What We Shipped This Month (And What Almost Killed Us)
We've been heads-down.
If you haven't heard from us in a while, it's because we've been shipping. Hard. February was one of those months where the to-do list grew faster than we could check things off, but we managed to push out some updates we're genuinely proud of.
Here's what's new on Lumo—and the honest truth about what it took to get here.
We slashed our commission to 10%
This one's simple. We looked at what other platforms charge (15%, 20%, sometimes 30%), and it felt wrong. If you're doing the work—delivering food, running errands, listing your car, closing a gig—you should keep more of what you earn.
So we cut our take to 10%. Across the board. It's not a promotion or a limited-time thing. It's just the new normal.
Will it hurt our margins? Probably. But we'd rather grow slower and build something people actually want to use.
Escrow with 24-hour auto-release
Payment anxiety is real. Buyers worry about getting scammed. Sellers worry about doing the work and never getting paid. So we built escrow into every transaction.
Here's how it works: when someone books a delivery, gig, or item, the money gets held securely. Once the job's done, it auto-releases to the seller after 24 hours—unless there's a dispute. No waiting. No awkward "hey, can you pay me now?" messages.
It took three rewrites of our payment logic and one very stressful incident with Stripe's API documentation at 2 AM, but it's live.
Same-day delivery from *anyone*
This is the feature we're most excited about. You can now request same-day delivery from any retailer, restaurant, or individual in your area. Need your prescription picked up? A birthday cake from that bakery across town? Someone to grab an item from Facebook Marketplace so you don't have to deal with the seller?
Just post it on Lumo. Local couriers see it, bid on it, done.
We're not trying to compete with the big guys on speed. We're competing on flexibility. Because sometimes "within two hours from one specific store" isn't what you need.
Stripe payouts (finally)
You can now cash out directly to your bank account via Stripe. It usually hits within 1-2 business days. No minimums. No fees from our side.
This should've been done months ago. It wasn't. We're sorry. It's fixed now.
Real estate + autos marketplaces
We added two new verticals: real estate and autos. List your apartment, your used car, your motorcycle. Connect directly with buyers. No middleman inflating the price.
We're not trying to replace Zillow or AutoTrader overnight. But we are trying to give you one place for all your local transactions. Whether that's selling a couch, renting out a room, or offloading a car you don't drive anymore.
AI-powered ad studio
If you're selling something on Lumo, you can now generate a polished product photo and ad copy with our AI studio. Upload a rough pic, describe what you're selling, and get something that actually looks professional.
It's not perfect. Sometimes the AI gets weirdly poetic about lawnmowers. But it's better than a blurry iPhone photo with the caption "good condition."
What's next
We're working on in-app messaging (yes, we know), better search filters, and a referral program that doesn't feel like a pyramid scheme.
If you've been using Lumo—thank you. If you haven't yet, maybe one of these updates is the reason to give it a shot. We're just trying to build something useful.
That's it. Back to shipping.
Want to see what's possible? Browse local gigs, deliveries, and marketplaces on Lumo—or list something yourself. It takes about two minutes.