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by sleazebreeze 3553 days ago
As a former developer at one of the mentioned "large competitors", it became clear to me that the logistics and shipping field is wide open for startups like Flexport. DHL and Expeditors are still thinking it's the 80s and they don't know any other way of conducting business.

Congrats on the raise, I can't wait to see what you guys do in the future!
2 comments
inuhj 3553 days ago
My experience with flexport has been nothing short of awful. Poor sourcing, unqualified staff, and high prices. Compared to established enterprises that are experienced shipping perishable goods reliably they are not a serious competitor. Flexport couldn't even tell me the dimensions of the crates, number of crates, or weight of the crates they were supposed to deliver. Innovation is not a pretty UI in the freight industry.
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anon83727123444 3553 days ago
Same, I stopped my interview process early and kept my job in industry. They have a few OK senior guys, sort of, but the rest are just startup monkeys learning as they go. Most companies don't like that when they see it given, you know, you're trusting them with your supply chain. Awesome idea though.
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egillie 3553 days ago
Aw jeez, sorry to hear about that... I'm really hoping this wasn't recently. Our service has changed drastically over just the last year, in product, expertise and especially pricing now that we're big enough for partners to take seriously. We've definitely gotten way better at shipping reefers -- if you'd like to give us another shot or have any questions feel free to ping me at evie@flexport.com and I'll get you set up!
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lazaroclapp 3553 days ago
Are DHL and Expeditors the main competitors for this going forward, or is it more likely competition will come from companies within the nations with a significant physical export volume and growing IIoT industries (read: China right now, maybe India or Indonesia in the future)?
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sleazebreeze 3553 days ago
It's hard to say - but generally the companies that do well in logistics are the ones with the relationships with the downstream consumer of goods being shipped from China/India/SE Asia. You get the customer (Walmart, Apple, Nike, etc) and you get the shipping business from all their suppliers.
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