BufferBox (YC S12) launches deal with transit system
business.financialpost.com
business.financialpost.com
In short: bring it to New York, please. But expect them to get dented late at night.
The service is free till the end of 2012. I imagine partnering with shipping companies is in the works. If I recall correctly, the founders are also partnering with some major retailers (I believe Wal-Mart Canada was mentioned), so this could mean free BufferBox services or just a partnership for locker placement. I doubt it's simply locker placement, why would Wal-Mart want you to pick up your Amazon packages in their store?
Contrary to the parent, the company hasn't partnered with any major shipping companies, but a courier company to handle the fulfillment to the actual BufferBoxes.
There are about 10 slots in their largest box, and they are charging $4 per slot. The average package will occupy the slot for a day before it is picked up. This gives a max revenue of $40/day/box, or $1200/month/box. Slash that figure in half because it is impossible to have all slots occupied simultaneously all the time, and you get $600/month/box.
If they can turn this into a profitable business, they are truly visionaries that see what others cannot.
Still wonder why they don't just encourage that behaviour right away by giving people free for a number of months then encouraging them to pay once trial period is over. Will probably hasten behavioural change process (people like to make maximum use of free whilst building dependency unintentionally).
Anyway, I'm just a lowly idiot. Def don't know as much about their biz as they sure do.
Perhaps only pre-approved retailers can deliver to it. That system's still open to abuse though.
I'm guessing that the risks are far lower in the US