Nearbox

Airbnb for storage: an online marketplace for unused space.

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Airbnb for storage: an online marketplace for unused space.

1 follower

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Hunter

@MrAkshayPatel : could a feedback system not be incorporated? we do let strangers rent our houses after all (airbnb)

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12yr ago

@_jacksmith Agree that you can put the now expected social feedback and ratings systems to give people better piece of mind. But, the difference in use case and duration come into play. As a person using space I'm responsible for remembering what I store, how I package, and secure. Most common will be boxes/tape or items to big to pack. Need a reliable way to track this. Someone could easily take a couple of items out of a box and I probably wouldn't notice especially if it's been sitting somewhere for awhile. So would nearbox insure somehow? I think the opportunity for a person with space is great. But they would need protections against alleged theft. I'd love to see this work. I have a ton of extra stuff lying around.

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12yr ago

fintech spy

What happens when the person moves? Do they need to return the packages to the original owner or do they bring it with them? Are the items insured? How do you request your items back?

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12yr ago

Hunter

@desisaran : sounds awesome! I'll try and rope them in @ffumarola : RE moving, that's quite a rare occurrence likely, so I'm sure that they could be re-routed to someone else in that scenario. Insurance: should be easy to solve; Uber, Lyft, AirBnb etc all have. Requesting items back: what do you mean how do you? I imagine you just press a request return item button.

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12yr ago

fintech spy

@nicholas_ball @_jacksmith Is moving really rare? Most people I know move every 12-18 months. If you reach scale, this will be something you have to solve often enough. Who is responsible for moving boxes from A->B? Admittedly this problem will be a good one to have because like I said it probably means you're at scale :) Insurance is definitely easy to solve, just something to think about. If I have flammables in my storage box and they cause someones house to combust because the box was placed in a 120* attic, its good to consider if it falls down to the homeowners insurance, renters insurance, or your own catastrophic insurance. Less catastrophic = water damage, smoke damage, physical damage, pest infestation, etc. When I say how do you I mean how do you :p This is very different than Uber/Airbnb/etc. With Uber and Airbnb I need a car ride or place to stay but I don't need a *specific* ride/place. With Nearbox, when I need my items I need the specific item from someones specific house. I can't just push a button and any homeowner can allow me to come raid their storage. What if the person storing my items is on vacation for a month? What if they are out of town for work? What if they just can't accommodate my schedule? None of these are meant as deal breakers, just as the edge cases that turn a great experience into an awful experience.

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12yr ago

Hello everyone! thanks for the discussion around nearbox. Let me try and answer some of these Q's. @MrAkshayPatel : trust/security is something we are building into the community with a feedback and reputation system (much like Airbnb). Security concerns will be handled by having an inventory on the platform - both parties must see what is in each box and be happy with its contents. We are also looking into providing lockable/seal-able boxes to customers that want added piece of mind. Insurance is also something we are working on. @ffumarola : although rare, people moving will occur. One avenue is to have people taking upon themselves to arrange a different nearby place for the boxes to be stored. Essentially a community feel. Item request could either be done by a third-party service or picking it up yourself. This is achieved through the platform with the required notice period. @desisaran : that is awesome! would be incredibly useful so please do send us what you can to nicholas@nodelay.com ! Let us know if we can answer any other Q's. Please do spread the word and we welcome any more feedback and advice!

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12yr ago