BufferBox: We're Joining Google

[buster]

I'm wondering.. It sounds exactly like what the german post service offers. You order something, it get's delivered to some automated station where you can pick up the package at any time.. Is this not common in other countries?

[alexsb92]

Nope. The common option in the US and Canada is to get DHL or its equivalent to come to your door and deliver it. The problem comes when you are not home and they require a signature. In this case they usually attempt again. If none of the attempts work, they store it in their warehouses for a bit, and if no one comes and picks it up, it's returned to sender.

[finspin]

Same thing works in Finland. You can send and receive packages at the SmartPost points. Here is some more information http://www.posti.fi/smartpost/english/introduction/.

[jsolson]

Nope. It's uncommon enough in the US that Amazon is experimenting with this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/?nodeId=...

They'll ship your items from Amazon to, effectively, Amazon, just closer to you.

[NinetyNine]

There's no automated service, but you can have the post office hold any package for you for a week or so. These guys look like they're going after the online retailer distribution market though, similar to Amazon's upcoming "lockers" platform.

[rossf7]

In the UK there is a service called ByBox. They started out as lockers that field engineers could use to pick up spare parts. But they now also handle consumer deliveries.

[dpcan]

Is this because Google suspects it will need to find a way to compete with the Amazon lockers? http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/?nodeId=...

On a LOL side-note: The last line of the video on their site got awkward. "Let us handle your package". Gutter brain.

[mikeevans]

You'd think they would try to focus on a functional checkout process before worrying about delivery/pickup.

[irollboozers]

On the plus side, I can't wait to order my Nexus 4 off Amazon, and have a choice of picking it up from my closest Bufferbox vs. Locker.

I just imagined 7/11's everywhere having both Bufferbox's and Locker's right next to them. One of them should do a deal with Starbucks.

[josh2600]

Kickass idea, great execution.

Personally, I think the paint scheme had a lot to do with the success :). Great to see startups have success with tangible technology.

[moe]

This has been available in germany for over 10 years by DHL; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packstation

I'm a bit confused what their strategy is (was?). Competing with the established logistics multi-nationals, especially when at least one of them already has the exact same product, seems a rather bold plan.

[rpm4321]

Just curious if anyone has heard about the acquisition price? Not sure if that sort of thing is verboten on HN for a YC co., so apologies if that's the case.

Also, is this the new launch-to-acquisition record for YC?

[gsmaverick]

Depends on what you count as launch but BufferBox has been running at the University of Waterloo for a couple of years already.

[piyush_soni]

Wow. What would Google do with this? I mean, if I understand correctly, it's just a warehouse which emails you when your package gets delivered there. Free for now(for publicity), and paid from next year.

Couldn't Google just open their own spare warehouses?

[fudged71]

Picture this: BufferBox driverless cars - Automated mailmen. They can meet you at your house (notify your phone), or they can intercept with your driverless car while you're in transit to work.

[jobeirne]

The "Locations" page looks broken somehow: it's telling me that the nearest Bufferbox to NYC is in Toronto. Is that actually the case?

[ry0ohki]

I think they were only in Toronto: http://techcrunch.com/2012/08/16/sorry-we-missed-you-yc-back...

[Permit]

That is actually the case. It's a Canadian startup that is rolling out their boxes in Toronto to start, and scaling out to other cities in the future.

[tyang]

Congrats. You guys were great at Demo Day but my wiser elder angel friends did not invest so I did not pursue. Oops.

Unrelated: I can't believe Google is branching out to this kind of thing. Competing with Amazon and Apple? Nexus, Glass, etc.

Google is adding a lot of hardware to its portfolio of products and services.

[justincormack]

Not hardware per se but bridges between real and virtual. Streetview is in that category too for example.

[tintor]

What would happen to my package if BufferBox would happen to be full at the time of delivery? :)

[michaelt]

The courier doesn't deliver directly to the box, they deliver to BufferBox's warehouse (where there's someone to sign for your parcel) then it's taken to the box.

If the box is full, they hold your parcel until there's space. Presumably they could offer to deliver to a nearby alternative box if it came to that.

[brackin]

It's a little bit of a shame in my eyes. They could've built out a network and been bought for a lot by Amazon, Rakuten, eBay, Best Buy, etc or have built a big company. They obviously saw value in joining Google as they were still early on.

[fraserharris]

It gives them significantly more resources to fund expansion and educate online shoppers about BufferBox. Based on some other Google acquisitions, there is likely significant upside if they execute on their vision.

[ukd1]

Congratulations guys :-)

[ardakara]

Congrats guys!

[oh_sigh]

Did bufferbox have any patents or other enforceable IP?

[squarecat]

I suspect the catalyst for this acquisition was due to one thing: their blog has an easily identified link to their product site. Startups should take note of this oft overlooked detail.

[squarecat]

WTF? Fuck "engaging in the conversation". What a crock of shit. You make a demonstrably valid point and fuck it, who cares...