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Web site sells hard-to-find travel-size products

Date published: 12/21/2006

By KELLY HANNON

Minimus.biz adheres to the idea that good things come in packages under 3 ounces.

The Web site sells nothing but travel-size products. Most meet the Transportation Security Administration's restrictions on liquids, gels and aerosols.

Travelers have been flocking to the site since September, when the restrictions were announced, to find favorite products in Lilliputian containers. Minimus.biz will even pack containers in a free, quart-size Ziploc bag.

Paul Shrater, Minimus.biz's co-founder, has been everywhere since the liquid and gel crackdown--quoted in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and appearing on CNN.

He's not sure whether the media frenzy or genuine interest in travel sizes drove people to his Web site.

Either way, people have been surprised at what they can buy in a shrunken state: miniature rolls of duct tape, Tide liquid detergent for sink-washing, and Oust room spray, alongside the expected shampoo and conditioners.

"We got e-mails from people saying they were so happy to find us, and they were amazed at a lot of the travel products they could find through us," Shrater said.

The travel-size industry has not exploded in the wake of the TSA's new rules on liquids, gels and aerosols, Shrater said. Companies are reluctant to act because the TSA restrictions can change quickly.

In August, U.S. and British intelligence officials foiled a plot to blow up airplanes traveling from London's Heathrow Airport to American destinations. The plan called for using liquid explosives smuggled on board.

The TSA banned all passengers from carrying most liquids. Then, in late September, it relaxed the rules, allowing passengers to carry on liquids, gels and aerosols in containers of 3 ounces or less. They must be in a plastic bag and screened by security.

Ideally, the new rules should have caused a boom in the types of products available in travel size.

But Shrater said it's not profitable for companies to produce popular full-size products in miniature. They want people to buy a normal size.

"It costs them pretty much the same amount of money to make a big size as it does a small size," Shrater said. "Most of the cost is in the plastic of the bottle--it's not in the product itself."

Introducing a travel-size product can be a long and complicated process. Companies must get approval from several federal agencies, and by the time they do, the TSA could've changed its regulations, Shrater said.

Smaller companies that already were making travel-size items have benefited, he said. Shoppers can choose from more than 1,000 travel-size items at Minimus.biz. Most cost less than $1, and higher-end products are typically under $2. Free shipping is available if you spend $20. In addition to toiletries, Minimus.biz sells food and drink products in travel size, including salad dressing, Kosher products and drink mixes.

Two national drugstore chains with locations in the Fredericksburg area, Rite Aid and CVS, were contacted twice to comment on their selection of travel-size products for this story. Phone calls were not returned.

To reach KELLY HANNON:540/374-5436
Email: khannon@freelancestar.com

Date published: 12/21/2006

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