[Milsurplus] Rideshare package services

[Hue Miller]

Milsurplus recently discussed the packing and shipping service startup “SHYP”. I agree with the commenters 
who opined that this business model was not long for the world.  $5 for package pickup is ludicrously low, 
and SHYP cannot get that much of a discount from UPS, FedEx to actually make a living. Maybe their absurdly
low rates are meant as a starter. But it’s a waste of everyone at that company’s time to even pursue this.

On the other hand, the millennial, smartphone way to ship MAY be a “rideshare package service”. The deal
is, someone who is already going to drive route A to B offers to haul your item along, for some agreed-to fee.
This sounds good to me. It’s a hand to hand handoff. No double boxing, foam packing, conveyer belts, tailgate
drops to concrete, wondering what your item will look like when it’s unboxed. Theoretically. 
A Google search on the term in the title of this email elicits some hits but not as much as you’d hope. The 
following quote is from one review site:

“The service also eliminates the need for packaging. "We say your cargo can ride commando," he says. "It actually can—it's not going to have to bounce through four trucks and an airplane to get there. It's going to sit in a blanket safely in my backseat. You're reducing packaging materials by at least 80%."
It's not an entirely new idea—I used Craigslist rideshare to help deliver a dresser from storage just last weekend. But by vetting drivers and providing some accountability, it's a lot less sketchy than something like Craigslist. The service also insures all items up to $500, more than you'd get through a traditional shipper.
While Roadie is starting with a focus on peer-to-peer deliveries, it may eventually make deliveries for businesses as well. "You see folks dipping their toes in the water with this idea already," Gorlin says. Walmart, he points out, has already experimented with asking shoppers to make deliveries to their neighbors on their way home. “

I don’t have time to pursue more reading about this right now. That can be your homework assignment. But I’d say my interest is this potential option is VERY high,
as I plan on selling off quite a bit of equipment in the next couple years.
The above quote is for this service:

https://www.roadie.com/

There is a second one, http://www.rideship.com/   doesn’t seem to be very strong yet.
As I said, digging into these is your assignment.
I will be very happy indeed to hear about anyone’s experience using such a service.
-Hue Miller / Newport, Oregon