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"Currently, for a consumer or small business to send packages the following needs to happen: buy packing materials, pack the order, drive to shipping carrier, w

"Currently, for a consumer or small business to send packages the following needs to happen: buy packing materials, pack the order, drive to shipping carrier, wait in line, and pay." Not really. You do need packing materials.. but Endicia, Stamps.com, and even the USPS website will let you print postage. And you can request a free pickup through the usps website. That's your real competition...

kevingibbon 13y ago
Co-founder of Shyp here. Absolutely! However USPS only does pickups from 10-2 M-S. You need to be there or leave the package outside. We will be soon adding support for UPS, Fedex, Ontrac and a bunch of other regional shipping company. Ship through Shyp and we handle everything.
- rgbrenner 13y ago
  Maybe in SF.. I'm in Denver, and I've had USPS pickups as late as 6:30pm. Downside was always you couldn't be completely sure at what time they would show up. I've also heard some UPS Stores will pickup, package, and ship packages for you.. but it's up to the store (they're independently owned).. don't know how widespread that is. I really don't have anything else to add... It's an interesting idea.. How compelling it is depends on the price I would think.
j79 13y ago
Agreed. Not only is USPS pickup free (as well as others), but depending on the method of shipping (USPS Priority, UPS, FedEx), the packing material could also be free. The question now begs whether the benefits of their service warrants the extra cost?
- kevingibbon 13y ago
  We hope so! This is only v1 of our service. We will be adding UPS, Fedex and OnTrac support shortly. We will find the fastest or cheapest option with all supporting carriers on the fly. Size of the box is also a very important factor. Using the free USPS boxes, it can be double or even triple the cost of a tight fitting box. Size does matters ;) We currently have 20 different sized boxes in our warehouse. We are trying to offer an amazing service but still remain competitive to current pricing. Saying that, there will be a ton of people who will do anything to save a dollar. I value my time very highly and assume a lot of other people do as well.
  - hayksaakian 13y ago
    I'd have to disagree, simply using the smallest priority flat rate box possible was typically the best option for me. What would be cool is if you provided the same kind of service that paypal does for shipping (print and prepare labels etc.) as an addon / plugin to shopify or other shopping cart systems.
    - kevingibbon 13y ago
      Flat rate is rarely the best option unless your item is very heavy. Check out Ordoro for printing labels. I think they integrate into shopify. Not our business.
      - deleted 13y ago
        [deleted]
      - jagath 13y ago
        Thanks for mentioning Ordoro (https://www.ordoro.com/ https://www.ordoro.com/). Yes, we have integration with Shopify and a few other carts. And we can batch print shipping labels for USPS, Fedex, UPS (more shipping integrations coming soon).
    - jstreebin 13y ago
      You can use EasyPost for that as well. Everything from rates, address verification, to buying the labels

kevingibbon 13y ago

Co-founder of Shyp here. Absolutely! However USPS only does pickups from 10-2 M-S. You need to be there or leave the package outside. We will be soon adding support for UPS, Fedex, Ontrac and a bunch of other regional shipping company. Ship through Shyp and we handle everything.

rgbrenner 13y ago
Maybe in SF.. I'm in Denver, and I've had USPS pickups as late as 6:30pm. Downside was always you couldn't be completely sure at what time they would show up. I've also heard some UPS Stores will pickup, package, and ship packages for you.. but it's up to the store (they're independently owned).. don't know how widespread that is. I really don't have anything else to add... It's an interesting idea.. How compelling it is depends on the price I would think.

j79 13y ago

Agreed. Not only is USPS pickup free (as well as others), but depending on the method of shipping (USPS Priority, UPS, FedEx), the packing material could also be free. The question now begs whether the benefits of their service warrants the extra cost?

kevingibbon 13y ago
We hope so! This is only v1 of our service. We will be adding UPS, Fedex and OnTrac support shortly. We will find the fastest or cheapest option with all supporting carriers on the fly. Size of the box is also a very important factor. Using the free USPS boxes, it can be double or even triple the cost of a tight fitting box. Size does matters ;) We currently have 20 different sized boxes in our warehouse. We are trying to offer an amazing service but still remain competitive to current pricing. Saying that, there will be a ton of people who will do anything to save a dollar. I value my time very highly and assume a lot of other people do as well.
- hayksaakian 13y ago
  I'd have to disagree, simply using the smallest priority flat rate box possible was typically the best option for me. What would be cool is if you provided the same kind of service that paypal does for shipping (print and prepare labels etc.) as an addon / plugin to shopify or other shopping cart systems.
  - kevingibbon 13y ago
    Flat rate is rarely the best option unless your item is very heavy. Check out Ordoro for printing labels. I think they integrate into shopify. Not our business.
    - deleted 13y ago
      [deleted]
    - jagath 13y ago
      Thanks for mentioning Ordoro (https://www.ordoro.com/ https://www.ordoro.com/). Yes, we have integration with Shopify and a few other carts. And we can batch print shipping labels for USPS, Fedex, UPS (more shipping integrations coming soon).
  - jstreebin 13y ago
    You can use EasyPost for that as well. Everything from rates, address verification, to buying the labels