Last updated 1 November 2026
You need to get something from one side of town to the other. A phone charger your sister left in Kilimani. Documents a client in Westlands needs signed by Friday. An order a customer paid for last night.
The usual options all come with a catch. Asking a friend who is going that way means waiting on their schedule. A matatu tout can carry it, but you will not know where it is until somebody calls. Some couriers want you to register and fill in a long form before they will even tell you the price — and some want the money before anybody has settled who is paying for the delivery.
Pinned works the other way round. You say where the parcel is going and the price appears. If it suits you, carry on.
How sending works
The whole thing takes about two minutes on your phone. Enter where the parcel is starting and where it is going, and the price appears straight away.
Then pick a size — Small, Medium, Large or X-Large — and a speed: Overnight, Standard, Priority or Express. The price updates as you choose, so nothing changes later.
Add the receiver's name and phone number, so we can tell them the parcel is on its way. A one-time code comes to your phone to confirm it is you. No password, and no account unless you want one.
Finally, pay with M-Pesa. A prompt appears on your phone, you enter your PIN, and that is it. From there you can follow the parcel until it arrives.
Four ways to send
Not everyone sends the same way, so you choose how the trip starts and how it ends.
- Pod to Pod — drop the parcel at a Pinned Pod near you and the receiver collects from a Pod near them. It is the most affordable of the four. It suits people who already pass a Pod on the way to work, and receivers who would rather collect when it suits them than wait at home.
- Pod to door — drop it at a Pod and a runner takes it to the receiver's door. Useful when you are sending to someone who cannot easily get out: a parent at home, a colleague stuck at the office.
- Pickup to Pod — a runner collects the parcel from you and the receiver picks it up from a Pod. This works when you are tied to the house or the shop but the person at the other end is flexible.
- Pickup to door — a runner collects from you and delivers to the receiver. Neither of you has to move. It costs a little more, and for urgent things it is worth it.
What it costs
The price depends on how far the parcel is going, how big it is, how fast you need it there, and whether it needs special handling. A parcel from the CBD to Upper Hill costs less than one from Rongai to Ruiru. Bigger parcels take more space on the bike. Express costs more than Standard. Prices start at KSh 60 for the cheapest route, and CBD deliveries currently start from KSh 99.
What you will not get is a price that changes after you have paid. The figure on the screen is the figure in your M-Pesa message: no fuel surcharge at the end, and no runner saying it is extra at the door.
Paying with M-Pesa
No card. No sending money to a number somebody read out to you and then forwarding the confirmation message. When you are ready, a prompt appears on your phone and you enter your PIN, the same as paying at a till. The payment attaches itself to the parcel, so there is no argument about whether it went through.
Following it
Once the parcel is moving you can see where it is. You will know when it has been picked up, when it is on the road and when it has been delivered. No calling the runner every twenty minutes to ask uko wapi. The receiver can follow it too, and the handover code at the end is the proof it reached them.
Packing, briefly
Runners handle a lot of parcels in a day and Nairobi roads are not gentle, so a little care goes a long way.
- Use a sturdy bag or box. A thin paper bag that is fine for lunch may not survive Jogoo Road.
- Wrap anything breakable in newspaper, bubble wrap or old clothes, and fill the empty space so nothing rattles.
- Seal it properly. Tape is cheaper than a lost item.
- Write the receiver's name on the outside, especially if they will collect from a busy Pod.
- Check the item is allowed before you send it.