

Ask HN: Simple little business - what should I call it? - AlexMuir

I'm normally OK at this, but I'm struggling here!  Anyone got any original ideas?<p>I deliver empty boxes to people's homes, they fill them up with their unwanted goods (small electricals etc.), I then collect, list and sell everything on eBay and pay them the proceeds (less commission) straight into their Paypal.<p>I'd eventually like to be able to sell direct on my own site, avoiding ebay.<p>It ideally needs to be a common TLD as the customers are unlikely to be tech-savvy.<p><i>Update</i>: I didn't expect much attention from this so I kept it brief.  Here's some more info since people seem interested in the business itself.<p>I'm not started yet - I just used the present tense for brevity above. I'm going to test the market over the next couple of weeks with a sample dropoff to 100 houses. I founded a student storage business [www.thebigspace.co.uk] 7 years ago and so I've got a good grasp of the logistics of collecting and moving boxes. I also have lots of empty boxes and storage space.  Any thoughts on the viability of the business are also welcome...
======
eavc
UnPackage.com

With spelling of Un-Package in normal copy and also buying Un-Package.com to
redirect. Probably get Un-Packages.com and UnPackages.com too until you're
sure whether you want the verb or the noun as your main focus.

\----begin sample copy----

Introducing Un-Packages -- a greener, easier, and more lucrative way to get
rid of things you don't want. It's just as fun and easy as buying something
online, but in reverse!

1\. Put something in a box.

2\. Put it outside.

3\. Wait for pick-up.

4\. Receive money a few days later.

5\. Decide what you want to do with your extra money.

It's really that easy. Request an Un-Package today and have less clutter and
more money tomorrow.

_______ end copy ______

EDIT/OFF-TOPIC: Incidentally, I enjoy coming up with names for things and have
done it successfully for friends' websites and businesses in the past, but
I've never made any money off of it.

I've flirted with charging for a service like this in the past, but I've never
gone through with it. If anyone would like a few ideas, I'd be glad to spend a
little time on it for either no charge or for an optional gratuity in return
for a winner.

~~~
eavc
Furthermore, with the "package" concept, you can take it beyond your locale if
and when the economics and logistics are right. I'd send you an unpackage
tomorrow if you'd take it.

~~~
AlexMuir
I'll take it if you're in the UK. You don't have to send it - I'll arrange a
courier to collect it. Drop me an email: me@alexmuir.com

~~~
pbhjpbhj
This does make me think that you could use the up front cost of sending the
package to deter timewasters and filter for quality. If you send a courier for
a box of stuff then how're you going to stop people putting excess rubbish out
in your boxes and having it collected? You'll be like a high-class litter
collector that saves people a trip to the skip (once).

If you get people to pay to send the box to you then you could refund that
payment when any item sells? This would encourage people to send stuff that
will actually sell.

The postage charge could still be made for your own collections and wouldn't
have to be the full charge.

------
bgraves
I upvoted my favorite TLD on the page (clutterbin.com)

However, I'm curious about your business model.

1\. How much revenue are you bringing in?

2\. What is the commission structure like?

3\. How many customers do you have?

4\. Where is your business located (generally, of course)?

5\. Does this business model scale well?

Thanks in advance, I know I'm prying but it seems very interesting. I've
chatted with a friend of mine who tried the 'eBay drop-off center' business
but it was difficult because people would drop off their junk and it took a
lot of time to sort, research, post, and ship the items. If you've discovered
a better way of making money from this process, I'd love to hear more about
it.

~~~
AlexMuir
I'm not started yet - I just used the present tense for brevity above. I'm
going to test the market over the next couple of weeks with a sample dropoff.
I founded a student storage business [<http://www.thebigspace.co.uk>] 7 years
ago and so I've got a good grasp of the logistics of collecting and moving
boxes. I also have lots of empty boxes.

1\. Zero so far.

2\. I'm going to start at 15% after selling costs (ebay fees and shipping)

3\. I'll start by dropping boxes to 100 houses and see what I get back - if it
works at that scale then I think it should scale up.

4\. UK.

5\. I hope so. I suspect it will because I can bulk up similar things and then
ship them to the markets where they'll sell well. Eg. Old phones still fetch
good money in Africa. XBox and Playstation games sell well in Eastern Europe.
Likewise, DVDs are still in demand.

I think the advantage over the dropshop model is:

1\. Much more appealing for householders: I've got loads of stuff that just
depreciating year by year. By the time I've found a box, boxed it up, found a
dropshop, driven it there, and filled in the forms I could have sold it
myself. This way you just pick the box up at your front door, walk round the
house and fill it, write your email address on the box, and leave it back at
the door.

2\. Scalability: I can do this nationally by shipping inbound boxes for $7.50.
I can also use a rep system, whereby local people (think Avon ladies) take on
their area on a part time basis.

3\. Low overhead: No premises. Centralised facility for sorting through things
- ideally with the facility to simply enter a model number and condition for
common items to generate a standard listing, without the need to write
anything or photograph things.

Drop me an email if you want - me@alexmuir.com

~~~
cosgroveb
Take 30%. Seriously.

~~~
a-priori
And, put a minimum on it. They pay you $10 per box (for example) up front, and
when it sells you pay back the difference.

You don't want to get burned by people giving you junk that won't sell for
anything.

------
thirdstation
clutterbin.com

Think about what you're doing for people and maybe you'll get more ideas.

You're helping people by making it easy to clean up their unwanted clutter and
then magically, they get money and peace of mind because they're not
surrounded by stuff they don't want :-)

~~~
AlexMuir
I don't love this to be honest. I don't want to be seen as an alternative to
the bin - if it's ready for the bin I'm not going to be able to sell it. I
want people to feel comfortable putting an old laptop in there, perhaps a 19"
TFT screen etc. For me clutter and bin are two negative words.

~~~
nck4222
Yeah I was thinking the same thing. Maybe it's good for people looking to get
rid of clutter, but what person is going to want to go and buy some clutter?

~~~
WesleyJohnson
Many, many people. The old phrase "One man's trash is another man's treasure"
really does apply. Check the craigslist "FREE" section or look at something
like freecycle to get an idea of people jumping on the chance to own something
someone else will toss in the trash. Granted, those are free exchanges, but
it's not that large of a leap to see people paying for things as well.

~~~
nck4222
I agree, but if you're trying to get someone to buy something from you, you
don't tell them to take a look at some clutter.

freecycle sounds happy, the products are free, you're doing good by recycling.
clutterbin sounds like a bunch of clutter thrown randomly in to a bin that you
have to wade through.

------
shanes
Hi Alex Here are my ideas. I apologize for mixing up the good ones with the
stupid ones.

TossitAndProfit

BoxitAndHawkit

FillPhilsBox

RustyDustyMustyAndBling

CashForYourStash

OneMansTrash

AnotherMansTreasure

SloughOffYourToffStuff

WrapYourCrap

HunkOfPlunkForYourFunkyJunk

KnickKnackBricABrac

BarmyGitsKaboodles

FackYerTackle

LesMoore

JackDawse

LowellWatt

SellDeezTingsMon

TallyMansBananas

MoolaNoFoola

DoshForTosh

TankitAndBankit

~~~
AlexMuir
What a list! SloughOffYourToffStuff - I used to live in Slough, that made me
chuckle. TossitAndProfit - as a marketing tool like CompareTheMeerkat would
work very well.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
>TossitAndProfit

You're going to use a mock porn site to promote your gig?

~~~
AlexMuir
There isn't enough porn in marketing.

------
covercash
Interesting, I've recently been doing something similar with friends and
family but with a charitable twist...

They donate their unused electronics (iPhone, Blackberry, iPods, etc) to me
and I give them away to people who need them in exchange for community service
hours.

The goal is to get people involved with the community as well as recycle used
electronics that would otherwise sit in a drawer for years and eventually wind
up in a landfill.

So far I've used craigslist to give away an original 5gb iPod, iPhone 3g and
15" Macbook Pro battery in exchange for ~40 hours worth of community service
(Habitat for Humanity and soup kitchens).

I've been tossing around the idea of turning this into a non profit so that
donations can be tax deductible. It would be nice to have a monetary incentive
to donate used electronics in addition to the feel-good karma incentive.

Right now I'm wrapping up a few projects and hope to dig into this idea a
little deeper in the next week or so (come up with a name, look into what it
takes to become a 501(c)(3), list some more items that have been donated,
etc). When I do that, I'm definitely going to refer back to this thread for
some ideas!

------
user24
dude, that's a great idea. I've never sold anything on ebay because I can't be
bothered with the setup and management. You're providing ebay outsourcing.
that's awesome. Where do I sign up? I have a box of crap right next to me
waiting for your address. (I'm in the UK)

~~~
AlexMuir
Amazing - I literally had this idea just before lunch. I've dropped you an
email with the details.

For anyone else in the UK, I'm happy to order a courier to collect your box
from you. Shipping (£6 I think) will be deducted from the proceeds of sale.
For now drop me an email - me@alexmuir.com.

At this rate I'll have an IPO on Monday.

------
edash
FromYourDoor.com (a play on "to your door")

ByeByeBox.net (unfortunately .com is taken, but it's only parked)

~~~
AlexMuir
I like ByeByeBox. FromYourDoor would be a great one for a taxi company.

------
WesleyJohnson
I really like this idea. I'm curious on how you avoid the scenario of people
thinking you're underselling how much you made on eBay? Or do you not see that
as an issue because it's really unwanted stuff anyway, so _any_ money made is
a profit? That and you could potentially link them to the auction listing(s)
for _their_ items to see the progress.

Maybe have policies that all auctions are $1 starts with no reserve and they
get what they get?

~~~
AlexMuir
That's the plan - we'll link their boxes with ebay listings so they can follow
it themselves if they want. It's totally transparent.

------
ovi256
I had a friend that did exactly this in France starting in 2007. I didn't hear
about it anymore a year later, so I'd say his venture ended, but I really am
not sure. I can't remember the name and google doesn't find anything anymore,
as anything touching eBay is SEO'd to high heaven.

~~~
AlexMuir
I'd definitely be interested in talking to your friend. Feel free to pass on
my email - me@alexmuir.com.

------
olalonde
Reminds me of cash4gold. I think a better business model would be to pay them
directly for the box. The drawback is that you have to become good at
evaluating the market value of what's inside the boxes.

~~~
AlexMuir
It's a trust issue. This way, our interests are aligned, and people aren't
going to think 'Hey, this might be worth something - I'll hang onto it'. I'm
going to get the best price for their stuff, and they can see it. Cash4gold
pay as little as they can get away with - I don't want to be 'exposed' in the
scams section of the paper.

~~~
olalonde
Cash4gold is not a scam and they make a shit load of money.

The trust issue in my opinion will lie in you walking away with people's stuff
with no real incentive in getting the best price out of it since every sale is
profit for you. Also, what will you do when an item doesn't sell after some
time? Do you ship it back to its owner?

Just think carefully about your business model because profit-sharing might
not be the best way to go.

~~~
aberkowitz
Cash4gold is a scam in the sense that they prey on uninformed people, and make
it difficult to get items you do not wish to sell back.

~~~
olalonde
I'm with Arrington on this.

"Making obscene profits may make you jealous, but it isn’t evil. There’s a
reason so many people are using the Cash4Gold service – it’s easy and
convenient. They don’t make promises on their website that they don’t keep,
and they aren’t tricking or scamming people. They are simply buying low and
selling high, and that’s capitalism at its finest."[1]

[1] [http://techcrunch.com/2009/10/04/there-is-a-difference-
betwe...](http://techcrunch.com/2009/10/04/there-is-a-difference-between-evil-
and-just-absurdly-profitable/).

------
jeffepp
I have the URL usedly.com that I would be willing to donate...

~~~
AlexMuir
Cheers - very good of you. For now I'm going to just work on the fundamentals
before going for a permanent brand. It's easy to get tied down on a name, but
if I can't make it profitable it's not going anywhere.

------
smarterchild
Off the name topic, but I've been looking for this for months!

I imagine the business margins (at least starting off) would resemble a pawn
shop or consignment shop. Have you looked into those?

I hope it works. Tell me if you launch (in the states)!

------
tomotomo
EmptyCloset

I also want to suggest <http://www.needanym.com/> for collecting potential
names for projects/companies/sites in a structured way for free.

------
michael_dorfman
www.box-away.com is available.

If you want to avoid the hyphen, you can go with

www.MagicBoxAway.com, or use colored boxes, and go for www.BlueBoxAway.com (or
GreenBoxAway, or YellowBoxAway, etc.)

~~~
AlexMuir
Coloured cardboard boxes cost a surprising amount extra (almost double).
BrownBoxAway doesn't have the same ring to it. MagicBoxAway is pretty good
though.

~~~
astine
Yes, but they look so sleek. Seriously, people will judge the trustworthiness
of your company by the appearance of your boxes and the quality of your
branding. I don't know the costs of the cardboard boxes you're looking at, but
I suspect that the price difference might be worth it. Add a simple logo and
you'll be golden. ...I like the 'redboxaway' because the color is the
brightest, and because red and box are the same number of letters it leads
itself to more logo options. There is a possible name clash with a popular
video rental business though.

~~~
AlexMuir
To give an idea of price for boxes (a random fact, but maybe useful). A
double-walled cardboard box measuring 18" x 12" x 12", with a logo and text in
one colour, costs around 90p when ordering 1,500 at a time. They are
suprisingly expensive. And that's with me collecting from the factory.

~~~
astine
90p ~~ $180... For a single box?! I can get them cheaper at Staples, though
not in bulk. Who's your supplier?

~~~
AlexMuir
£0.90 = $1.41. You sure they're cheaper in staples? Here's Staples prices in
the UK [1] - £3.99 for a box of the wrong size, but roughly the same volume.
And ours are printed for £0.90.

[1]: [http://www.staples.co.uk/office-supplies/shipping-cartons-
ma...](http://www.staples.co.uk/office-supplies/shipping-cartons-mailing-
boxes/removal-archive-boxes/double-wall-stock-box-495-x-440-x-220mm)

~~~
astine
I'm sorry, I saw the 'p' and thought Pound not Pence. Excuse my ignorance of
British currency notation.

------
dools
www.packyes.com www.boxbyme.com www.packadoodle.com www.boxyboxing.com
www.boxinthehand.com www.boxmule.com

~~~
edash
Packadoodle is fun. You'd want to make sure to buy a few likely misspellings.

~~~
AlexMuir
I really like this one - it's not really fun but I'm not sure it hugely
relates to what I'm doing.

------
qeorge
TheListBox.com

ListByBox.com

I wish droplister.com or something similar was available (your business is
like dropshipping, but in reverse).

Good luck, its a great idea!

------
revorad
alexcart.com - it's available, go get it.

~~~
AlexMuir
lol, cheers. I'm not sure I want the whole thing built around my own name
though! And, somewhat unbelievably, a good number of people seem to be able to
spell my name wrong.

~~~
revorad
I'm sure Craig Newmark thought in the same way. It's just that people's names
are memorable and given the way you are starting, the personal touch might be
valuable. Remember, names can always change...

------
codeslush
A little late to the conversation here, but I have a domain that I think would
be a pretty good fit. I originally registered for a very different purpose. I
don't expect to renew it in 2011.

TheProfitPalette.com

Clearly, you've received a lot of feedback with a lot of good ideas. If you
want this domain because it is just that good (haha) then let me know.

Best wishes for your success.

~~~
AlexMuir
Thanks, good of you to offer. I'm sticking with box2cash.com for now, at least
until I can test the concept.

------
pavel_lishin
I am interested in your business idea, but by the time you get it off the
ground, I'll have thrown most of my shit away, since I'm moving. :/

~~~
pbhjpbhj
If you're in the UK he said, <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1820423>,
you can send it now (or maybe tomorrow, it's late). Not soon enough?

~~~
pavel_lishin
Nope, Dallas, TX. :(

------
og1
Like the idea. Here are a couple names that came to mind

hoardsale, hoardbox, tidycrate, shipsold, sendsold, auctionboxx

------
tcarnell
Nice idea, how about: MoneyForOldRope.co.uk

------
wlievens
This is absolutely genius. Please expand to Belgium pronto. I'd have no
problem with a commission as high as 30%.

------
systemtrigger
According to nxdom these .coms are available: ridya, selldr, payrid, clutterz,
easyrids.

------
limmeau
Have you tried wordoid.com? (not as a name, but as a source of names).

------
krschultz
EasyAuction

DoorToSold

~~~
AlexMuir
Easy Auction is long gone sadly.

------
AlexMuir
Follow my progress on Twitter: @box2cash (I'm not dead set on this name at
all, I just need something to go at)

I'm in lockdown over the weekend working on this.

------
trizk
ThrowAwayRecycler.com sounds like a good one. If you dont like it you can also
try CashForYourJunk.com but some people might get the wrong idea.

------
AlexMuir
I've got a blog up to track my progress. It's at
<http://www.box2cash.com/blog>

------
martialtiger
brownboxauctions.com discardedgoods.com brownboxgoodies.com

Checked and all are available as of 2010-10-22 9am PST.

On a side note, my younger bro was considering doing a student storage
business. I'd like to hear any feedback suggestion you may have regarding it,
if at all possible.

------
yodasan
How about richrubbish.com?

------
johnnyg
simplelittlebusiness.com

------
cixa
Desiderata. Desiradata.

------
jpastika
byebuybox.com and buybyebox.com are available.

------
bigohms
byebyebox.com

------
miked
HockBox.com

------
JoeAltmaier
CleanHouseForMoney

------
AlexMuir
cash4box.com

~~~
AlexMuir
box2cash.com

~~~
limmeau
Sounds dangerously close to casino spam to me.

~~~
AlexMuir
Not sure I follow you, can you elaborate?

~~~
limmeau
The word "cash" is the most descriptive word ("box" is a rather generic term)
in those names. Apart from that, the names sound completely generic. They
remind me of get-rich-quick schemes and of shady online casinos, which are all
purely about putting money somewhere.

Your business idea, as I understand it, is mostly about people getting rid of
unused stuff, and paid for it, but without freezing their feet off in a
fleamarket. I'd rather focus on that positive experience, because that is
something online casinos don't have.

------
rakkhi
trashtocash.ly

------
kashif
unclutter

------
J3L2404
A similar service - <http://www.gazelle.com/>

------
kapauldo
Auctionbox ?

~~~
AlexMuir
the .com is gone sadly.

------
kapauldo
I like box and away. Anything with auction available?

------
shareme
BSaleBGone

------
amorphid
CaptainShiznit.com

