

Swapbox (YC W13) Launches And Aims To Pick Up Where Bufferbox Left Off - atomicunit
http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/15/y-combinator-company-swapbox-launches-and-aims-to-pick-up-where-bufferbox-left-off/

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csomar
Some financial thoughts:

Machine operating at full capacity and efficiently. All the machine boxes are
used in a single day. This will bring 11 x $1.99 => $21.89/day => $656.7/month

Now let's look at the expenses:

1\. The Machine itself. (Price, repair, damaged by kids...)

2\. Renting the place (or getting free rent from generous stores?)

3\. The surveillance camera.

4\. Stolen goods (this happens, and you write that you'll cover the loses)

5\. Customer support.

6\. Your operating costs (Employees, Office Rent, Accountant...)

To the founders: Are you sure this makes financial/economical sense?

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neel_murthy
You're totally right :) these prototype boxes don't make financial sense with
the model you accurately described. These were the first generation of
swapboxes, the ones currently in production have quite a few more
compartments. We'll have a bigger update at demo day that should answer your
questions, thanks for looking out though!

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dougk16
I've always just had packages shipped to my place of employment or even a
neighbor/friend if there was some problem with shipping them to my residence.
Do services like Bufferbox or Swapbox have any advantages over these
practices?

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neel_murthy
Some people have definitely figured out ways to fix this issue (sounds like
you have), but for others the service that Swapbox provides means the
difference between getting your package ontime and maybe never getting your
package. I don't think that this solution is right for everyone, but I think
that there are so many pain points in this space and Swapbox can solve some of
them. Also, if there's ever anything perishable or you don't want to lug it
home from work, check out Swapbox :)

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dougk16
Oh, another question, what happens when the kiosk is at capacity, or something
doesn't fit? Even if you reserve space in the kiosk at the time of order,
packages can come in different sizes than you expect, and even then, the
delivery men might collectively load the kiosk in a non-optimal way.

~~~
atomicunit
At the moment if we're over capacity we'll find a time that works for you and
deliver the package to your door. Going forward our plan is to install higher
capacity units in neighborhoods that require them. You're right though - non-
optimal usage is definitely a concern and we're working on processes to help
tackle it.

~~~
dougk16
Cool...definitely a tough challenge...even computers have a tough time with it
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bin_packing_problem>).

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account_taken
The reason I use Amazon is so I don't have to drive anywhere to pick stuff up.
It's there when I get home. If I wanted to go somewhere to pick it up, I'd go
to a B&M. Or tell UPS/FedEx to not deliver and I'll pick it up.

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jordanthoms
So HN today is about Dropbox, Mailbox, Swapbox, and Bufferbox. Is box the new
-ly?

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nawitus
Looks pretty similar to Finnish Post Office's (nowadays Itella) SmartPOST:
<http://www.itella.fi/english/smartpost/introduction/>

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brodney
Lots of references to filling the void Bufferbox left. It doesn't seem to be
an acquihire, so they still exist. What's the difference between you two?

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neel_murthy
Hi, we never wanted to insinuate that BufferBox wasn't around, they are alive
and well and we've spoken with them. However, we're not sure what Google's
plans are and we know this solution is necessary in the US right now, so I
think there is room for multiple players in this space. BufferBox also doesn't
exist in the US.

~~~
cbhl
What happened to the BufferBox installation on Pioneer Way?

