Secure trading of used items
Pakkie: payment request and parcel delivery app
Secondhand Enthusiasts
In 2017, my business partners Boris Schellekens and Pepijn Mulders, and I co-founded the company Pakkie. ("Pakkie" is a colloquial term in Dutch that means package or parcel.)
We were driven by our passion for sustainable consumption and our frustration with the limitations of traditional secondhand marketplaces.
As fans of buying secondhand items online, we recognized the need for a more convenient and eco-friendly solution. Driving long distances to pick up items had been a hassle for both buyers and sellers, and it wasn't very sustainable in terms of transportation emissions.
Fraud protection
Additionally, online fraud was a pervasive problem that affected millions of people every year, with around 500,000 people in the Netherlands alone falling victim to it in 2016.
That's where Pakkie came in. Our innovative app linked payment to proof of delivery, providing both buyers and sellers with added security and peace of mind. When a seller requested payment through the app, the buyer submitted payment, and the seller received a shipping label to drop off the package at a convenient pickup point.
After delivery, Pakkie waited for two days to ensure that the buyer had received the item and had not reported any fraud. If all was well, Pakkie transferred the payment to the seller's account. This system was designed to reduce the risk of scams and protect both parties in the transaction.
Overall, Pakkie's app made online secondhand shopping more convenient, secure, and sustainable, and we were proud to be part of a company that was making a positive impact on the world.
And the app could be used on every available online marketplace, including Facebook Marketplace and Marktplaats, and the service could be shared via many mediums, including WhatsApp and Messenger (in 2018, we where one of the pioneers with a direct Messenger plug-in).
MASSIVE LAUNCH
Since the launch in January 2018, we had really been on a roll, with a massive launch in the Netherlands that garnered immediate coverage from popular news stations like NOS, RTL, Telegraaf and a favorable review from the Consumentenbond (Dutch Consumers Association).
With a month-on-month growth rate averaging between 20% to 30%, everything seemed to be going well. The team was particularly moved by the positive feedback from their happy customers.
DAVID vs. GOLIATH
Unfortunately, all of the text on this page is written in the past tense, as the story concludes with the loss of the fight against the big guys. The team had been enthusiastic about working more closely with these corporations to improve their services, but it did not work out in the end.
However, as is often the case with young companies, we learned that it can be difficult to compete against larger players, and ultimately, collaborating with them became essential for our survival. Although there were indications that the corporations were interested in collaborating, luck was not on our side this time.
Nonetheless, our team gave it their best shot. Many customers were saddened when we had to shut down our service. Since then, no service of this quality has been launched yet.
And ever since, we have been very proud of what we have achieved with Pakkie.
used METHODS
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Lean Startup methodology
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Growth hacking
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UX/UI design