The supply chain continues to amaze as its permutations are constantly innovated and improved.
What happens to useful products after they are manufactured, consolidated, warehoused, shipped, retailed, bought and utilized by the original owner is also tantalizing.
We are all familiar with how antique stores, garage sales, flea markets, consignment stores and Craigslist serve this aftermarket.
Phynder has developed a frictionless way to match buyer and seller and was launched for the iPhone this year in NYC and San Francisco by Sam Nada, Mary Shirley (my daughter) and Brian Slizgi as co-founders.
I met Sam, President of Phynder at the South by Southwest (SXSW) interactive conference in Austin this spring. Sam was one of 40 entrepreneurs sponsored by Dell who were participating in a “pitch off” of their startup firms to judges in a hotly contested contest of startup firms. Phynder advanced to the top round. Sam said, “Phynder is like a combination that would occur if Craigslist and Tinder had a smarter & safer baby! It uses smart mobile iPhone to advertise with photos, descriptions and price that can easily be viewed on a swipable interface within a market by buyers on their iPhone.
Interested parties can ask questions and have them answered over a unique app. Once the buyer becomes more interested, they access a GPS system to route themselves to the buyer and product at a scheduled time. If buyer and seller agree on price, funds are transferred using an app and the buyer leaves with the product.”
Phynder was launched as its third major market in Austin the same week as SXSW. I have tried it myself as a seller of some furniture that I wanted to move. It took me about two minutes to photo, describe and post each item on their free app. The visibility and elegance of the app is evident. They currently charge nothing for the service in order to build volume. It competes with eBay on a localized basis, but is much easier to use. With no fees, including even shipping, this was compelling to me and I liked the speed, efficiency and pure convenience of it too.
Sam told me, “We are going to quickly expand to more markets like Los Angeles soon and keep refining what the buyers and sellers are looking for. Apps for android will be available and reception from the market and investors has been strong.”
Frictionless Selling is remarkable because it removes barriers to create an open market. This is a major step forward.
Rob Shirley is CEO of ExpresShip, a strategic consultancy in the global supply chain. Contact him at rob@xpship.com or visit www.xpship.com.
What happens to useful products after they are manufactured, consolidated, warehoused, shipped, retailed, bought and utilized by the original owner is also tantalizing.
We are all familiar with how antique stores, garage sales, flea markets, consignment stores and Craigslist serve this aftermarket.
Phynder has developed a frictionless way to match buyer and seller and was launched for the iPhone this year in NYC and San Francisco by Sam Nada, Mary Shirley (my daughter) and Brian Slizgi as co-founders.
I met Sam, President of Phynder at the South by Southwest (SXSW) interactive conference in Austin this spring. Sam was one of 40 entrepreneurs sponsored by Dell who were participating in a “pitch off” of their startup firms to judges in a hotly contested contest of startup firms. Phynder advanced to the top round. Sam said, “Phynder is like a combination that would occur if Craigslist and Tinder had a smarter & safer baby! It uses smart mobile iPhone to advertise with photos, descriptions and price that can easily be viewed on a swipable interface within a market by buyers on their iPhone.
Interested parties can ask questions and have them answered over a unique app. Once the buyer becomes more interested, they access a GPS system to route themselves to the buyer and product at a scheduled time. If buyer and seller agree on price, funds are transferred using an app and the buyer leaves with the product.”
Phynder was launched as its third major market in Austin the same week as SXSW. I have tried it myself as a seller of some furniture that I wanted to move. It took me about two minutes to photo, describe and post each item on their free app. The visibility and elegance of the app is evident. They currently charge nothing for the service in order to build volume. It competes with eBay on a localized basis, but is much easier to use. With no fees, including even shipping, this was compelling to me and I liked the speed, efficiency and pure convenience of it too.
Sam told me, “We are going to quickly expand to more markets like Los Angeles soon and keep refining what the buyers and sellers are looking for. Apps for android will be available and reception from the market and investors has been strong.”
Frictionless Selling is remarkable because it removes barriers to create an open market. This is a major step forward.
Rob Shirley is CEO of ExpresShip, a strategic consultancy in the global supply chain. Contact him at rob@xpship.com or visit www.xpship.com.
