Finnish postal operator Posti has piloted a new service called Nearby Locker enabling private consumers to exchange goods in C2C trade via Posti Parcel Points which solves the problem of arranging a meeting.
“In C2C trade, the seller and the buyer typically find each other online, for instance, in a neighbourhood Facebook group,” and then have to meet face to face to exchange the goods, Posti explained.
“The seller and the buyer no longer have to find a pick-up time that suits both, they can simply exchange the goods using a Parcel Point locker. Posti does not deliver or transport the goods, but the Parcel Point locker serves as an affordable storage and pick-up point,” Saara Pietilä, Business Manager at Posti, said.
To use the service, customers can reserve a locker at a nearby Parcel Point for a fee of €3 using Posti’s web service (Nearby Locker service online) and will receive an errand code for using the Parcel Point. They need to enter the code to leave the goods in the locker to be picked up by the recipient. The goods don’t have to be packaged and can be left in a bag, for example, as they will not be sorted with other parcels. The recipient will receive the locker code for the Parcel Point in question via SMS and can pick up the goods within one week at a time that best suits him/her.
The Nearby Locker service is currently available at eight Posti Parcel Points located in Helsinki and Espoo (the second largest city and municipality in Finland) with the pilot stage lasting until the end of May.
“For the pilot, we chose Parcel Points in neighbourhoods that have active Facebook sales groups. The Nearby Locker service could easily be used for other purposes as well, such as exchanging keys on a busy day,” Pietilä explained.
“Posti's Parcel Points are considered the best pick-up locations for parcels in Finland thanks to their ease, speed and opening hours. The Nearby Locker service is a new way of using the Parcel Points. Posti will collect feedback from users during the pilot in order to develop the service to meet the needs of our customers,” the postal operator concluded.
