We use the Postmates case to show how a marketplace can pivot when repeated user requests contradict its original supply plan. Postmates’ first beta launched in September 2011, but the early retailer-and-courier model generated only one or two orders after merchants had predicted 1,000 daily uses. After seven months of user requests, the GetItNow test focused on consumers and couriers, used constrained supply, and staged a pre-beta with 300 customers and $5,000 GMV. The lesson is to test the missing side quickly, measure quality and customer value, and treat repeated user behavior as a stronger signal than a market-size slide.

Source: [Original First 1000 case](https://first1000.substack.com/p/postmates).

[Postmates Changed the Marketplace After Users Asked for Anything](<https://www.first1000.co/blog/postmates>)

Source observed: 2026-09-21T07:30:30.526Z. Last checked: 2026-09-21T08:26:23.044+00:00.

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