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/span>Bringing home nice gifts from overseas as souvenirs for our family and friends is a custom for us Indonesians.

Sometimes, however, it becomes a problem for us especially when our family or friends ask for too many things. Thus, for some travelers, not telling everyone where one is going is an option.

But here’s another option: letting everyone knows where you are going and earning a little extra money along the way. That’s what you can get from www.bistip.com — the winner of The Most Promising StartUp 2011.

Bistip is an acronym for bisnis titip or sometimes bisa titip, Indonesian terms for “business of trust” or “can trust”. The main idea is an online marketplace for those who are searching for others traveling to a particular location, to be entrusted with goods. In other words: peer-to-peer courier.

Users, who are called bistiper, can use an account with the site to become a courier or to place requests for other bistiper to bring them something. In exchange the courier will get a commission, based on the agreement between the courier and the user who requested the service.

There are two types of service. First is where a courier purchases, on behalf of the user making the request, a certain commodity overseas and brings it back. Secondly is where the object has already had been bought and the user needs the courier to convey it.

By the way, don’t forget to read about “How Bistip Works, Terms & Conditions, Security Guidelines, and FAQ” before using this service.

To let other bistiper know about your availability, simply post your route, and add the departure and arrival times, also how much space you have in your luggage, and what kind of items you can carry.

In reverse, to find a potential courier, post the criteria after clicking the “Wanted Post” button, or browse the search facility.

The idea for this service came from software engineer Willy Ekasalim’s experience. He used to study and work in Sydney, Australia. His family and friends always asked him to bring goods, such as games and magazines, every time he went back to Indonesia.

“As time went by the idea occurred to me. If some people need it, why don’t I create a marketplace where a user can find another user who wants to be a courier?” Willy realized.

Willy then jointly created Bistip with his friend Doddy Lukito. They knew each other from when Willy needed a study aid and got it from Doddy in Jakarta a year before Bistip was officially launched in March 2011.

Since its launch, the website has signed up 2,800 users, mostly frequent travelers who go overseas or around
the country.

Regarding security, Doddy says that it depends on users themselves. So far Bistip only gives warnings about goods being carried.

Both Doddy and Wilson suggest the couriers open up the packages and check what’s inside. As for the users of the service, they should be careful when entrusting fragile items.

There are two security features provided on the website. First is a joint account for payments, so users can
use a third party bank account from www.rekeningbersama.com.

“A user can transfer to that [midway] account. After receiving the goods that the user ordered, he or she can send a message to the Bistip team to transfer the money. After receiving the message, we will send it on,” said Doddy.

 The second feature is insurance to cover damaged or missing items, with different options available.

There’s a reputation system and influencer points to rate and check user credibility. Users that provide or receive false testimonials can be referred to the Bistip team.

If by chance you find a suitable courier, you can entrust him or her. But if not, it seems that you have to go back to a shipping company.