What We Shipped in January (and What's Actually Working)

Hey everyone,

We've been heads-down building for the past few weeks, and I wanted to give you a straight update on what's new, what's working, and what we're still learning.

The Big Stuff

We cut our commission to 10%. This one's simple: most platforms take 15-30%. We think that's too much. You do the work, you should keep more of what you earn. We're betting that lower fees and higher volume is better for everyone long-term. Early signs are good—we've seen a 40% jump in new service providers since the change.

Escrow is now standard on all transactions. Money sits safely in the middle until the job's done. If everything goes smoothly (which it does 96% of the time), funds auto-release after 24 hours. If there's a dispute, we step in. It's not revolutionary, but it needed to exist. Trust is everything in a marketplace, and this gives both sides peace of mind.

Same-day delivery from basically anywhere. This is the feature I'm most excited about. Got a craving from that restaurant across town? Need something from a boutique that doesn't deliver? Want to send your friend something from your favorite local shop? Our courier network can pick it up and deliver it the same day. We're seeing people use this in ways we didn't expect—like sending homemade baked goods or getting art supplies from specific stores. The flexibility is the point.

Payouts through Stripe, straight to your bank. No more waiting. No more third-party wallet apps. You get paid, it hits your bank account. Done. Should've built this from day one, honestly.

The New Verticals

Real estate and autos marketplaces are live. These are early, and we know it. Listing a car or a rental property on Lumo gets you in front of our local audience, and the same trust tools apply—verified users, secure messaging, transaction protection where it makes sense. We're not trying to replace Zillow or AutoTrader tomorrow. We're just building a local-first alternative for people who want fewer spam calls and more real connections.

The Experiment

AI-powered ad studio. Look, I'll be honest—we don't know if this will stick. But here's the idea: if you're selling something or offering a service, you can generate a simple ad (image + copy) in about 30 seconds using AI. No design skills needed. Then boost it to local buyers for a few bucks.

Some people love it. Some people ignore it. We're watching the data closely. If it helps small sellers compete, we'll double down. If it's just noise, we'll kill it.

What's Next

We're focused on two things in February: making the escrow experience smoother (fewer clicks, clearer status updates) and expanding same-day delivery to more neighborhoods. We're also talking to a bunch of service providers about what features would actually save them time. Less guessing, more listening.

If you've tried Lumo recently, I'd genuinely love to hear what's working and what's broken. Reply to this, DM us, or just yell at us on social. We read everything.

Thanks for building this with us.

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Ready to try it out? Whether you're looking to hire someone, sell something, or offer your services, Lumo is built for you. Lower fees, faster payouts, and a platform that actually puts locals first.