6 ms·

Show HN: TruckPlease – Moving sucks, so we decided to make it easier

73 points by sasan 12y ago

mrmch 12y ago
I met Sasan and Heidar at the hackathon where they first built TruckPlease. Neat concept that definitely solves a problem, and they're smart/friendly guys! Super curious what their plans are to monetize (it looks like TP is currently completely free)?
- sasan 12y ago
  Hey, Matt! Great seeing you on here and thanks for the kind words :) Right now we're completely free but we have a lot of ideas for monetization. One of them being handling payments and taking a cut and another would be to sell optional related services, like moving/rental insurance, cleaning services, and moving supplies.
  - mrmch 12y ago
    Insurance on the moving is pretty interesting, though I'd worry about fraud eventually being an issue.
    - sasan 12y ago
      Yeah that's definitely a great point. To start, we'd probably just sell through a 3rd party insurer and let their underwriters deal with that!
rootedbox 12y ago
So you want regular joe smoes to move people or fully licensed movers? Local or national?
- sasan 12y ago
  We currently have both! We have people using the site in Vancouver and Victoria right now and both licensed movers and guys with trucks are bidding on gigs. We're working on adding a badge system and reviews so users can quickly see how they're dealing with before accepting a bid. Edit: right now we're focusing on local moves within cities but there's we have no problem with the site being used for long-haul moves.
  - rootedbox 12y ago
    Just wondering if you are going to handel licensing, bounding, and insurance. It appears you could possibly be banging up against 3PL regulations.
    - sasan 12y ago
      For the time being we're thinking of ourselves as just a platform for drivers to meet users and don't plan directly hiring drivers. Kind of like a moving dating website. We would like to eventually verify the drivers insurance/licensing and award them badges on the site so users know who they're hiring, though!
      - rootedbox 12y ago
        Thats right you would be the 3PL and you would be dealing with 1PL(consignee) and 2PL(carrier). So likely dealing with 3PL regulation. You probably already have to worry about licensing, and insurance. This isn't a bad market to get into. You should educate yourself though more in it.
- RickHull 12y ago
  All of the above, I'm sure. The site itself would be neutral. The buyer chooses his preference.
OafTobark 12y ago
I would create a 3rd category that is akin to delivery. It could technically fall into moving but moving brings to mind the actual idea of moving. What I mean by delivery is more something along the lines of... - I have something I want to pickup (maybe off Craigslist or something) and I don't have a truck. Would be nice to have someone who has one help for a flat rate.
Skywing 12y ago
As a truck owner, is there a way to make sure that I never end up on this website? :) Just kidding. Any truck owner knows the joys of having every non-truck-owner ask to borrow the truck.
- sasan 12y ago
  Hey, at least this way you can make some money now! :)
- my_username_is_ 12y ago
  Owning a truck can be a blessing and a curse. I was never the driver when car pooling with my friends, but I had tons of requests to help move things--usually at the end/beginning of the academic years. I wish this service was around when I owned a truck.
rabino 12y ago
"Find someone who gives a truck." would be a better tagline. Other than that, really cool idea.
- sasan 12y ago
  Appreciate the kind words! We'll definitely give that tagline some thought haha.
  - afiler 12y ago
    This video with Rowan Atkinson contains all sorts of bad truck-related naming ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R5tUc1S3cc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R5tUc1S3cc
    - sasan 12y ago
      Haha that was great! But I do have "I like trucking" stuck in my head now so I don't know if I want to thank you for that :)
MIT_Hacker 12y ago
You need to put something up on the home page which shows some of the gigs in your area or perhaps some of the drivers? Tough to see what the product looks like without actually signing up and posting/bidding.
- heidar 12y ago
  Hey - co-founder here :) Yeah that's a good idea, a few people have pointed this out as well. Definitely something we'll add soon.
ignostic 12y ago
Cool idea, but two things that bothered me: 1) There's no easy way for users to browse. 2) The whole "gig" messaging and the entire call to action on the page is painfully confusing. -"Describe your gig." What? Am I in a band? Is this for a "seller" or a "buyer"? -Why do you need a description of "moving"?? "I'm moving." would be my description. What are you looking for here? Couldn't you just have a button for "I'm moving?" -There's just a general lack of context here. I do understand and don't need it explained, but I guarantee the average user is going to be totally confused.
- baddox 12y ago
  > 2) The whole "gig" messaging and the entire call to action on the page is painfully confusing. -"Describe your gig." What? Am I in a band? I think this is a difference in regional word usage. I'm accustomed to hearing "gig" used only to refer to a temporary agreement for musicians or similar artistic entertainment, like a single concert or perhaps a tour of concerts. But I have met people from the UK who use it to refer to any job.
  - JosephHatfield 12y ago
    I have friends in LA/Hollywood who use the word "gig" when referring to any job of indeterminate length; especially if it pays well. ex: "Oh, man, I'd love to have that gig!"
    - Aloha 12y ago
      I'm also from LA - and I'd never use it in that context. I'd never say I'm looking for a gig, I might describe my existing job as a gig.
  - sarreph 12y ago
    Interesting... I'm from the UK and wouldn't generally refer to a 'gig' as anything but musical. E.g. Fiverr 'gig's caused me a lot of misunderstanding the first time I browsed the site I think it's generally a term to avoid that has been popularised by quasi-hipster tech. Most probably, the word 'job' or even 'move' would be much less prone to confusion here.
dandroid17 12y ago
Your drop-down isn't themed correctly on Chrome for Mac, FYI! http://i.imgur.com/Y1BZwGP.png http://i.imgur.com/Y1BZwGP.png
- heidar 12y ago
  Hey :) I'm able to reproduce this by disabling JS. I'm on Chrome on a Mac as well and with JS enabled there are no problems.
  - dandroid17 12y ago
    I have JS enabled... not sure what's up. Not a big deal though!
Kluny 12y ago
I'm from Victoria! Cool to see local people making it on HN.
- sasan 12y ago
  Thanks, Kluny! Appreciate it!
shriphani 12y ago
Very cool! Are you guys going to ship an app soon (something like having to pick up a large package at a fedex location and having a streamlined UI for requesting a truck).
- heidar 12y ago
  Thanks! :) Yeah, once the site has all the features we want we'll definitely start working on an app. Tracking is something we're really interested in doing with that.
noonespecial 12y ago
I've thought about this on and off over the years as well but never had the motivation to try. Congratulations. In all seriousness, the one question I could never answer for myself is "what happens when there's cocaine in the box?" Have you considered this and how this risk will be handled?
- joewee 12y ago
  The challenges go both ways, a-la Uber 1) How do I know the driver isn't going to steal my stuff 2) How do I know I'm not transporting drugs As a market place ensuring safety is the value add. Having a rating system would be nice. Perhaps requiring only facebook/linkedin could help? Or drivers upload their photo and drivers license and the photos should match? I don't have a solution, but something to think about.
  - sasan 12y ago
    Definitely agree! We're working on adding user generated reviews right now and would love to eventually verify drivers with their license/insurance info. Appreciate your input!
- sasan 12y ago
  Thanks! I think that's a problem every logistics/moving company has to face! Reminds me of the Mitch Hedberg joke: "I love my FedEx guy cause he's a drug dealer and he doesn't even know it...and he's always on time."
  - noonespecial 12y ago
    They face it with the corporate veil, insurance, and a bunch of lawyers. My concern is, as an ordinary guy with a truck who just bid on a job to make a little extra cash over the weekend, "Its not mine" is going to work about as well as can usually be expected.
anigbrowl 12y ago
Given the infrequency of moving, I'm not sure how you intend to displace Craigslist for this sort of thing, since that website is already a good one-stop shop for random services. The times when you actually need a truck seem infrequent enough that I think you're going to run into a discoverability problem. Indeed, ISTM that the trouble with moving your own stuff is not so much the truck - most people rent a u-haul or similar even if they have to bribe a friend to drive it - as the difficulty of finding people who know how to manhandle furniture and appliances without damaging them or the building they're being moved into/out of, and how to pack a truck so that the contents don't move around during transit.
- username223 12y ago
  > finding people who know how to manhandle furniture and appliances without damaging them or the building they're being moved into/out of, and how to pack a truck so that the contents don't move around during transit. This. If you just need a truck, U-Haul or similar will do that for under $100. If you want to move anything fragile and valuable, pay someone knowledgeable and insured. There just isn't much money in schlepping things around town for $40 plus gas.
- keypusher 12y ago
  Agreed. I'm moved several times, including twice cross-country and once internationally. Finding a truck was the least of my problems. If I just need a truck for the day to move something heavy, I can already a) Rent one via Zipcar for as an hour or two, b) Rent a van from U-Haul for the day, or c) find someone on Craigslist.
sandieman 12y ago
Perfect timing, I'm moving out of the Mission to Cow Hollow... $80 was first bid, took it. Excited to see how this goes!
- sasan 12y ago
  Awesome! Feel free to email us anytime at hi@truckplease.com to let us know how it goes!
baha_man 12y ago
Small typo on this page: https://www.truckplease.com/how-it-works https://www.truckplease.com/how-it-works "TruckPlease doesn’t employee anyone..."
- sasan 12y ago
  Thanks, man! Will definitely fix that!
swalsh 12y ago
The real test for this site would be September 1st, Boston.
- dalek2point3 12y ago
  tell me about it! I rented a Uhaul last year during this time, and it was a complete nightmare. Im wondering how much extra money I have to pay on this site to make it less painful and whether it would be worth it.
Aloha 12y ago
It'd be useful to deal with moving moving, like city to city or region to region, this looks like something for in the city.
- sasan 12y ago
  Totally! Our goal right now is to focus on local moves but the site can definitely be used for long-haul moves as well!
redtexture 12y ago
"local or national" You really need to deal with both state and federal consumer-oriented laws relating to moving, and bills of lading and the like. You should also learn about the laws relating to "agency". As the agent of truckers, connecting the trucker to the customer, you can find yourself to be on the hook for movers and truckers that fail to deal with state laws, which can be quite "interesting" to an entity in your position. The reason for such state laws and federal regulation: low estimates on the job, and truckers that hold a person's goods hostage for the surprisingly high bill. Nationally: you need to know your providers are reputable and capable.
bwl 12y ago
Can't wait for this to migrate into NYC
chiph 12y ago
How do you think you compare with established players, like uShip?
- sasan 12y ago
  Hey! Just a copy & paste from a comment I wrote earlier: We really like uShip! But we're different. While uShip has the functionality to offer local moves, their primary focus is on larger long-haul moves. Movers generally use their service to fill empty space on their trucks so they can get the most for their time/fuel costs. Our main focus is on local moves. We've tried using uShip for in-city moves in a few cities and getting bids for these on their site is pretty hit and miss since most of their drivers prefer a longer haul.
phillijw 12y ago
I've been remodelling my bathroom and have had several times when I could've used a truck to deliver 4x8 sheets of whatever from the lumber yards
damoncali 12y ago
This is going to hurt a little, but these guys are 10 years ahead of you: http://www.uship.com http://www.uship.com
- sasan 12y ago
  We really like uShip! But we're different. While uShip has the functionality to offer local moves, their primary focus is on larger long-haul moves. Movers generally use their service to fill empty space on their trucks so they can get the most for their time/fuel costs. Our main focus is on local moves. We've tried using uShip for in-city moves in a few cities and getting bids for these on their site is pretty hit and miss since most of their drivers prefer a longer haul.
mtalantikite 12y ago
There is moveline.com, which I think was in TechStars out here in NYC a few years back. Is this more for small jobs within a city? Like if I needed to pick up some furniture or something similar.
- sasan 12y ago
  Hey! moveline.com looks pretty cool. We're less focused on long-haul moves, although our site can easily accommodate them (we have a few long-haul gigs posted up right now) and more focused on short, "I need this desk moved across town" gigs.
davemel37 12y ago
Best Idea I have read about all year. Seriously... I love this.
- davemel37 12y ago
  As someone who likes to buy consigned furniture, or browse estate sales... but hates paying expensive moving fees...This is a prefect solution for me. Focus on estate sales and you will grow rapidly.
  - sasan 12y ago
    Thanks so much for the kind words! We will definitely look into marketing to estate sales :)
    - davemel37 12y ago
      Think about all the retailers that sell oversized products. Pretty much any item that can't fit into a sedan is a prime target. Build a large list of items from appliances, to furniture, even trips to costco. I think this is an excellent idea with great potential. The moving industry is nice, but I think there is much more potential in larger retail purchases and local delivery.
r00fus 12y ago
Awesome - I've just posted a gig for a bit of junk removal. That's a tough market - most folks won't quote you a price without seeing the goods.
ghshephard 12y ago
I've used craigslist 4-5 times in the last 8 years (I don't drive, and I move a lot) - and two things stand out for me from my use of them: #1 - I'm continually amazed at how flakey the drivers/moving services are - they all advertise multiple times a week that they have moving services available, but you have to call about a half dozen of them and leave messages before you eventually get one that will get back to you and commit. You would think they would at least get back to you quickly, and then refer the work to someone else. #2 - The quality of service that you get varies quite a bit, and doesn't seem to correlate with what you pay as much as you would like - I've paid anywhere from $90 to $150 for moving and sometimes I get two, highly qualified movers, and an enormous truck capable of moving an entire house ($60/hour, 2 hour minimum). Sometimes you get a yahoo with a big uncovered pickup truck ($90/hour). If there was a service that could solve those two pain points - eliminate the hassle of trying to track down the service, and making sure the person actually showed up when they said the would, and giving me some sense of what I would be getting (Big Truck? how big? Are the movers going to help me move things outside? Do they bring blankets for things like glass desks?) - then I'd be interested in using it.
- andrelayer 12y ago
  Unpakt.com is pretty good for this, though they index only professional moving companies. You enter the general stuff you're going to move and they compare prices across a bunch of providers.
  - ghshephard 12y ago
    My average price for moving is around $100 - though I've paid as much as $150, and the best experience ever was for $120. The cheapest price on unpakt is $517 for my type of move. They are clearly looking at a different target market.
chrisBob 12y ago
As a user it is more reassuring to me if I can identify the business model or the fees involved up front. The FAQ states that the drivers don't pay anything, and the customers pay the drivers directly in cash. That makes me feel like I am missing something.
knocte 12y ago
An alternative that I've used successfully in Europe in the past is anyvan.com
jlockfre 12y ago
Is this aimed at guys moving like one or two boxes? My parents run a removals firm in the UK, British Association of Removers accredited. Are you hoping to displace the removal industry of people moving entire homes? The actual physical handling of people's goods should never come down to price, a bidding war on moving the personal belongings of your entire personal life is never going to end well. Unlicensed, unregulated cowboys will never handle your belongings as well as someone who has had training, is fully insured and has twenty years of experience. Moving people is hard work, it's difficult to judge a price based upon what people say, distance to the truck? Amount of packing that needs to be done? These are all things that can add huge amounts of time, and therefore money into moving home and due to the fact you're dealing with people's hard earned personal possessions something that shouldn't be ignored.
midas007 12y ago
<3 Should get a t-shirt that says "No I will not fix your computer and no you can't borrow my truck, but you can pay me for either if you'd like. Thanks guys, this is a neat website.

73 points by sasan 12y ago

mrmch 12y ago

I met Sasan and Heidar at the hackathon where they first built TruckPlease. Neat concept that definitely solves a problem, and they're smart/friendly guys! Super curious what their plans are to monetize (it looks like TP is currently completely free)?

sasan 12y ago
Hey, Matt! Great seeing you on here and thanks for the kind words :) Right now we're completely free but we have a lot of ideas for monetization. One of them being handling payments and taking a cut and another would be to sell optional related services, like moving/rental insurance, cleaning services, and moving supplies.
- mrmch 12y ago
  Insurance on the moving is pretty interesting, though I'd worry about fraud eventually being an issue.
  - sasan 12y ago
    Yeah that's definitely a great point. To start, we'd probably just sell through a 3rd party insurer and let their underwriters deal with that!

rootedbox 12y ago

So you want regular joe smoes to move people or fully licensed movers? Local or national?

sasan 12y ago
We currently have both! We have people using the site in Vancouver and Victoria right now and both licensed movers and guys with trucks are bidding on gigs. We're working on adding a badge system and reviews so users can quickly see how they're dealing with before accepting a bid. Edit: right now we're focusing on local moves within cities but there's we have no problem with the site being used for long-haul moves.
- rootedbox 12y ago
  Just wondering if you are going to handel licensing, bounding, and insurance. It appears you could possibly be banging up against 3PL regulations.
  - sasan 12y ago
    For the time being we're thinking of ourselves as just a platform for drivers to meet users and don't plan directly hiring drivers. Kind of like a moving dating website. We would like to eventually verify the drivers insurance/licensing and award them badges on the site so users know who they're hiring, though!
    - rootedbox 12y ago
      Thats right you would be the 3PL and you would be dealing with 1PL(consignee) and 2PL(carrier). So likely dealing with 3PL regulation. You probably already have to worry about licensing, and insurance. This isn't a bad market to get into. You should educate yourself though more in it.
RickHull 12y ago
All of the above, I'm sure. The site itself would be neutral. The buyer chooses his preference.

OafTobark 12y ago

I would create a 3rd category that is akin to delivery. It could technically fall into moving but moving brings to mind the actual idea of moving. What I mean by delivery is more something along the lines of... - I have something I want to pickup (maybe off Craigslist or something) and I don't have a truck. Would be nice to have someone who has one help for a flat rate.

Skywing 12y ago

As a truck owner, is there a way to make sure that I never end up on this website? :) Just kidding. Any truck owner knows the joys of having every non-truck-owner ask to borrow the truck.

sasan 12y ago
Hey, at least this way you can make some money now! :)
my_username_is_ 12y ago
Owning a truck can be a blessing and a curse. I was never the driver when car pooling with my friends, but I had tons of requests to help move things--usually at the end/beginning of the academic years. I wish this service was around when I owned a truck.

rabino 12y ago

"Find someone who gives a truck." would be a better tagline. Other than that, really cool idea.

sasan 12y ago
Appreciate the kind words! We'll definitely give that tagline some thought haha.
- afiler 12y ago
  This video with Rowan Atkinson contains all sorts of bad truck-related naming ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R5tUc1S3cc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R5tUc1S3cc
  - sasan 12y ago
    Haha that was great! But I do have "I like trucking" stuck in my head now so I don't know if I want to thank you for that :)

MIT_Hacker 12y ago

You need to put something up on the home page which shows some of the gigs in your area or perhaps some of the drivers? Tough to see what the product looks like without actually signing up and posting/bidding.

heidar 12y ago
Hey - co-founder here :) Yeah that's a good idea, a few people have pointed this out as well. Definitely something we'll add soon.

ignostic 12y ago

Cool idea, but two things that bothered me: 1) There's no easy way for users to browse. 2) The whole "gig" messaging and the entire call to action on the page is painfully confusing. -"Describe your gig." What? Am I in a band? Is this for a "seller" or a "buyer"? -Why do you need a description of "moving"?? "I'm moving." would be my description. What are you looking for here? Couldn't you just have a button for "I'm moving?" -There's just a general lack of context here. I do understand and don't need it explained, but I guarantee the average user is going to be totally confused.

baddox 12y ago
> 2) The whole "gig" messaging and the entire call to action on the page is painfully confusing. -"Describe your gig." What? Am I in a band? I think this is a difference in regional word usage. I'm accustomed to hearing "gig" used only to refer to a temporary agreement for musicians or similar artistic entertainment, like a single concert or perhaps a tour of concerts. But I have met people from the UK who use it to refer to any job.
- JosephHatfield 12y ago
  I have friends in LA/Hollywood who use the word "gig" when referring to any job of indeterminate length; especially if it pays well. ex: "Oh, man, I'd love to have that gig!"
  - Aloha 12y ago
    I'm also from LA - and I'd never use it in that context. I'd never say I'm looking for a gig, I might describe my existing job as a gig.
- sarreph 12y ago
  Interesting... I'm from the UK and wouldn't generally refer to a 'gig' as anything but musical. E.g. Fiverr 'gig's caused me a lot of misunderstanding the first time I browsed the site I think it's generally a term to avoid that has been popularised by quasi-hipster tech. Most probably, the word 'job' or even 'move' would be much less prone to confusion here.

dandroid17 12y ago

Your drop-down isn't themed correctly on Chrome for Mac, FYI! http://i.imgur.com/Y1BZwGP.png http://i.imgur.com/Y1BZwGP.png

heidar 12y ago
Hey :) I'm able to reproduce this by disabling JS. I'm on Chrome on a Mac as well and with JS enabled there are no problems.
- dandroid17 12y ago
  I have JS enabled... not sure what's up. Not a big deal though!

Kluny 12y ago

I'm from Victoria! Cool to see local people making it on HN.

sasan 12y ago
Thanks, Kluny! Appreciate it!

shriphani 12y ago

Very cool! Are you guys going to ship an app soon (something like having to pick up a large package at a fedex location and having a streamlined UI for requesting a truck).

heidar 12y ago
Thanks! :) Yeah, once the site has all the features we want we'll definitely start working on an app. Tracking is something we're really interested in doing with that.

noonespecial 12y ago

I've thought about this on and off over the years as well but never had the motivation to try. Congratulations. In all seriousness, the one question I could never answer for myself is "what happens when there's cocaine in the box?" Have you considered this and how this risk will be handled?

joewee 12y ago
The challenges go both ways, a-la Uber 1) How do I know the driver isn't going to steal my stuff 2) How do I know I'm not transporting drugs As a market place ensuring safety is the value add. Having a rating system would be nice. Perhaps requiring only facebook/linkedin could help? Or drivers upload their photo and drivers license and the photos should match? I don't have a solution, but something to think about.
- sasan 12y ago
  Definitely agree! We're working on adding user generated reviews right now and would love to eventually verify drivers with their license/insurance info. Appreciate your input!
sasan 12y ago
Thanks! I think that's a problem every logistics/moving company has to face! Reminds me of the Mitch Hedberg joke: "I love my FedEx guy cause he's a drug dealer and he doesn't even know it...and he's always on time."
- noonespecial 12y ago
  They face it with the corporate veil, insurance, and a bunch of lawyers. My concern is, as an ordinary guy with a truck who just bid on a job to make a little extra cash over the weekend, "Its not mine" is going to work about as well as can usually be expected.

anigbrowl 12y ago

Given the infrequency of moving, I'm not sure how you intend to displace Craigslist for this sort of thing, since that website is already a good one-stop shop for random services. The times when you actually need a truck seem infrequent enough that I think you're going to run into a discoverability problem. Indeed, ISTM that the trouble with moving your own stuff is not so much the truck - most people rent a u-haul or similar even if they have to bribe a friend to drive it - as the difficulty of finding people who know how to manhandle furniture and appliances without damaging them or the building they're being moved into/out of, and how to pack a truck so that the contents don't move around during transit.

username223 12y ago
> finding people who know how to manhandle furniture and appliances without damaging them or the building they're being moved into/out of, and how to pack a truck so that the contents don't move around during transit. This. If you just need a truck, U-Haul or similar will do that for under $100. If you want to move anything fragile and valuable, pay someone knowledgeable and insured. There just isn't much money in schlepping things around town for $40 plus gas.
keypusher 12y ago
Agreed. I'm moved several times, including twice cross-country and once internationally. Finding a truck was the least of my problems. If I just need a truck for the day to move something heavy, I can already a) Rent one via Zipcar for as an hour or two, b) Rent a van from U-Haul for the day, or c) find someone on Craigslist.

sandieman 12y ago

Perfect timing, I'm moving out of the Mission to Cow Hollow... $80 was first bid, took it. Excited to see how this goes!

sasan 12y ago
Awesome! Feel free to email us anytime at hi@truckplease.com to let us know how it goes!

baha_man 12y ago

Small typo on this page: https://www.truckplease.com/how-it-works https://www.truckplease.com/how-it-works "TruckPlease doesn’t employee anyone..."

sasan 12y ago
Thanks, man! Will definitely fix that!

swalsh 12y ago

The real test for this site would be September 1st, Boston.

dalek2point3 12y ago
tell me about it! I rented a Uhaul last year during this time, and it was a complete nightmare. Im wondering how much extra money I have to pay on this site to make it less painful and whether it would be worth it.

Aloha 12y ago

It'd be useful to deal with moving moving, like city to city or region to region, this looks like something for in the city.

sasan 12y ago
Totally! Our goal right now is to focus on local moves but the site can definitely be used for long-haul moves as well!

redtexture 12y ago

"local or national" You really need to deal with both state and federal consumer-oriented laws relating to moving, and bills of lading and the like. You should also learn about the laws relating to "agency". As the agent of truckers, connecting the trucker to the customer, you can find yourself to be on the hook for movers and truckers that fail to deal with state laws, which can be quite "interesting" to an entity in your position. The reason for such state laws and federal regulation: low estimates on the job, and truckers that hold a person's goods hostage for the surprisingly high bill. Nationally: you need to know your providers are reputable and capable.

bwl 12y ago

Can't wait for this to migrate into NYC

chiph 12y ago

How do you think you compare with established players, like uShip?

sasan 12y ago
Hey! Just a copy & paste from a comment I wrote earlier: We really like uShip! But we're different. While uShip has the functionality to offer local moves, their primary focus is on larger long-haul moves. Movers generally use their service to fill empty space on their trucks so they can get the most for their time/fuel costs. Our main focus is on local moves. We've tried using uShip for in-city moves in a few cities and getting bids for these on their site is pretty hit and miss since most of their drivers prefer a longer haul.

phillijw 12y ago

I've been remodelling my bathroom and have had several times when I could've used a truck to deliver 4x8 sheets of whatever from the lumber yards

damoncali 12y ago

This is going to hurt a little, but these guys are 10 years ahead of you: http://www.uship.com http://www.uship.com

sasan 12y ago
We really like uShip! But we're different. While uShip has the functionality to offer local moves, their primary focus is on larger long-haul moves. Movers generally use their service to fill empty space on their trucks so they can get the most for their time/fuel costs. Our main focus is on local moves. We've tried using uShip for in-city moves in a few cities and getting bids for these on their site is pretty hit and miss since most of their drivers prefer a longer haul.

mtalantikite 12y ago

There is moveline.com, which I think was in TechStars out here in NYC a few years back. Is this more for small jobs within a city? Like if I needed to pick up some furniture or something similar.

sasan 12y ago
Hey! moveline.com looks pretty cool. We're less focused on long-haul moves, although our site can easily accommodate them (we have a few long-haul gigs posted up right now) and more focused on short, "I need this desk moved across town" gigs.

davemel37 12y ago

Best Idea I have read about all year. Seriously... I love this.

davemel37 12y ago
As someone who likes to buy consigned furniture, or browse estate sales... but hates paying expensive moving fees...This is a prefect solution for me. Focus on estate sales and you will grow rapidly.
- sasan 12y ago
  Thanks so much for the kind words! We will definitely look into marketing to estate sales :)
  - davemel37 12y ago
    Think about all the retailers that sell oversized products. Pretty much any item that can't fit into a sedan is a prime target. Build a large list of items from appliances, to furniture, even trips to costco. I think this is an excellent idea with great potential. The moving industry is nice, but I think there is much more potential in larger retail purchases and local delivery.

r00fus 12y ago

Awesome - I've just posted a gig for a bit of junk removal. That's a tough market - most folks won't quote you a price without seeing the goods.

ghshephard 12y ago

I've used craigslist 4-5 times in the last 8 years (I don't drive, and I move a lot) - and two things stand out for me from my use of them: #1 - I'm continually amazed at how flakey the drivers/moving services are - they all advertise multiple times a week that they have moving services available, but you have to call about a half dozen of them and leave messages before you eventually get one that will get back to you and commit. You would think they would at least get back to you quickly, and then refer the work to someone else. #2 - The quality of service that you get varies quite a bit, and doesn't seem to correlate with what you pay as much as you would like - I've paid anywhere from $90 to $150 for moving and sometimes I get two, highly qualified movers, and an enormous truck capable of moving an entire house ($60/hour, 2 hour minimum). Sometimes you get a yahoo with a big uncovered pickup truck ($90/hour). If there was a service that could solve those two pain points - eliminate the hassle of trying to track down the service, and making sure the person actually showed up when they said the would, and giving me some sense of what I would be getting (Big Truck? how big? Are the movers going to help me move things outside? Do they bring blankets for things like glass desks?) - then I'd be interested in using it.

andrelayer 12y ago
Unpakt.com is pretty good for this, though they index only professional moving companies. You enter the general stuff you're going to move and they compare prices across a bunch of providers.
- ghshephard 12y ago
  My average price for moving is around $100 - though I've paid as much as $150, and the best experience ever was for $120. The cheapest price on unpakt is $517 for my type of move. They are clearly looking at a different target market.

chrisBob 12y ago

As a user it is more reassuring to me if I can identify the business model or the fees involved up front. The FAQ states that the drivers don't pay anything, and the customers pay the drivers directly in cash. That makes me feel like I am missing something.

knocte 12y ago

An alternative that I've used successfully in Europe in the past is anyvan.com

jlockfre 12y ago

Is this aimed at guys moving like one or two boxes? My parents run a removals firm in the UK, British Association of Removers accredited. Are you hoping to displace the removal industry of people moving entire homes? The actual physical handling of people's goods should never come down to price, a bidding war on moving the personal belongings of your entire personal life is never going to end well. Unlicensed, unregulated cowboys will never handle your belongings as well as someone who has had training, is fully insured and has twenty years of experience. Moving people is hard work, it's difficult to judge a price based upon what people say, distance to the truck? Amount of packing that needs to be done? These are all things that can add huge amounts of time, and therefore money into moving home and due to the fact you're dealing with people's hard earned personal possessions something that shouldn't be ignored.

midas007 12y ago

<3 Should get a t-shirt that says "No I will not fix your computer and no you can't borrow my truck, but you can pay me for either if you'd like. Thanks guys, this is a neat website.