I agree, USHIP sucks.

So, how about forming a consortium of truckers and others get together, and create something like UShip, but doesn't rip off everyone with way too much of the pie, and doens't allow illegal transporters?

Anyone interested in the idea?

 

You're right. The brokers and Uship need their fair share. What was I thinking????

 

LOL, the best trick is to underbid him, but to stop before he does

Like a real auction, the trick is to make the competitor pay more, not yourself.

 

Seriously, though... From RickG's comments, I'm wondering if he's catching on. Uship is a scam, in my opinion, and stories of people destroying your RV, merchandise, UShip keeping your payments from you, customer's possessions being stolen, and a host of other things that are bad are going on.

Yet, as best I can tell, UShip makes a ton of money on what ever amount of merchandise goes through their system. Sellers abuse the providers by posting stuff they have no intention of moving - just to "get rates", for instance. The seller has absolutely no skin in the game, and will reject every bid or cancel at the last minute, wasting the time of everyone who bid, and on and on. And, UShip does their utmost to keep the customer ignorant.

It pretends to be in the consumer's favor, yet nobody's doing anyone a favor by "hooking them up" with someone who has no freaking clue what he's doing.

That doesn't mean there's no market for people who need services and people who can provide them. It exists, UShip has proven it exists. It's just time for someone to do it RIGHT. They're just slick marketers who want a slice of the pie for doing almost nothing. Brokers, at least, DO do something... They have contacts, they do paperwork, they qualify people, they CAN be held accountable by pulling their DOT numbers, yadda yadda yadda. What can you do to UShip? Not a blasted thing. And they know it.

If drug testing can be a consortium you join or leave voluntarily, if OOIDA can exist, if load boards can make money... then there's a market for consumers who want stuff moved. The question is, do you let the scammers win, or do you get in the market and compete? You and I know that PRICE ALONE is not the issue. Look what Ebay and Amazon have done for countless small businesses who had NO ability to reach the mass market. Now they do. And both the consumer and the provider have benefitted, and both marketplaces have made a fortune.

Now, what if the market itself is run by the providers? That profits from the marketplace, instead of lining the pockets of hucksters like Matt Chasen (ceo of UShip), they're in YOUR pocket? The guy's a marketing genius. But his company and it's operations are, in my estimation, immoral. And unsustainable, as he's eventually going to poison his own market with his ignorant marketing and scammy operation.

Others have tried, mind you, I've seen them come and go already. But they were trying to operate like UShip. Instead, this needs to be much more professional - it needs to do the best for the consumer and the provider that can be done. That's the ageless secret to long term success. You MUST provide value to all parties and not exploit anyone - that's the recipe for sustainable, long-term profitability.

So, why not? Besides the reaction "Why lower rates more", which I don't believe is any kind of an accurate criticism of a proper marketplace, what actual objection is there, if any? What would be wrong with trying to get real, true, commercial shippers to use it, as well as individual consumers? The requirements to do that would be professionalism, accountability, and a certainty that those participating as providers are real professionals.

I think it can be done.