Yes, trust is an issue for OpenBazaar too. They are working to address that with a decentralized WoT type of setup.
The guy with the 1000 iPhones would likely either be paid per shipment (a handling fee) or get a cut from the retailer of each sale. The investors do the least amount of work but get the most reward precisely because of that risk. The lower the risk, the lower the return, and the distributor would likely get more money for lowering that risk.
It would be great if distribution was wide enough and organic enough that you could have next day delivery from source to the door for many things including food from the farm.