Peerflix Teams with United States Postal Service to Provide Online DVD Tracking for Nation's Largest DVD Trading Network; Online DVD Tracking, Google Maps(TM) Mash-up and Printed Postage Enhance Peer-to-Peer Experience
Peerflix, the leading peer-to-peer (P2P) network that allows members to legally trade DVDs online, today announced a relationship with the U.S. Postal Service allowing Peerflix members to track the shipping status of their DVDs online. Peerflix members, who trade DVDs directly with one another, will be notified each time a DVD is scanned at a U.S. Postal Service location as it travels to their home, in a pioneer application of U.S. Postal Service technology traditionally leveraged by large businesses. Taking the service one step further, Peerflix added visual tracking capabilities by building a Google Maps mash-up that allows users to follow the journey of their DVD against a map of the U.S. Furthermore, Peerflix announced that postage will be automatically printed on its patent-pending PeerMailer envelopes, eliminating the need for stamps. The result for Internet users is a safe and accountable peer-to-peer network that serves a community trading more than 300,000 DVDs across the U.S. and Canada.
"It's exciting for the U.S. Postal Service to work with Peerflix to leverage our latest solutions and help introduce them to a new audience," said Jim Cochrane, Manager of Package Services, at the United States Postal Service. "This program will track the location of DVDs sent through the postal system, allowing consumers sending DVDs through First-Class Mail(R) to enjoy many of the same benefits and package insight as large companies."
"Peerflix's goal is to give our members the ultimate online trading experience. Enabling them to know the exact status and location of each DVD that is traded is another step in that direction," said Billy McNair, CEO of Peerflix. "We are now offering our customers a tracking capability that isn't offered even by the largest online marketplaces. Altogether, our community continues to raise the bar for all online transactions."
Peerflix users will enjoy the following new features:
— U.S. Postal Service Tracking: Peerflix will capture integrated tracking information through the U.S. Postal Service PLANET Code technology, which stores information about a mail piece using a unique barcode.
— DVD Location Display: Peerflix will mash-up a DVD's location in the postal system with Google Maps, offering a visual representation of scan points as the DVD travels toward its destination.
— Printed Postage: Through its patent-pending PeerMailer, Peerflix provides free DVD mailing envelopes to members. Postage will now print directly onto the PeerMailer, eliminating the need for a $0.39 cent stamp.
"I'm really excited about the new features Peerflix is coming out with," said Mike Knowles, Peerflix member from Puyallup, WA. "Now, I just have to hit 'print' on my computer and everything I need to send my DVD will be right there on the PeerMailer. Better yet, knowing where my DVDs are in the postal system will allow me to really plan my movie nights!"
All new features are available to Peerflix members immediately.
About Peerflix
Peerflix offers a peer-to-peer online trading platform for physical goods or services. In its first application, the system allows users to legally trade DVDs directly with one another, across a large, decentralized network. Using the Peerflix service, members can get the most out of their DVD collections, maintaining a dynamic and updated library of DVD titles in a cost effective manner. Started in 2004, Peerflix has already grown to become the leading online destination for DVD owners to trade their DVDs. Peerflix is supported by leading venture capital firms including Battery Ventures, BV Capital and 3i. The Peerflix service is currently available in both the United States and Canada. For more information, please visit http://www.peerflix.com.
About the U.S. Postal Service
Since 1775, the Postal Service and its predecessor, the Post Office Department, have connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. It is an independent federal agency that visits more than 144 million homes and businesses every day and is the only service provider delivering to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of $70 billion, it is the world's leading provider of mailing and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The U.S. Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world's mail volume — some 212 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year — and serves seven million customers each day at its 37,000 retail locations nationwide.
