[NnamdiJr]

This is really a great idea.

The number of issues surrounding the idea (customs, legal issues, etc.) are obvious, and the discussions around them reminds me of the questions thrown at many of the other major sharing economy start-ups initially (Uber, AirBnB, et al.), but with a good team and some experimentation they will figure them out, as other major startups have done and continue to do.

People who have spent a good chunk of time in countries outside the US, already know people have been informally doing this en masse for a _long_ time. I have family in in West Africa who would be using this years ago if available, and I have lived in Asia, and other countries where every time I travel there are friends and friends of friends who ask me to buy and carry goods on their behalf, in both directions.

To me it seems Shypmate is just creating a formal system for these actions to take place, and if successful, will make it more efficient, useful, and available to more people while extracting some value for themselves (as any startup seeking profitability should).

Good luck to the team. I think there is a lot of potential here.

[dragonwriter]

> The number of issues surrounding the idea (customs, legal issues, etc.) are obvious, and the discussions around them reminds me of the questions thrown at many of the other major sharing economy start-ups initially (Uber, AirBnB, et al.), but with a good team and some experimentation they will figure them out.

The rules Uber and AirBNB were flouting aren't generally criminal. Smuggling, OTOH...

> People who have spent a good chunk of time in countries outside the US, already know people have been informally doing this en masse for a _long_ time.

People do this into the US informally, too. And its true that many governments don't seem to worry too much about informal importation of items for acquaintances that are within the existing allowances for personal use, but which are actually imported for acquaintances (and, IIRC, many actually have specific allowances for this if the importer is a local citizen, rather than a foreign traveler), technically for trade in that the receiver often ends up reimbursing the importer with perhaps a small premium.

OTOH, its really unlikely that any government is going to turn a blind eye to a massive, commercial, advertised end-run around its customs duties, or treat anyone they catch involved in such an operation gently.

> To me it seems Shypmate is just creating a formal system for these actions to take place

Formalizing informal exchanges often has substantial adverse legal consequences. Observing that gold-digging exists and is visibly practiced doesn't making opening an overt brothel a good idea.

[sambadance]

I wish the team luck; but I think that most of that luck will occur if they pivot hard away from their current tactics.

Governments don't really care about informal smuggling (e.g. somebody bringing a laptop with them, and leaving it behind) because it's not happening at scale and it's impossible to police. But governments are going to care deeply about a formalized smuggling organization that beats market prices by evading import duties and VAT.

If this gets any traction, expect all inbound luggage to be searched for anything wrapped in shipmates packaging; and for it to be seized and the individual carrying it to be fined. It won't go well.

And the founders should not expect to ever visit home again... they'll get arrested when they step off the plane.

[chuk_u]

"expect all inbound luggage to be searched for anything wrapped in shipmates packaging"...ok so wouldn't the couriers then just wait until after they've left customs and their destination airport to wrap the items in the SHYPMATE packaging ?

Are you trying to sound like you can't think or am I just that good at solving REALLY REALLY basic problems ?

"And the founders should not expect to ever visit home again..." ...And if you've been to Nigeria, you'll know that the founders won't lose too much sleep because of this.

" they'll get arrested when they step off the plane."...if their operation is so big that the Nigerian authorities are aware of who they are, the founders won't be arrested, customs agents will just ask for bribes. It's as simple as that.

To anyone reading this, if you've never been to Nigeria, don't have family living in Nigeria or aren't from the 3rd world, please save yourself the embarrassment of proving why America's educational system graduates its student to college at least 2 or 3 years later than Nigeria's (http://www.nairaland.com/12959/how-does-nigerian-education-w...) by not commenting on this post.

:)