1998 – 2001murdered
Dreamcast
“First console online, first console off our shelves too soon.”
“Warm cookies, warm bikes, cold math — gone in under an hour, just like the deliveries.”
Urbanfetch was a dot-com from 1999 that delivered DVDs, music, books, snacks, and gifts by bike messenger in under an hour across Manhattan and London — all with no delivery fee and sometimes significant discounts. Every order came with warm cookies, and early customers got free T-shirts and hats. For a brief, sweet stretch, the city felt like room service.
Its business plan was identical to Kozmo.com's, which earned Urbanfetch a lawsuit (settled in December 1999), and a Daily Show parody turned it into something of a joke. It ceased operations in October 2000, with its corporate delivery division sold off to the traditional courier Urban Express. Scholars Schmitt and Brown later deemed it 'buzz only and lacked a rigorous business model' — but the cookies were real.
Spotted something wrong? Every fact on this page traces to a dated source. Fixes make the graveyard better for everyone.
“First console online, first console off our shelves too soon.”
“Guarana-fueled and gone too soon — even its fans filed a formal protest.”
“Ten million icons clicked. Rest well, old friend.”