The idea behind RedRoller.com originated two and a half years ago when Bill Van Wyck couldn't believe it would cost him $90 to ship a box of business cards to Australia. Surely, he could get a better deal.
"First I went to FedEx and they quoted me a price of $90, and I said 'no way'," he recalls. But then he went to his local post office, which couldn't send them for less than $98. And UPS wanted $120.
He eventually settled on FedEx—and realized he had an idea for his own business: a Web site comparing package-shipping prices among carriers, similar to what Travelocity does with travel packages.
"It was one of those moments," says the former computer consultant and salesman, who lined up about $5 million in financing to set up the Norwalk, CT company.
"Instead of being designed to ship people [like Travelocity], my site was designed to ship packages," says Van Wyck, a descendant of Robert Van Wyck, the first mayor of the unified New York City in the early 1900s, after whom the Van Wyck Expressway is named.
Users logging onto the site www.redroller.com can enter their shipping starting point, destination, package weight and dissemination type information, and set up a set up shipping center page on at no charge.
At this point, RedRoller.com compares shipping rates from FedEx, the USPS, DHL, Eastern Connection and Overnite Express. UPS, however, does not participate because it generally does not allow third parties to offer its services without exerting some control over the process, he says.
The site also sells goods such as shipping labels, envelopes, boxes, tubes, bags, laser printer supplies, scales, and other necessities. It also has the ability to set up rolling renewal mechanisms for items regularly purchased.
Van Wyck says RedRoller.com is looking for more affiliate marketing relationships and advertisers. For the rest of this year, the site is going to working on perfecting its system. Beginning in 2007, RedRoller plans to launching advertising efforts, and possibly tap into the $100 million international shipping market.
