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Ask HN: Validate my startup idea

2 points by hammadnasir 9y ago

Introducing Repairer - An on demand repair service. Website: https://hammadn.wixsite.com/repairer We get your damaged products repaired for you as fast and as cheap as possible and deliver it back once it is repaired! We'd be taking watches, clocks, smartphones, lamps, spectacles, laptops, modems and other common household products initially. We've planned to launch in New Delhi, India initially and would be expending to many other cities all over the world pretty soon. Would love to have your valuable feedback and suggestions.

indogooner 9y ago
There is definitely a need for this kind of service. The authorised company repair takes ages and lot of money but I am not sure how this compares with local repair shops who are also fairly cheap (I am not from Delhi so may be wrong on this). What do you mean when you say 5% of repair price? The site does not look good to me and I find the symbols distracting but probably you will have something different once you launch. Not sure if you want to be app only. I am a bit hesitant on installing a new app for everything so prefer web-based. It would be good to have that option. Also will you be handling things like adding extra ram, building a custom desktop which are technically not repair but some of us do go to local shops for this.
- hammadnasir 9y ago
  Thanks for your feedback, indogooner. By 5% of repair price we mean that you've to pay just $0.25 as a service charge if the repairing cost was $5 or Rs. 5 if the repairing cost was Rs. 100 The website is obviously not the final piece and we'll be developing a more professional and simpler one. We've seen this a lot that people are usually to busy or too lazy when it comes to getting their damaged products fixed and those products remains damaged for a long period of time, so the idea is to take your damaged products and get it repaired for you so that you don't have to go out yourself for such tasks. Your advice on going both web as well as app is great and we'll surely take it into consideration.
desaiguddu 9y ago
I guess pickup & drop off service for repair would be a good addition.
- hammadnasir 9y ago
  Thanks for you valuable suggestion, desaiguddu. Either I have failed to describe the idea clearly or you might have picked it wrong. Pickup & drop-off service is basically what we're gonna do. :|
brudgers 9y ago
One way to validate the idea is to find users before launch. Validating an idea by seeing if it works will provide better feedback than some random internet user in Alabama. Validation means: 1. It is possible to identify people who want things repaired. 2. It is possible to sift people who want things repaired and find people who are willing to pay for repairs. 3. It is possible to get people who are willing to pay for repairs to actually use your service. 4. It is possible for your service to deliver repairs to the people who have paid for repairs. 5. It might be feasible based upon actually having delivered actual repaired items to customers to build a business that might make sense out of the process. Each of those steps is much much harder than asking a question on Hacker News. Good luck.

2 points by hammadnasir 9y ago

indogooner 9y ago

There is definitely a need for this kind of service. The authorised company repair takes ages and lot of money but I am not sure how this compares with local repair shops who are also fairly cheap (I am not from Delhi so may be wrong on this). What do you mean when you say 5% of repair price? The site does not look good to me and I find the symbols distracting but probably you will have something different once you launch. Not sure if you want to be app only. I am a bit hesitant on installing a new app for everything so prefer web-based. It would be good to have that option. Also will you be handling things like adding extra ram, building a custom desktop which are technically not repair but some of us do go to local shops for this.

hammadnasir 9y ago
Thanks for your feedback, indogooner. By 5% of repair price we mean that you've to pay just $0.25 as a service charge if the repairing cost was $5 or Rs. 5 if the repairing cost was Rs. 100 The website is obviously not the final piece and we'll be developing a more professional and simpler one. We've seen this a lot that people are usually to busy or too lazy when it comes to getting their damaged products fixed and those products remains damaged for a long period of time, so the idea is to take your damaged products and get it repaired for you so that you don't have to go out yourself for such tasks. Your advice on going both web as well as app is great and we'll surely take it into consideration.

desaiguddu 9y ago

I guess pickup & drop off service for repair would be a good addition.

hammadnasir 9y ago
Thanks for you valuable suggestion, desaiguddu. Either I have failed to describe the idea clearly or you might have picked it wrong. Pickup & drop-off service is basically what we're gonna do. :|

brudgers 9y ago

One way to validate the idea is to find users before launch. Validating an idea by seeing if it works will provide better feedback than some random internet user in Alabama. Validation means: 1. It is possible to identify people who want things repaired. 2. It is possible to sift people who want things repaired and find people who are willing to pay for repairs. 3. It is possible to get people who are willing to pay for repairs to actually use your service. 4. It is possible for your service to deliver repairs to the people who have paid for repairs. 5. It might be feasible based upon actually having delivered actual repaired items to customers to build a business that might make sense out of the process. Each of those steps is much much harder than asking a question on Hacker News. Good luck.