Innovation

A new Facebook application created by a Carnegie Mellon student allows users to save money and the environment by consolidating shipping on Amazon purchases.

Ram Ravichandran, a doctoral student in the School of Computer Science, has developed ShipTogether.com, an application that introduces people in close-knit communities to one another, especially college campuses, and allows them to easily reach the $25 free shipping limit while cutting down on waste like cardboard and styrofoam peanuts.

If the Amazon program flies, he plans to extend it to other online stores as well.

The reduction in material going into the landfill is obvious, Ravichandran notes, but it also eliminates useless purchases of people trying to reach the free shipping threshold. A recent survey at Carnegie Mellon revealed that 30 percent of all responders bought filler items in order to take advantage of the $25 free shipping limit.

Many of these items are thrown away by the purchasers, he says.

“It’s like asking someone to pick something up at the grocery store for you, that’s the scenario I’m pushing” says Ravichandran. “From a carbon footprint point of view, it’s the carpooling version of shipping.”

Ravischandran figures about 200 people currently use his system, mostly Carnegie Mellon students. The process is completely private and users have an option to ship through Facebook friends or someone in close proximity.

He has approached Amazon to begin offering ShipTogether as an option on its site to streamline the process. Barnes and Noble may be next. The system could easily work for company employees too.

“I really want to be able to get more and more people to keep this in mind when they ship online,” he adds. “Ultimately, this would save online stores money too, especially if we get a critical mass to do it.”

Writer: Debra Diamond Smit
Source: Ram Ravichandran, Carnegie Mellon University

Image courtesy of Carnegie Mellon and ShipTogether