As every eBay seller knows, the sales process is generally a smooth and easy one - that is, until the item needs to be placed in the loving arms of its new owner. Then, the adventure begins. First, you need to receive payment. Then, you pack. Next, you make the trip to the post office or other shipping location. This is followed by some anxious days when the merchandise is in transit. During this period, you may well receive emails asking when the shipment occurred and when delivery can be expected. For some Nervous Nellies, the time of arrival never seems to be fast enough.
But suppose that within hours (or even minutes) after the sale is completed, a courier shows up at your door, collects your unwrapped merchandise, and drives straight to your buyer. Would that buyer be willing to pay extra for immediate delivery, even in the middle of a Saturday night? For that special something that is needed instantly, the answer is probably yes.
Enter LicketyShip.com (http://www.licketyship.com), a service that provides quick delivery. Unlike previous online delivery services like Kozmo that went belly up, LicketyShip doesn't use its own couriers to actually conduct the pickup. Rather, it contracts with existing delivery services and finds the best carrier and route for your location as well as the destination. Currently, LicketyShip is only available in California. But you can expect it to be available in other states eventually, though CEO Robert Pazornik wouldn't commit to a timetable when I spoke to him recently.
The only official eBay merchant to offer LicketyShip as an option right now is Ztail (http://www.ztail.com). But any seller who lives in California, and whose buyer also lives in selected areas in California, can also offer LicketyShip on their own. Pazornik claims that some California-based eBay sellers have advertised in their auction descriptions that they offer LicketyShip as a delivery option, though I couldn't find anyone who actually does this. (If you're an eBay seller and you have used LicketyShip, let me know.)
LicketyShip also has an agreement with the Los Angeles Times in which Recycler.com product pages contain a LicketyShip Widget (http://www.licketyship.com/quote/latimes).
Those who are budget conscious need to know that LicketyShip is only relatively low in cost if buyer and seller live close to one another (but the weight can be relatively high). If you and your buyer live on opposite sides of the San Francisco bay and you are shipping something less than 200 lbs. in weight, the shipment might only cost $19.99. But for longer distances in other areas, it can be costly. I used the shipping calculator on the LicketyShip Web site to estimate shipping between Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. In some cases, the zip codes I entered weren't covered by LicketyShip. In others, the cost for a package of 50 lbs. or less was $116.99 or even $170.99. Those are only estimates, and the site also states that prices increase on weekends, evenings, and holidays.
On the other hand, LicketyShip does fit into a niche by serving people who buy and sell couches, appliances, and other heavy merchandise to local buyers. These are items that, up to now, have usually been more practical to sell on Craigslist than on eBay. (eBay has recently added the "Location" search as a standard feature in its left column toolbar.) For local sales of items weighing up to 200 lbs., LicketyShip can actually be quicker and less expensive than other delivery services' next-day delivery options. "LicketyShip is a great option for eBay sellers," says Pazornik. "We make it possible to sell big items on eBay that would otherwise be too costly to ship, like televisions or furniture. It's a great alternative to selling items with "local pickup only." Instead of waiting around for your buyer to show up, you can schedule a convenient pickup with LicketyShip and get your items delivered."
As Pazornik points out, sellers aren't required to even wrap items, unless they are especially fragile. Because merchandise won't get banged around in warehouses or shipping hubs, there's no need for most packing.
Ztail.com CEO and cofounder Bill Hudak said he's seen a great response from his users who included LicketyShip on listings in their coverage area, mostly larger items that are cost-prohibitive to ship, but he expects to see sellers exploring new categories. "LicketyShip opens up new markets for sellers like tickets for tonight's ballgame, a repair part for an appliance, anything time sensitive or difficult to ship."
At this early stage, LicketyShip isn't built into eBay's system, but Pazornik said the company is discussing the addition of a delivery cost calculator to eBay's site. As things stand now, sellers have to mention that LicketyShip is an option in the body of their auction descriptions. As with UPS and USPS, there are some things that LicketyShip won't deliver. And buyers have to go to the LicketyShip.com Web site to use the calculator provided there.
When a seller offers an item for local pickup and/or specifies LicketyShip in the shipping details section of their auction description, buyers get an estimate of shipping costs on the company's website. After they make the purchase, the shipment is arranged. The buyer pays, decides when he or she wants delivery (the exact time and date), and pays for shipping either through PayPal or the Google Checkout electronic payment service.
Customers who have placed orders with brick and mortar stores can also use LicketyShip for delivery. What parent can't relate to the single mother who thanked the delivery person "about one hundred times" when she received a dozen bags of disposable diapers and a case of baby formula. And then there are all those requests that arrive the morning after to pick up credit cards, cell phones, and articles of clothing from bars.
But cost-conscious eBay customers might be more interested in hearing about a 65" plasma TV that was delivered within three hours after the auction closed for only $39. It's also comforting to know that insurance can be purchased during checkout for a nominal fee, and that instant tracking is available to both buyer and seller via website, cell phone, email, or PDA. Shopping on the Internet is all about thrift and speed, and what's not to like about these values being extended to delivery?
