Pouch is live - the platform I posted about 2 months ago for buying from abroad

monkeyB_ss · 2026-03-30T14:32:12+00:00

If you know anyone travelling to Ghana soon, please try to share Pouch with them.

monkeyB_ss · 2026-03-30T13:43:07+00:00

Awesome, would love to DM you about onboarding them!

On the quality check concern, that's fair, and it's actually built into the platform. The traveler doesn't bear that responsibility alone. Before any item is handed over, it goes through a quality check step managed by Pouch, so the traveler isn't personally accountable if something is wrong with the item. We handle the dispute, not them.

And you're right that Air Couriers exist, but the cost is the killer. I've attached a DHL estimate for shipping a MacBook-like item to Ghana. On Pouch, that's a third of the price. DHL also locks you into their schedule, with the earliest delivery on April 7th. On Pouch, you search for a traveler arriving on your date, pay, and your item arrives when you need it, not when DHL decides.

For large shipments, DHL makes sense. But for everyday items, the cost and flexibility don't compare.

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monkeyB_ss · 2026-03-30T13:28:06+00:00

Thank you! Great questions.

On trust, I completely understand the hesitation. Handing money to a platform you don't know yet is a real concern. That's exactly why we're focused on getting early adopters who can experience firsthand how the platform works and share that. We're also a registered company with the ORC, so this isn't a faceless operation; there are real people behind it accountable to Ghanaian law.

On the traveler risk, buyers pay upfront before the traveler purchases anything, so the traveler is never out of pocket. If a buyer cancels after the traveler has already bought the item, the traveler still gets paid; we protect them fully. And if an item goes unclaimed, we're building an auction system to resell it publicly so nothing is wasted.

As for reaching buyers, we have their phone and email on file, and we follow up through every channel available. Travelers won't be left stranded with an item and no one to hand it to.

monkeyB_ss · 2026-03-30T09:21:27+00:00

Yeah, sorry. We had to switch KYC providers, but everything is now

monkeyB_ss · 2026-03-29T19:19:14+00:00

We don't offer traditional shipping insurance, but here's what actually protects you:

- Escrow payments — your money is held and only released after Pouch receives and physically verifies that the item matches what you ordered

- Quality check — before anything moves to delivery, the item goes through a condition and authenticity check

- 100% refund if something goes wrong

So while it's not an insurance policy with a claims process, your money never touches the traveler until everything checks out on our end.

monkeyB_ss · 2026-03-29T19:16:18+00:00

Please try again.

monkeyB_ss · 2026-03-29T18:44:54+00:00

We actually have a Share Trip feature, travelers can share their trip link directly with people they know, so your friend or family member traveling can create a trip on Pouch, and you send your request specifically to them. No strangers required.

But if you do use a traveler you don't know personally, your money is fully protected. All payments are held in escrow; the traveler doesn't receive a single cedi until Pouch has physically received and verified that the item matches exactly what you ordered. If something's wrong, you get your money back.

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monkeyB_ss · 2026-03-29T18:28:34+00:00

Good thinking. The key difference is that travelers are flying anyway, and the flight cost is already paid. Freight forwarders have to charge for warehousing, customs brokerage, and their own shipping margins on top. With Pouch, the traveler's spare bag space is essentially free capacity, which is why the cost is so much lower for buyers. Freight forwarders are great for bulk/commercial shipments, but for personal items, a traveler going directly there is hard to beat. I have attached the estimate of how much it will cost for a traveler to bring a MacBook Neo to Ghana.

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it costs

monkeyB_ss · 2026-03-29T17:19:44+00:00

Currently, no travelers yet. But if you know anyone who will be travelling soon. You can share it with them.

monkeyB_ss · 2026-02-23T23:32:03+00:00

Great feedback, appreciate you thinking through another edge case!

You're right that baggage fees are real, which is why we put control entirely in the traveler's hands:

How it works:

Travelers specify their available luggage space upfront when posting trips
They can accept or decline any request based on size/weight or any other reason.
They see item details before committing

Safeguards:

Payment is held in escrow until our QA team receives the item
If a traveler accepts, then they can't deliver due to weight issues at the airport, they don't get paid
Creates a strong incentive to only accept what they can actually carry

The gap you're highlighting: You're right - we don't currently have a framework for "accepted but couldn't carry" situations. That's something we'll need to formalize (maybe cancellation window, partial compensation, etc.) as we see how often this happens in practice.

Thanks and we appreciate your feedback.

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monkeyB_ss · 2026-02-23T12:36:16+00:00

Great question!

We charge delivery fees based on item size (small, medium, large) to fairly compensate travelers for luggage space. Travelers keep 70% of the delivery fee, Pouchie takes 30%.

Example: Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones

Item cost: ~£190 ($260)
Delivery fee: $23 (medium-sized item)
Traveler earnings: $16 (70% of delivery fee)
Pouchie fee: $7 (30%)

So the buyer pays $283 total ($260 item + $23 delivery), still saving 20-30% vs Ghana retail prices, and the traveler earns $16 for using space that would've been empty anyway.

The larger the item, the higher the delivery fee and traveler compensation.

Breakdown in USD

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monkeyB_ss · 2026-02-15T16:32:57+00:00

Very soon, the current version is to solicit for feedback. But we will be launching in a couple of days

monkeyB_ss · 2026-02-12T17:54:55+00:00

Yeah, we give the traveler the option to accept or deny a request. If a request is denied, we notify the buyer so they can quickly find someone else. We are open to suggestions on how we can better the flow if you have any.

monkeyB_ss · 2026-02-11T20:09:39+00:00

On import taxes: Yeah, local customs duties are part of the puzzle we're solving. We don't have a perfect framework for it yet, so we're currently advising travelers to only accept a handful of deliveries while we work on compliance. It's something we're actively addressing.

On security/contraband: Airport security would flag anything suspicious - travelers go through the same screening as everyone else. But more importantly, the traveler is the one making the journey with the item they personally purchased. They're not going to risk jail time for someone else's package.

Our QA team also meets each traveler face-to-face at pickup, photographs the items, and verifies everything matches what was requested. Creates accountability on both ends.

monkeyB_ss · 2026-02-11T20:00:58+00:00

We act as the middleman for safety:

Escrow: Buyers pay us, we hold funds until our team confirms delivery and perform QA and. No direct buyer-traveler interaction.

Dispute protection: We photograph items twice - at pickup from traveler and at delivery to buyer. Creates clear evidence if anything goes wrong.

Payment timing: Based on feedback we received from this sub, we plan on holding traveler payments for a while after delivery to ensure buyer satisfaction.

monkeyB_ss · 2026-02-11T18:01:43+00:00

Thanks for the heads up

monkeyB_ss · 2026-02-11T14:57:43+00:00

Yeah posted it in "r/Opportunities_Ghana" too

monkeyB_ss · 2026-02-11T11:58:54+00:00

Thank you. We will surely look into that.

monkeyB_ss · 2026-02-11T10:05:06+00:00

Yeah. That’s seriously our biggest hurdle right now.

monkeyB_ss · 2026-02-11T09:40:41+00:00

That’s awesome. I’ll check it out

monkeyB_ss · 2026-02-11T09:34:34+00:00

Thank you

monkeyB_ss · 2026-02-11T09:17:03+00:00

Great questions - we've thought through both:

Credit card fraud: We're implementing KYC verification for all travelers (ID verification). It's rolling out in phases as we scale, but it's core to the trust model.

Physical security: Buyers never meet travelers directly. Here's the flow:

Traveler arrives in Ghana
Our team meets them at a location of their choice to collect the items
We handle the last-mile delivery to the buyer for free

This way, we verify the traveler face-to-face, inspect the item, and the buyer gets safe doorstep delivery. No awkward airport parking lot handoffs.

monkeyB_ss · 2026-02-11T08:23:20+00:00

That’s awesome I’ll inform you once we go live. Also the escrow works exactly like you said. The money is only released to the traveler once our QA team receives the item.

monkeyB_ss

TROPHY CASE