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Is this actually a bad idea? We won't know until someone tries it, and deals with the issues. The author's attempts at prognostication cloud what is otherwise a well written and perceptive post.

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I would submit to you that there are bad ideas that we know are bad without having to throw money at them and watch them fail. (And, look--even if we do throw money at them and watch them fail, that's not a definitive disposition, since it could have been execution errors that caused the failure). I think I made a strong enough case as to why this particular idea was bad, even in lieu of having an actual case study of someone trying it and failing.

But I would be happy to be proven wrong, and I'd bet some cold hard cash on failure...

This is not a bad idea. It's all about the execution.

Your first point is spot on. It is going to be hard and fuck to figure out the logistics issues with this idea. But not impossible. Does it look like the The People’s Parcel will be the people to do it? Probably not.

This idea already exists to a certain extent. Check out keychainlogistics.com.

keychainlogistics looks like uShip--using existing professionals on the road. I totally buy that business model. I don't buy Alice and Bob transporting packages on their way to work.

As I said, though--definitely happy to be proven wrong. It would be pretty amazing.

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