CitizenShipper

CitizenShipper is an American online auction-based peer-to-peer shipping marketplace that aims to connect shipping customers with couriers and transport providers. The company matches "citizen shippers" to couriers and drivers who bid on shipments in a reverse auction format. CitizenShipper drivers ship many items including vehicles and boats, but the strongest focus is on pet transportation.

History
Physicist Richard Obousy founded CitizenShipper in 2008, citing both high gas prices and U.S. Department of Transportation figures suggesting empty trucks account for 29% of single-unit truck traffic.

As a graduate student at Baylor University, Obousy wondered how he could make a little extra money for gas each month by transporting items for people with the spare capacity in his vehicle.

He imagined there were other drivers doing the same type of repetitive routes who would be interested in making extra cash. Based on this premise, he launched a very basic version of CitizenShipper in 2008 on a budget of $2,000. The earliest version of the website simply connected shippers with drivers. There were no added features such as integrated messaging, driver profiles, or background checks.

The company's website is designed to match people who need items shipped economically to certain locations with people already traveling in those directions, thus reducing overall carbon emissions. Obousy believes clients "can make a significant impact on reducing the country's carbon footprint." CitizenShipper is available nationally and now has drivers in all 50 U.S. states.

In the news
CitizenShipper has been mentioned in online articles that feature "side hustles" and flexible job opportunities, including the Los Angeles Times and Entrepreneur. The New York Times suggested CitizenShipper as an alternative option to flying pets in airplanes. Baseline has named driving on CitizenShipper as a niche business option. "[CitizenShipper] is a good example of a niche business set to thrive ... As the number one pet transport marketplace in the US, its Uber-like ability to move beloved animals safely from point A to point B is a popular service."

ReadWrite has praised CitizenShipper's community and how it has helped shape the brand and said the transactions have "a very human touch". In a study of how to differentiate companies, Inc. said CitizenShipper "built on its core platform by adding proven, value-rich features over time" instead of trying to invent completely new services.

Reviews
Mother Earth News stated that shipping "could be both environmentally-friendly and easier on your pocketbook .... The green shipping service is free and offered worldwide to reduce the need for inefficient delivery vehicles." Clean technology blog CleanTechnica said, "Shipping ... in a vehicle that is being underutilized helps greatly to reduce greenhouse gases .... [CitizenShipper] looks like it would get you the cheapest and one of the greenest deals out there."

CitizenShipper has an average rating of 4.6 stars on Trustpilot and over 5,400 reviews. It's been accredited by the Better Business Bureau since 2018 and has an A rating.