Ask HN: I have three good ideas. Help me choose idea 1, 2, or 3.

Re:Ask HN: I have three good ideas. Help me choose idea 1, 2... by brk on Sunday January 18, 2009 @09:20AM (#439339)

I ran an operation much like #2 when I was in college (1991). Made a shitload of money doing it, had I been able to reach a wider audience it could have made for a nice enterprise.

Not only are certain brands cheaper in other countries, but products/styles within those brands are not always available in the US (double-exclusive).

FWIW, one thing I did different than what you propose was that I had people who went to the country to purchase and bring stuff back. This was more so based on how this operation came into business, than via intelligent design, but it minimized the remote "friend" problem, and with some deal hunting and advance planning, the airfare can be cheap enough.

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Re:Ask HN: I have three good ideas. Help me choose idea 1, 2... by jyothi on Sunday January 18, 2009 @11:32AM (#439425)

A former VP at my previous employer quit and started shangby.com, a live shopping platform for pearls, silk and china around shanghai sitting in your living room. I think they failed. But you should check out their live shopping experience, pretty interesting.

To note: branded goods, standard stuff - remote shopping or exchanges would work. Essentially one is safe when you have a fair idea what is going to be in your package. Else it is a strict no for online buying and more for remote buying.

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