Story highlights
A man in suburban Boston is selling snow online to customers in warmer states
For $89, he will ship 6 pounds of snow in an insulated Styrofoam box
The only thing crazier than a guy in snowbound Massachusetts boxing up the powdery white stuff and offering it for sale online?
People are actually buying it.
For $89, self-styled entrepreneur Kyle Waring will ship you 6 pounds of Boston-area snow in an insulated Styrofoam box – enough for 10 to 15 snowballs, he says.
But not if you live in New England or surrounding states.
“We will not ship snow to any states in the northeast!” says Waring’s website, ShipSnowYo.com. “We’re in the business of expunging snow!”
His website and social media accounts claim to have filled more than 133 orders for snow – more than 30 on Tuesday alone, his busiest day yet.
With more than 45 total inches, Boston has set a record this winter for the snowiest month in its history. Most residents see the huge piles of snow choking their yards and sidewalks as a nuisance, but Waring saw an opportunity.
According to Boston.com, it all started a few weeks ago, when Waring and his wife were shoveling deep snow from their yard in Manchester-by-the-Sea, a coastal suburb north of Boston. He joked about shipping the stuff to friends and family in warmer states, and an idea was born.
His business slogan: “Our nightmare is your dream!”
At first, ShipSnowYo sold snow packed into empty 16.9-ounce water bottles for $19.99, but the snow usually melted before it reached its destination.
So this week, Waring began shipping larger amounts in the Styrofoam cubes, which he promises will arrive anywhere in the U.S. in less than 20 hours.
He also has begun selling a 10-pound box of snow for $119.
Many of his customers appear to be companies in warm-weather states who are buying the snow as a gag, he said.
Whether Waring can sustain his gimmicky venture into the spring remains to be seen. But he has no shortage of product.
“At this rate, it’s going to be July until the snow melts,” he told Boston.com. “But I’ve thought about taking this idea and running with it for other seasonal items. Maybe I’ll ship some fall foliage.”