Every day, businesses and retailers are flooded with boxes containing everything from new store inventory to documents. Presented with these mountains of cardboard, most businesses simply stack them “out back” until they can be shipped to recycling services or a landfill. At the same time, many consumers find themselves paying relatively high prices for new boxes, contributing to added environmental waste in the process.
BoxCycle, a San Francisco-based startup launching this week, is looking to help connect the two parties by giving businesses a simple way to sell their boxes to anyone who will take them. To begin selling, businesses first establish their hours of availability, and then input how many boxes of each size they have from a list of predetermined choices (all prices are fixed and depend on box size). Customers visiting the site use a calendar function to set exactly what date and time they’ll be picking up their boxes, and then pay using either a credit card or PayPal (there’s a $5 penalty if you miss your appointment).
The site says that it is giving businesses a way to help the environment while getting paid for their efforts, but most businesses will probably find the monetary incentive to be minimal – common moving boxes only sell for around one dollar apiece (and the site keeps half of that). It’s possible to only allow for bulk purchases by setting a minimum order size, but most businesses will see the service as a way to get rid of bulky boxes without harming the environment, not as a new source of cash.
Most business probably wouldn’t have a problem giving away their boxes for free, but BoxCycle doesn’t seem to offer a way to do this – sellers can elect to make no profit from their sale (essentially cutting the price for buyers in half), but BoxCycle will always charge its fee, which amounts to 50% of each box’s fixed selling price.
There may well be a need for BoxCycle, but I question if businesses are really going to take the time to honor appointments to get rid of their boxes – it seems far easier to just put a listing on Craigslist offering the boxes to anyone who will take them. There are a number of alternatives to BoxCycle, including UsedCardBoardBoxes and BoxQuest.
I found myself many times looking for free boxes when moving. This is a good idea. Just wish they don’t charge money if the seller gives the boxes away for free. After all it is a business.
If I’m in the need for boxes, there are more than a dozen local resources I can go to with zero cost. When an online marketplace for boxes (!) is created, I begin to question if web entrepreneurs are running out of real ideas.
Dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. cBoxBid.com lets the buyer create a RFQ, then at least 70 manufacturers view the RFQ.
Who wouldnt want 70 manufacturers bidding on a commodity?
nice to see niche players that know a little about domain names, natural language branding and location.
RecycleLocator.com
Hangercycle.com is a new start up that answers the question “What on earth do I do when I need a hanger?” How many times have you gone to hang up a shirt and not found a suitable hanger? Well know there is a socialmedia powered community where you can find and share hangers. We are looking for ‘A’ round funding. Please send inquiries to: funding@hangercycle.com
ROFLMAO
ROMFLMAO
This creates a new cost for the business – likely higher than the return. They need to focus on a couple companies who are willing to absorb that cost to compliment their values (e.g., Trader Joes).
Sounds like a very Northern California, or simply California, style of business.
In Michigan, where I live, people aren’t too likely to use this kind of a service.
Jason (the commenter)–you are spot on.
We have 1000’s of boxes that we dispose of monthly, and it’s really not worth our time to put “inventory” of boxes. Nor to meet with people to sell them 10 boxes. And the 50% finders fee is outrageous. What are the recurring costs for the website? There doesn’t seem to be any, and we don’t need customer support… the only thing they are paying for is the payment gateway! (After building it of course, but the actual building part I expect to be free).
I think they should drop the fees alltogether and run off ads… for Uhaul or packs of packing tape.
(linkback) Thrive or Fail? BoxCycle- Matches up buyers and sellers of used cardboard boxes [VOTE] – http://www.thri...rfail.com/bde51
http://sfbay.cr...&maxAsk=max
Arrington will be putting this thing into the Deadpool in about 3 months. Any takers?
I like the idea. There’s a chicken and egg problem. I know I can find free boxes on craigslist, under the “free” section.
So I suggest this to the folks running BoxCycle: On the search results page, also show a link to a craigslist search for “boxes” in the “free stuff” section. This way, I know I can go to boxcycle, do a search, and if there aren’t any boxes yet (as is the case right now), I can click through to craigslist. Eventually once BoxCycle gets some inventory, I’ll see their results first.
Seems like a lot of effort for the businesses. We usually just want to get our boxes out of the warehouse, not sort through them.
I would love to see the business plan for this company. Is there a research firm that estimates the marketplace for boxes? Haha.
There is a marketplace for old boxes. Recyclers buy cardboard by the pound, which is why you see rickety old pickups piled high with boxes cruising around town. But I doubt that non-English-speaking immigrants trying to get 1 cent/pound are the target demo for BoxCycle.
In a sense, all that the average consumer is paying for when you buy a cardboard box the convenience of not having to run around town or pick through a dumpster looking for free boxes.
Why are we even talking about this?
As much as I like the idea, I think it’s a tough sell. The retailers in my neighborhood either don’t have the time to itemize their inventory or gladly give the boxes to those folks that kindly ask. The leftovers, are handled by very appreciative people whose main income may be selling the cardboard by the pound.
I recently moved. I went on craiglist and found people giving away boxes. After I moved I posted, left the boxes at the curb and gave away the boxes. Really simple and free.
Looks like a great idea- but people for the most part are just way to busy to search, drive, load, offload, build, tape and then do the same thing for a cardboard box. I think we have a better idea and system- http://www.rentagreenbox.com
I’m eliminating the need to event use a cardboard box when you pack and move anything and we make everything from recycled trash!
Check out our website and you be the judge!
Spencer Brown
owner and founder of rentagreenbox.com
The idea of the site is to remove as much work as possible from sellers which should make the return on their investment of time positive. For example, there is no expectation that sellers do any sorting through inventory before listing. A conservative guess is sufficient. The seller only has to be certain of inventory at appointment confirmation – after they have a certain order.
In general, you can expect the whatever unnecessary work there still is for sellers will be targeted in future iterations.
try cBoxBid.com for corrugated purchasing…