We’ve written about eBay feeder businesses before. Now, another example has popped up in the UK focusing on the collection and delivery of ‘pickup only’ furniture and antique items.
For prices beginning at GBP 40, Lots2 will collect and deliver items bought on eBay or other auction platforms from or to anywhere in London, the South East and East Anglia. Large and awkward items that cannot be posted via a conventional courier are the company’s specialty, such as sofas, antiques and furniture. Lots2 offers both economy and express delivery, depending on the flexibility of the customer’s timeframe. Express service is typically for delivery on a particular day with a short lead time, whereas with economy service, Lots2 will collect the item within a week of receiving the order and deliver it within 10 days after that. Lots2 offers pack and protect service to keep items safe during delivery as well. Launched in February 2007, the company has since maintained an on-time delivery record of 99.6 percent.
Lots2 operates just within a portion of the UK, so the opportunities are plentiful around the globe to offer like services. Finding sellers to work with is relatively easy—just use eBay’s search engine to find sellers within a set distance from your zipcode or postal code that sell large items. Movers, delivery companies or minipreneurs with a van—this one’s for you!
Photo by tornadopromotions.
eBay Biz For ‘Pickup Only’
May 30, 2008 by Rich | 1 Comment
In Delivery, Ebay & Online Auctions, Niche
Angela on May 30th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Last year my mom bought a treadmill on eBay and because we only own a car, we ended up enlisting help from a friend of hers with a pickup truck to get it. If a service like this had been in Michigan, we would have went with it in a heart beat! I hope this business idea takes off and spreads to other areas. It has lots of potential.