While fears of suicide bombers and luggage checks have some
traveling light this holiday season, a select few are braving airport
security with packages destined for strangers — for a fee, of course.
<>As part of an express, door-to-door delivery service called The Casual Courier
that launched in November, some travelers are hand-delivering packages
for customers paying a deeply discounted shipping fee. The company
matches up people who want to deliver packages with others who are
going the same way and are willing to deliver for a fee, which is
negotiated between the sender and the carrier.
Jerusalem-based lawyer and frequent traveler Jack Jacobs started the
site after fielding multiple requests from friends to ferry items from
one point to another.
"People would ask me, ‘Could you bring this for my cousin? Could you
bring this for my friend? Could you pick this up for me?’ After a while
I thought there was a niche there for something," he said.
Items including clothing, Indian snacks and a printer have already been delivered through The Casual Courier, Jacobs said.
Courier opportunities have been available for years — people can
sign on with some services and get reduced airfare for delivering
packages. Jacobs’ site is different, he said, as it simply connects
senders with deliverers. It also hopes to give the average person
access to the speed and reliability of hand delivery, at a fraction of
costs that Jacobs said can exceed $2,000.
Users register for free on the site, citing the services they want
or will provide, and senders determine how much they’ll pay. The
business makes money through a $1 fee charged for exchanging users’
contact information.
By Rachel Metz
