Lob
Web and SaaS
address verification api
SHOW HN2013
80points
49comments
#312of 1,739 in 2013
Top 18%of 2013 by points
How HN took it
CuriousMostly questions and neutral comments
5 positive, 18 neutral or asking, 1 mixed, 7 critical, out of 31 comments about the project. Thread score -0.19.
Pricing: 3 for, 3 againstIdea: 1 for, 2 againstExecution: 1 for, 2 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Free US verification and international coverage that competitors lack
From 3 comments
Looks like SmartyStreets is limited to just the US and charges $1000 for unlimited lookups. Lob also autocompletes addresses if not entered fully as well and is FREE for…
harryzhang on HNLooks good. Free for the United States is pretty attractive. Although the only thing I have to compare it to is Melissa Data.…
vyrotek on HNVerifications are free for Lob for US addresses as well, but we have support for INTERNATIONAL verification...Easypost only has US.
harryzhang on HN
Useful abstraction over USPS SOAP/XML
From 1 comment
The USPS is where we get our data from...we have a layer of abstraction in case you don't want to deal with SOAP and XML and want something simple via REST.
harryzhang on HN
Objections
$0.15 per lookup is too expensive
From 4 comments
It would be nice if we could try before we buy (globally). Also, $0.15 per lookup is really expensive. Address verification is a pain; if I could get someone else to do that for…
toretore on HNThis would be awesome if it delivers on its promises. How can we know your global address verification works? Can you publish some more information to boost confidence? Also, I…
gfodor on HNI agree. I can't imagine where $0.15 makes sense for anyone. Margins in this business are very tight. I'd love to see a monthly plan.
kevingibbon on HN$0.15 is completely ridiculous - also, can you tell us how you're doing this globally? Zip is required and some countries don't have ZIPs.
a2d9s22 on HN
Unclear how it works for countries without postal codes or states
From 3 comments
erm, how exactly does this work globally? state and zip are required fields. Ireland, for example, does not have zip codes... full list of such countries:…
pinaceae on HN$0.15 is completely ridiculous - also, can you tell us how you're doing this globally? Zip is required and some countries don't have ZIPs.
a2d9s22 on HNState is a required field ? And we have no details on which data files you use ? I'm very interested in such a service, but this does not look serious at all...
francoisfeugeas on HN
Data sources and accuracy not documented
From 3 comments
This would be awesome if it delivers on its promises. How can we know your global address verification works? Can you publish some more information to boost confidence? Also, I…
gfodor on HNState is a required field ? And we have no details on which data files you use ? I'm very interested in such a service, but this does not look serious at all...
francoisfeugeas on HNWhere are you getting the UK data from? Also how do you handle, UK Postcodes, and Counties?
aranw on HN
Requests
Free trial or test credits
From 2 comments
It would be nice if we could try before we buy (globally). Also, $0.15 per lookup is really expensive. Address verification is a pain; if I could get someone else to do that for…
toretore on HNis it possible to get a demo account to test how it works outside the US?
gschammah on HN
Monthly or tiered pricing plan
From 2 comments
This would be awesome if it delivers on its promises. How can we know your global address verification works? Can you publish some more information to boost confidence? Also, I…
gfodor on HNI agree. I can't imagine where $0.15 makes sense for anyone. Margins in this business are very tight. I'd love to see a monthly plan.
kevingibbon on HN
Questions
What data source is used for non-US countries
From 2 comments
What's the source of your Australian data? The AusPost data is rather expensive, and most providers have somewhat awkward APIs and/or enterprise sales models that get tricky to…
RossP on HNWhere are you getting the UK data from? Also how do you handle, UK Postcodes, and Counties?
aranw on HN
How are countries without postal codes or states handled
From 2 comments
erm, how exactly does this work globally? state and zip are required fields. Ireland, for example, does not have zip codes... full list of such countries:…
pinaceae on HN$0.15 is completely ridiculous - also, can you tell us how you're doing this globally? Zip is required and some countries don't have ZIPs.
a2d9s22 on HN
Alternatives named
SmartyStreets
From 1 comment
SmartyStreets [1] is another provider, not free though. It seems they can do a lot more than verify, like their autocomplete (client side) -- pretty slick. [2] [1]…
erichurkman on HN
EasyPost
From 1 comment
I use EasyPost for this and verifications are free. Is there a major reason to switch?
frankdenbow on HN
StrikeIron
From 1 comment
StrikeIron is another provider. They have separate products for North American and Global address verification. Tiered monthly pricing.…
icybass on HN
Melissa Data
From 1 comment
Looks good. Free for the United States is pretty attractive. Although the only thing I have to compare it to is Melissa Data.…
vyrotek on HN