at first. Funding a criminal smuggling operation seems to fit both criteria. Free idea for the next batch (or pivot!): often non-US citizens will be willing to work for lower wages in difficult jobs than US citizens. Why not match them up with people who are already driving across the US borde…

Many great ideas do sound bad at first, but that's not remotely the same as "all bad sounding ideas are great ideas in disguise".
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