Entrusters is an international shopping and delivery platform, built on trust. They are disrupting global e-commerce and logistics industries by making all products available to everyone, everywhere at competitive prices. Certain popular products are unavailable or are prohibitively expensive in many parts of the world. Current solutions are expensive, inefficient or lacking safeguards. That is why Entrusters was created, to connect even the most remote parts of the world. We spoke to the founder of Entrusters and picked his brain.
1. So, essentially, Entrusters could get you any product anywhere (if someone responds to the request) using the website?
That is correct – obviously, we narrow that scope a bit to only include products sold from legitimate retailers to avoid illegal products and/or items that could be perceived to be risky for a traveler to carry. We review all requests before they are published and anything that is questionable (strange or out of the ordinary) is ultimately removed or reviewed further before putting on the marketplace.
2. Do these products include high-end products?
Indeed they do. Most of the inquiries that we have had up to this point have either been hard to find items for enthusiasts of certain hobbies (ie, fly-fishermen, photographers, chefs, tech nerds) or small electronics (smartphones, tablets, smart watches, etc). Initially our search functionality was only tied to Amazon which meant that product variety was limited. However, we now have functionality that allows buyers to enter in the URL of the exact product that they want (if it can be purchased online) and then we publish it on the marketplace. Our hope is that this facilitates the shopping process for buyers looking to purchase clothing and accessories – especially boutique luxury products that many consumers just do not have access to.
3. Which countries will you start with?
We are initially just targeting Argentina, Brasil, and Uruguay since they are countries that we know. Our idea is to continue to beta test the product here so we can improve it as much as possible before really making the platform truly global.
4. Will you be creating an app to go along with this website for convenience’s sake?
Good question – you seem to have figured out the site 😉 We have this item as a fairly high priority. At the beginning we will likely only use it to facilitate the meet up between the traveler and the buyer. At a later stage though we will certainly broaden the scope of the app so that buyers will be able to request products and travelers bid on them via the app. This can happen now on most smartphones simply using the browsers functionality, but it is clear that mobile is the future so creating a multifunctional app will be important.
5. I like the idea of a marketplace where people help each other out, how did you come up with this idea?
Well, the genesis of Entrusters goes back to a time when all of us (Founders) lived in Buenos Aires and the tendency for both foreigners and locals was to put in a request for some specific product as soon as anyone learned that a friend was traveling abroad. I think inherently everyone enjoys doing favors for others, but at the same time picking up product and using precious suitcase space requires quite a bit of effort so the idea of making a bit of money is nice and I do not think it necessarily detract from the good deed. There will undoubtedly be some travelers that we have that are only focused on the economic benefit, but most travelers we have dealt with feel that the multi-faceted nature of the platform and service resonates – ie, 1) Help a local get the products he or she otherwise could not easily obtain 2) Get some local knowledge of the place you are traveling to when you meet up 3) Make extra cash to reduce the cost of your trip. Maintaining a sense of community is important to us, and thus it is crucial to make the social aspect as dynamic as possible.
6. How will you secure that the traveler/buyer is not a scam?
As you could probably judge by our name, “Trust” is at the heart of what we are building. This has many implications, but one is obviously protecting our users on both side of the transaction from scams and fraudulent activity. We have quite a few safeguards in place, but the main one is our embedded custodial service whereby we hold the funds of the buyer until the good has been delivered and the buyer has approved that the product he/she received was indeed the product requested. The buyer confirms this by providing the deliverer with a verification code (assigned to the buyer at the moment of purchase), which is then sent to Entrusters by the traveler.
7. Is there commission for the traveler who brings that product?
Indeed there is. I kind of touched on it in a previous question, but essentially the traveler can set the tip amount that he/she is willing to make the delivery for. Some people bid as a percentage of cost, while others make bids based on the size and weight of the item. Others merely bid small amounts, as their main objective is to have the opportunity to meet and help out a local. Ultimately there is not standard formula, but as more people start using this service, we hope that market forces will help further define prices and ultimately drive them down.
8. Can you review the traveler/buyer?
Yes, that functionality was just incorporated a few weeks ago and allows both buyer and traveler to review each other. Those scores and remain on the users’ profiles so that others can review them in the future. The hope is that the more information and transparency we provide, the more efficient and secure the service will be. Right now users can see how many friends they have in common on FB (if both are registered that way) and soon we will incorporate a functionality that allows both sides to see if they share common interests. At some point we also hope to take this aspect to the next level by allowing users to boost their scores using some sort of “gamification” techniques – this is a bit more complex though so we have a ways to go.
9. What is the most popular product buyers are requesting right now?
iPhones, tablets, and play-stations and hard-to-find specialty items such as photography materials and collectibles
10. What is the legal process of having to bring something without having to pay taxes?
This is obviously a question that we get asked a lot, especially by frequent international travelers. At the end of the day Entrusters is basically a platform connecting people so all we can do is point out (multiple times) during the bidding price that all travelers’ bids need to take into account all additional taxes (US sales tax, tariffs, etc) and costs (mainly shipping if it applies). We strongly urge all users to do this calculation and to bid accordingly.
11. Has anyone ever requested something truly scandalous?
Haha, not yet – but I am sure it will come sooner or later. Maybe depends on your definition of scandalous…? We did have someone request what appeared to be stripper shoes, but I am slow to criticize people’s fashion. Will keep you guys posted for future material.
12. Is there anything else exciting or interesting we should know about your company?
Countless things no doubt – but maybe we save them for next time. One thing that we have been re-iterating is that we see ourselves as part of the “sharing economy” movement – and in our case we ultimately hope to a) help change the way people are traveling by making trips more affordable as well as enriching travelers’ cultural experiences (check out this interesting article about traveling trends of the millennial generation) and b) disrupt the traditional logistics industry, allowing people everywhere to get the products they want (but are not ‘local’) for the best prices
13. What is the advantage that Entrusters has over regular shipping?
The advantage that Entrusters has over regular shipping is mainly price at this stage – although occasionally it is timing as well, an element that will continually improve as our volume of travelers increases. That said, you have to look at each product and location on a case by case basis as some items may be readily available and cheap in one country and then scarce and significantly more expensive in another.