Last December I was on a major road trip up the west coast of the US with my friend Paul from Arizona when my engine burnt to a crisp outside of Olympia, Washington. I was forced to get rid of just about all of my possessions that couldn’t fit on an airplane, which was not a big problem except for one item: a solid cherry wood desk my dad made for me long ago. The desk has been through a lot (including surviving “The Hooks”) and I just didn’t want to get rid of it.
Luckily, I ran into a really nice guy at an auto shop that is continuing to store the desk for me at his house, but how am I going to get the desk back? It would certainly be hella expensive to have it shipped back to Cincinnati because of its odd shape, and I can’t say when I might be back in the area to pick it up. I may just bite the bullet and have it shipped, but there must be a better way.
I think that better way is for someone to start a community website in the the spirit of eBay and CouchSurfing.com enabling individuals to help each other with long distance shipping. This could be done for free or perhaps a small fee, and put a dent the businesses of existing commercial shippers. Think about how often people are traveling long distances and have a little extra space in their vehicle. I bet this happens fairly often, and with the right technology in place, this unused capacity can be harnessed to meet the unserved demand.
I don’t know how all of the logistics would work, but I do know that most people are willing to help each other out a lot more than is commonly thought. One striking example of this was recently highlighted on an episode of the ScobleShow where the community website Front Porch Forum was profiled, a service that aims to connect neighbors with each other. A young couple with a newborn baby was looking to move house, and sent out a request for help on the website. There were dozens of people that replied, and within a couple hours, everything in their old house was packed, moved, and completely unpacked at their new house - completely free of charge, crib assembly and all.
This is an amazing example of how technology is enabling communities to help each other out and not be so dependent on “the establishment.” I wish someone would apply this idea to shipping so I can get my damn desk back without paying a small fortune!
