Web site unites shippers and senders

Some Long Islanders who had absolutely nothing to do with the shipping business have launched a Web site about . . . the shipping business.

"Everybody is from some other field," said Estelle Lander Smith of Huntington, one of the partners in ShipAlmostAnything.com, which launched in March and is an online auction site that matches people who want to ship almost anything - legal, that is - with companies, big and small, that ship.

Mike Bader, who operates a West Babylon company that manufactures printing plates, is the site's chief operating officer. Lander Smith, a former Newsday reporter and editor, works in marketing for the site. Barbara Grumet, a marketing executive in Merrick, is marketing vice president. The site's home office is at Bader's West Babylon office.

So how did these people come up with a shipping business?

"Shipping is something most people need," said Bader. "There's always shipping going on. All you have to do is drive on the Long Island Expressway to see how much shipping there is. We knew there was a need."

Companies or individuals who want to ship can log on to the site, state what they need shipped and either name a price, or not. Shippers can see the requests and respond. An auction can follow. Bader said so far 75 shipping companies have signed on. They can pay as little as $39.95 a month to be listed. That's how the site makes money.

The site is free for those who want to list items to be shipped.

"For a little over $1 a day," the shipping companies are hiring a telemarketing department, Grumet said. They also can receive e-mails or cell phone calls about new jobs that have just been posted. People from disparate backgrounds getting together to start a new business in the Internet age should not be a surprise, Lander Smith said.

"We jump in and try to make it fly," she said.