DutyShield

Insure your Asia samples against surprise duties – track, claim, get refunded fast.

Score: 7.8/10United StatesHard BuildReady to Spawn
Brand Colors

The Opportunity

Problem

Remote workers building physical product businesses suffer customs delays and unexpected duties when shipping samples from Asia to worldwide customers.

Solution

Subscribe for duty insurance on shipments under $500. AI monitors customs holds and files auto-claims with carriers/govs. Get reimbursed for unexpected fees + expedited release service.

Target Audience

Remote solopreneurs and early-stage founders building physical product businesses sourcing prototypes from Asia

Differentiator

Solopreneur-focused micro-insurance with 98% claim approval via automated docs.

Brand Voice

friendly

Features

Shipment Insure

must-have10h

Cover a shipment with one-click insurance.

Customs Monitor

must-have18h

AI scans tracking for holds/delays.

Auto-Claim Filer

must-have20h

Generate and submit claim docs.

Refund Tracker

must-have12h

Dashboard for claim status and payouts.

Risk Predictor

must-have10h

Pre-ship risk score for duties.

Chat Support

nice-to-have12h

AI claims assistant.

Bulk Insure

nice-to-have8h

Cover multiple shipments.

Partner Discounts

future6h

Carrier rate negotiations.

Total Build Time: 96 hours

Database Schema

users

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
emailtextNo
tiertextYes
created_attimestampNo

policies

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
user_iduuidNo
tracking_numbertextNo
coverage_amountintNo
statustextNo

Relationships:

  • user_id references users(id)

claims

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
policy_iduuidNo
fee_amountintNo
claim_statustextNo
payout_amountintYes

Relationships:

  • policy_id references policies(id)

API Endpoints

POST
/api/insure

Create policy

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/policies

List policies

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/monitor

Check customs status

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/file-claim

Auto-generate claim

🔒 Auth Required

Tech Stack

Frontend
Next.js 14 + Tailwind + shadcn/ui + Framer Motion
Backend
Next.js API + Supabase
Database
Supabase Postgres
Auth
Supabase Auth
Payments
Stripe
Hosting
Vercel
Additional Tools
AfterShip API for tracking

Build Timeline

Week 1: Setup & policies

20h
  • Auth
  • Policy UI

Week 2: Monitoring MVP

25h
  • Tracking integration
  • Risk scorer

Week 3: Claims engine

28h
  • Claim gen
  • Dashboard

Week 4: Payments & flows

22h
  • Stripe
  • Full E2E

Week 5: Enhancements

15h
  • Chatbot
  • Bulk
Total Timeline: 5 weeks • 130 hours

Pricing Tiers

Free

$0/mo

No insurance

  • Risk predictor

Pro

$35/mo

5 claims/mo

  • $500 coverage/shipment
  • Unlimited policies

Enterprise

$79/mo
  • $2k coverage
  • Priority claims

Revenue Projections

MonthUsersConversionMRRARR
Month 11204%$168$2,016
Month 69007%$2,205$26,460

Unit Economics

$10
CAC
$450
LTV
6%
Churn
92%
Margin
LTV:CAC Ratio: 45.0xExcellent!

Landing Page Copy

Shield Your Samples from Duty Disasters

Insure, monitor, claim refunds – zero hassle if customs hits.

Feature Highlights

Auto-claim filing
Real-time monitoring
Fast payouts
Risk forecasts

Social Proof (Placeholders)

"'Refunded $120 in 48hrs!' - Tom, Solofounder"
"'Peace of mind for every prototype.' - Emma"

First Three Customers

Run $50 Twitter ads to #indiemaker; validate with free trials to Hacker News Show HN commenters; referral from shipping subreddit mods.

Launch Channels

Product Huntr/indiehackersHacker NewsTwitter ads

SEO Keywords

duty insurance prototypescustoms claim refund chinainsure sample shipmentscustoms delay protection

Competitive Analysis

ParcelProtect

parcelprotect.com
Per shipment
Strength

General insurance

Weakness

No customs duty coverage

Our Advantage

Duty-specific + subscription ease

🏰 Moat Strategy

Claims data moat improving AI accuracy over time

⏰ Why Now?

Increasing trade tariffs + AI enabling auto-claims at scale

Risks & Mitigation

legalhigh severity

Insurance regulations

Mitigation

Partner licensed underwriter

technicallow severity

Tracking API limits

Mitigation

Multi-provider fallback

Validation Roadmap

pre-build7 days

Landing page + waitlist

Success: 100 signups

growth14 days

A/B test tiers

Success: Pro >60% choice

Pivot Options

  • General shipment insurance
  • Claims automation tool
  • Customs consulting marketplace

Quick Stats

Build Time
130h
Target MRR (6 mo)
$2,000
Market Size
$400.0M
Features
8
Database Tables
3
API Endpoints
4