Trade Me rejects NZ courier start-up
TRADE ME has picked an Australian firm to provide a new courier service for sellers of goods on its website, disappointing a Wellington start-up which felt it had been treated in an offhand manner.
Next month all Trade Me members will be able book a courier from Trade Me’s website through Queensland company Temando when they make a sale. Temando will aggregate quotes from different courier companies which will then pick up and deliver items.
Trade Me said the service would initially only be available from desktop computers, but apps for iPhones and Android devices would follow.
Bryce Moller, director of Wellington company Shunt, said it had held talks with Trade Me about offering a similar service and was disappointed it had not been chosen. ‘‘You go to our website and put in a pick-up and delivery address and all the different courier companies and prices come up.
‘‘You click on the one you want and print out the courier ticket on any A4 printer.’’
Moller said Shunt only found out it had missed out when it noticed a change in a webpage on Trade Me’s website setting out its privacy policy, which revealed the relationship with Temando. That had ‘‘let the cat out of the bag’’ about the new service, he said.
‘‘We had meetings with Trade Me late last year and earlier this year and that has come to nothing.
‘‘They have obviously decided to go down the Australian path.’’
It would have been good if Shunt had been able to sway Trade Me to use a Wellington supplier, he said. ‘‘Trade Me was a Wellington start-up itself and got a bit of a start by beating eBay into the marketplace. It is a shame they haven’t allowed us the same privilege they had all those years ago back in 1999.’’
Trade Me spokesman Paul Ford said the company was sorry to hear Shunt was disappointed but it had talked to a number of possible providers and ‘‘we think Temando provides the best option for Trade Me members’’.
Moller said missing out on the partnership would have a ‘‘massive impact’’ on the seven-person firm but it would not give up.