Sunday, June 29, 2008

Import Genius

I've had to set the blog aside for the last few weeks to work on my thesis, and all signs point to another month or two of intense academic discomfort before I get it all polished off and ready to sit, unopened, on a bookshelf for the next 50-100 years. However, I'll still post the occasional diversion on here when I find interesting stuff.

Example: Import Genius. This website (featured on the Freakonomics blog a few days ago) makes use of the public nature of customs reporting forms (and the awesome power of freedom of information requests) to publish a constant, real-time report on the contents of every single container arriving in the United States. The ticker (at the bottom of the page) is endlessly fascinating. 22,000 USB keys, 1000 bottles of sodium stannate, 128 televisions, 2600 "elegant wall clocks". The sheer volume of stuff constantly streaming across the world's oceans is pretty mind-blowing.

29 comments:

poliver said...

What Import Genius is doing is nothing new, companies like The Datamyne and others have been offering extensive searches of international trade data in much more extensive form than Import Genius for a lot longer. The Datamyne, as just one example, has a database of over 600 million trade records from 42 countries including LATAM, Asia and the EU, available 24/7 online. They've been at it for more than a decade.

Unknown said...

The Datamine also charges like 3 times as much as Import Genius for the same exact data.

Unknown said...

What advantages are there in Datamyne compared to Import genius for the 3 times the price and the commitment of 6 months that Datamyne requests?

poliver said...

I guess every supplier would argue that their offering is best, but speaking for myself, I feel that the value I am able to extract from any database, trade data or otherwise, is directly linked to the quantity of data available, historical integrity and frequency of updates. In other words, you get what you pay for. I believe The Datalmyne is now up to 700 million tradae records from 42 countries, and has been around for a few decades with a good reputation, so those things weigh in their favor.

poliver said...

I guess every supplier would argue that their offering is best, but speaking for myself, I feel that the value I am able to extract from any database, trade data or otherwise, is directly linked to the quantity of data available, historical integrity and frequency of updates. In other words, you get what you pay for. I believe The Datalmyne is now up to 700 million tradae records from 42 countries, and has been around for a few decades with a good reputation, so those things weigh in their favor.

Brian Chilczuk said...

IMPORT GENIUS TOOK MY MONEY AND SOLD ME INFORMATION THAT IS MADE UP. DO NOT BUY FROM THEM. THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS OF BEING SUED.

Brian Chilczuk said...

Import Genius is a scam! Stay away! IMPORT GENIUS REVIEWS ARE ALL NEGATIVE! BECAUSE OF IMPORT GENIUS MY CREDIT CARD HAD THREE UNAUTHORIZED TRANSACTIONS. THEY HAVE MANY LAWSUITS AGAINST THEM. STAY AWAY!

Brian Chilczuk said...

I signed up to Import Genius and right away my computer was infected with viruses. Stay away! Import Genius is a big scam!

Brian Chilczuk said...

Import Genius did not give me viruses but they charged my credid card 5 times the amount right away. I am currently disputing the charge. Their data is also made up garbage. They only have a nice webstie. Everything else is garbage.

Brian Chilczuk said...

The Import Genius database crashes every 5 minutess. Their information is all fake made up junk. Import Genius is a big scam. Stay away!

Brian Chilczuk said...

I spoke with Ryan Peterson regarding their data quality. Everything was wrong and I wanted an answer. After a 5 minute arguement he yelled at me and slammed the phone down. In addtion he stole my money. I wish I never went on their website.

Brian Chilczuk said...

Debra, Wow! I couldn't believe the owner of Import Genius yelled at you! I called up the company because they database crashed every 5 minutes and nothing made scense. I called him a prick after he told me not to call him any more. IMPORT GENIUS IS A BIG SCAM! STAY AWAY!

balaji said...

I have an idea of joining in import genius,plz give me some suggestions...is thers is any sites like this to retreive shipping datas?? plz tell me....,

Unknown said...

You are all right. Beware, Import Genius is a SCAM Company. On their web page they show an example of a Bill of Lading with the name of my Company Taotin Trading Company Limited. my Company is NOT located in the US but in Kiribati, central pacific.
DONT TRUST THIS IMPORT GENIUS. They just trick you to steal your money from your credit card.

Unknown said...

Import Genius is not a scam, despite the claims by a bunch of anonymous commenters here. I'm the CEO of ImportGenius.com and would be happy to personally address any doubts or concerns originating from these comments.

We have been routinely attacked by anonymous commenters in the blogosphere. One of the blogs where these comments occurred on was actually run by a friend of mine, who knew that the accusations were false. He sent me the IP address of one of the commenters, and were able to match it up with the e-mail account of a disgruntled person who was not happy that we were sharing his importing information through our service.

We understand that the data we share is very sensitive, so this type of behavior is not surprising. However, we hope that you will give us the benefit of the doubt before you buy into the comments from these anonymous commenters.

Please give me a call at 888-843-0272. I'll be happy to answer any of your questions and provide you with a free live demo of the service so you can see for yourself.

Best regards,

Ryan Petersen
ImportGenius.com
Co-Founder
ryan@importgenius.com
888-843-0272

Unknown said...

despite comments, thinking about signing up....need some more advice/reviews for anyone out there who is using import genius.

thanks

Anonymous said...

I have just signed up for import genius since I am starting a new import business. As we were planning our business model, one of the most difficult things to determine is what the competitors are up to, and how best to service our customers. We had come to the point where we really had to know what was going on, and I just went ahead and signed up for import genius. As soon as I signed up, I then started to research some of the comments on the blogs, and thought...oh no. I have been taken. Was I ever WRONG. I don't have an opinion about the total legitimacy of import genius, but from what I have seen on the site, and what I know about the business I am in, it has been an amazing tool after only 24 hours. We have identified alternative manufacturers that we can use, products being imported, what competitors are doing, and it also assisted us in increasing our understanding of the overall business. Good job Ryan!

Anonymous said...

Please do not give these people your credit card number. As soon as you sign up with them you will be entered into a one year contract that you cannot cancel. Unfortunately my mom used my credit card number, and did not realize that there is a contract. They did not care when I explained to them that it was not me that signed up for service. They still kept charging my card. I changed the card number, and they still managed to push the charges through. Remember, as soon as you sign up for their service, you will enter into a yearly contract that will cost you $2,400.00.
By the way, they don't have the right info. I have been in import business for years and they don't have a single info on me.

Tina

Anonymous said...

Please do not give these people your credit card number. As soon as you sign up with them you will be entered into a one year contract that you cannot cancel. Unfortunately my mom used my credit card number, and did not realize that there is a contract. They did not care when I explained to them that it was not me that signed up for service. They still kept charging my card. I changed the card number, and they still managed to push the charges through. Remember, as soon as you sign up for their service, you will enter into a yearly contract that will cost you $2,400.00.
By the way, they don't have the right info. I have been in import business for years and they don't have a single info on me.

Tina

Anonymous said...

Please do not give these people your credit card number. As soon as you sign up with them you will be entered into a one year contract that you cannot cancel. Unfortunately my mom used my credit card number, and did not realize that there is a contract. They did not care when I explained to them that it was not me that signed up for service. They still kept charging my card. I changed the card number, and they still managed to push the charges through. Remember, as soon as you sign up for their service, you will enter into a yearly contract that will cost you $2,400.00.
By the way, they don't have the right info. I have been in import business for years and they don't have a single info on me.

Tina

Sherry said...

Wow. I have to tell you, I think Ryan is correct. My firm has been relying on Import Genius for years. I don't work for them or know them personally. I pay them for accurate, reliable information. They have never once let us down.

Sherry said...

Wow. I have to tell you, I think Ryan is correct. My firm has been relying on Import Genius for years. I don't work for them or know them personally. I pay them for accurate, reliable information. They have never once let us down.

Ryan Petersen said...

Thanks Sherry, appreciate you giving us a chance!

For those worried about the 12-month contract, we do offer shorter plans than the default one on the web site, just call and ask.

Ryan Petersen said...

Thanks Sherry, appreciate you giving us a chance!

For those worried about the 12-month contract, we do offer shorter plans than the default one on the web site, just call and ask.

Michelle Reed said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Michelle Reed said...

Read First: most imports are not public record because most shipping companies have agreement s with US customs. This data is technically correct but unreliable because most of it is missing. And yes they are several lawsuits in place against ImportGenius and numerous chargebacks. They also have their business located at the Salt River Indian reservation in scottsdale to escape regulation. Ryan is a con artist along with Bryanne and Nicki. I repeat really think about What you are getting and consider other avenues which are free and have better information for your business. I strongly recommend staying away from ImportGenius. They are shady and I know their inside activities.

Alfred the Lover said...

What.. the.. fuck!! These reviews are insane.

Alfred the Lover said...

You'll find more information about this subject here than anywhere else.

Alfred the Lover said...

I just want to fuck that girl in her pussy until she cums, so hard. fuck shit ass.