Apr 5, 2009 Posted by BoxCycle on Apr 5, 2009 in Site Updates | 0 comments

Used Boxes Wanted – Cheap Boxes on Regular Basis

BoxCycle launched with the focus of helping businesses and individuals with more or less regular supply of used boxes to connect with people who need boxes on occasion.  A typical example would be a retail store with boxes and a person looking for moving boxes.

There is a related, but very different scenario that is quite common.  To our knowledge it is also completely unserved: businesses with regular demand for specific boxes trying to find sellers with occasional supply.  A typical example would be a fulfillment center that regularly needs specific shipping boxes and a box manufacturer with overruns.

It is difficult for sellers like the box manufacturer above to list their boxes and be found by buyers.  Their inventory changes frequently and boxes often head to the recycling bin in days if not hours.  What is needed is a way for sellers to find buyers who have immediate demand.

A major new section recently added to BoxCycle allows for exactly this functionality: Boxes Wanted. 

Potential buyers can now indicate exactly what boxes they need including quantity, frequency, dimensions, color, wall thickness, printing, etc.   The listings are visible to anyone and buyers are notified each time a matching seller lists boxes.  Sellers can also respond to wanted listings without actually listing their boxes.

Boxes Wanted section is built on notification functionality we offered since launch and much of the current data comes from notification requests we received until now.

Buyers can still specify just their name and email address (or phone number) and be notified each time a new seller lists boxes near them.  We’ve added the ability for them to enter more specifics about the boxes they need and to restrict notifications to only those listings that match these specifics.

Furthermore, notification requests are now automatically visible in Boxes Wanted.  This allows occasional sellers to find regular buyers.  It also makes buyer requests more influential since visible requests signal demand which may encourage new sellers to list boxes in the area.

I am quite excited about the Wanted section.  It brings potential for efficiency and waste reduction to a complementary, but entirely new, audience.  At the same time I hope that it will increase the number of notifications submitted and make demand more visible to potential sellers which in turn could help BoxCycle get through the initial ‘chicken or the egg’ problem of a completely new marketplace.

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