Rate This Idea: The "Thing Library"

[Aidan04]

I have a million ideas a day, my brain is consistently churning out things that could potentially be useful to others based on problems I face. I would like to share this one in particular with you all.

Imagine you're going to go camping for the first time. Are you going to buy a tent on your first run? What if you hate camping after that experience and never want to go ever again? All that money is down the drain. Sure you could return it, or just sell it, but who wants a used tent? This similar situation applies to a ton of different things being bought and used only once, driving unnecessary consumerism and waste.

Here's where the "Thing Library" comes in. For the sake of simplicity, I will just call it the TL.

The TL is an online website with shipping or a series of physical locations that allows you to check out physical items, just as you would with a regular library. You can place holds on items, and there is a maximum checkout limit, as well as a timeframe for return. Charges are placed on your account if not returned in the timeframe. Items are tagged with RFID stamps for security.

Some stuff the TL offers:

1. Tools: Power drills, saws, hammers, wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, levels, and other commonly used tools for DIY projects and repairs.
2. Gardening Equipment: Shovels, rakes, pruners, wheelbarrows, gardening gloves, watering cans, and other tools for tending to gardens and outdoor spaces.
3. Sports and Recreation Gear: Bicycles, sports equipment (balls, rackets, etc.), camping gear (tents, sleeping bags, camping stoves), fishing gear, and outdoor games.
4. Kitchen Appliances: Specialty kitchen appliances like blenders, food processors, pasta makers, and bread machines that residents may use occasionally.
5. Electronics and Gadgets: Electronics repair tools, digital multimeters, soldering irons, and other equipment for fixing and tinkering with electronic devices.
6. Crafting and Art Supplies: Sewing machines, knitting needles, crochet hooks, art easels, painting supplies, and other materials for creative projects.
7. Household Items: Vacuum cleaners, carpet cleaners, steam cleaners, pressure washers, and other cleaning equipment.
8. Party and Event Supplies: Tables, chairs, canopies, speakers, projectors, and other items for hosting events and gatherings.
9. Childcare Equipment: Strollers, high chairs, playpens, baby carriers, and other items for parents with young children.
10. Educational Tools: Microscopes, telescopes, educational kits, and science experiment equipment for learning and exploration.
11. Outdoor Gear: Kayaks, paddleboards, hiking equipment, and outdoor adventure gear.
12. Board Games, Video Games, and Puzzles: A collection of board games, puzzles, and entertainment options for leisure time.
13. Pet Supplies: Dog crates, pet carriers, grooming tools, and pet care equipment.
14. Home Improvement Materials: Paint sprayers, ladders, scaffolding, and other items for home improvement projects.
15. Seasonal Items: Holiday decorations, lawn care equipment, and items related to specific seasons.

These categories could be expanded on greatly ^^

As for payment, you pay a low-cost monthly fee, as well as a yearly fee, as you would with most places like gyms. The yearly fee includes a deposit in case you break that fancy cordless drill we just let you check out. We will also buy items from people who don't want them anymore, furthering our sustainability cause.

Benefits for customers:
- No need to store this crap somewhere
- Cheaper in the long run
- Convenient

Benefits for society:
- Reduced consumerism
- Reduced waste
- Lower carbon footprint

It's basically a library + a thrift store.

Tell me what you think.

 

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[rwhyan]

Imagine you're going to go camping for the first time. Are you going to buy a tent on your first run? What if you hate camping after that experience and never want to go ever again? All that money is down the drain. Sure you could return it, or just sell it, but who wants a used tent?

No, I'd go to REI and rent a tent.

I'm not sure who this would be beneficial for. Who would need to rent multiple different types of items in one month?

With quality control, damages, theft, shipping costs, the membership price would be high to cover costs.

I'm certainly not running out renting equipment every month (rarely even every year). And if it's something I use a lot, I'd just buy one.

 

[Aidan04]

No, I'd go to REI and rent a tent.

I'm not sure who this would be beneficial for. Who would need to rent multiple different types of items in one month?

With quality control, damages, theft, shipping costs, the membership price would be high to cover costs.

I'm certainly not running out renting equipment every month (rarely even every year). And if it's something I use a lot, I'd just buy one.

Maybe so. Just something I'm throwing out there if someone thinks they can make it work.

 

[NathanN]

I've thought of similar ideas to this as well, there is a website that does this https://fatllama.com/ they are more popular in the UK not really in Canada or the US

A hard market to attract, like building an online marketplace, as you have to build a community of people who have things to rent, and people who want to rent items as well. Some other businesses similar to this I've seen are niched down to just sports equipment, tools ect.

 

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[Genius01]

I have a million ideas a day, my brain is consistently churning out things that could potentially be useful to others based on problems I face. I would like to share this one in particular with you all.

Imagine you're going to go camping for the first time. Are you going to buy a tent on your first run? What if you hate camping after that experience and never want to go ever again? All that money is down the drain. Sure you could return it, or just sell it, but who wants a used tent? This similar situation applies to a ton of different things being bought and used only once, driving unnecessary consumerism and waste.

Here's where the "Thing Library" comes in. For the sake of simplicity, I will just call it the TL.

The TL is an online website with shipping or a series of physical locations that allows you to check out physical items, just as you would with a regular library. You can place holds on items, and there is a maximum checkout limit, as well as a timeframe for return. Charges are placed on your account if not returned in the timeframe. Items are tagged with RFID stamps for security.

Some stuff the TL offers:

1. Tools: Power drills, saws, hammers, wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, levels, and other commonly used tools for DIY projects and repairs.
2. Gardening Equipment: Shovels, rakes, pruners, wheelbarrows, gardening gloves, watering cans, and other tools for tending to gardens and outdoor spaces.
3. Sports and Recreation Gear: Bicycles, sports equipment (balls, rackets, etc.), camping gear (tents, sleeping bags, camping stoves), fishing gear, and outdoor games.
4. Kitchen Appliances: Specialty kitchen appliances like blenders, food processors, pasta makers, and bread machines that residents may use occasionally.
5. Electronics and Gadgets: Electronics repair tools, digital multimeters, soldering irons, and other equipment for fixing and tinkering with electronic devices.
6. Crafting and Art Supplies: Sewing machines, knitting needles, crochet hooks, art easels, painting supplies, and other materials for creative projects.
7. Household Items: Vacuum cleaners, carpet cleaners, steam cleaners, pressure washers, and other cleaning equipment.
8. Party and Event Supplies: Tables, chairs, canopies, speakers, projectors, and other items for hosting events and gatherings.
9. Childcare Equipment: Strollers, high chairs, playpens, baby carriers, and other items for parents with young children.
10. Educational Tools: Microscopes, telescopes, educational kits, and science experiment equipment for learning and exploration.
11. Outdoor Gear: Kayaks, paddleboards, hiking equipment, and outdoor adventure gear.
12. Board Games, Video Games, and Puzzles: A collection of board games, puzzles, and entertainment options for leisure time.
13. Pet Supplies: Dog crates, pet carriers, grooming tools, and pet care equipment.
14. Home Improvement Materials: Paint sprayers, ladders, scaffolding, and other items for home improvement projects.
15. Seasonal Items: Holiday decorations, lawn care equipment, and items related to specific seasons.

These categories could be expanded on greatly ^^

As for payment, you pay a low-cost monthly fee, as well as a yearly fee, as you would with most places like gyms. The yearly fee includes a deposit in case you break that fancy cordless drill we just let you check out. We will also buy items from people who don't want them anymore, furthering our sustainability cause.

Benefits for customers:
- No need to store this crap somewhere
- Cheaper in the long run
- Convenient

Benefits for society:
- Reduced consumerism
- Reduced waste
- Lower carbon footprint

It's basically a library + a thrift store.

Tell me what you think.

Interesting idea.
However the problem like someone pointed out will be the cost of the membership to make it viable.
Because with the costs of storage, potential damages, theft, shipping, and cost of acquiring the products themselves, it seems to me that the cost of membership has to be high to cover for that.
Unless you have some other way of making money from it at the same time to supplement eg ads from sponsors in certain niches somehow.

So the costs for membership seem like they'll likely be high to make it viable.
Unless you have massive scale, which itself costs substantial money to achieve unless you can make it go viral one way or the other.

And the perennial issue with building a marketplace site as well is also there, the chicken and egg issue of getting two different communities (renters and providers) to use your site simultaneously.
Though if it's been done by other marketplace sites it's definitely doable, but challenging nonetheless and may require significant resources.

It's an interesting idea, but quite a tough nut to crack.
Will be interesting to see if someone can make it work.

 

[Caminsky]

Is there a platform where people can loan "things" to others a la Turo or Airbnb? To me, that sounds more viable as you can scale it instead of warehouse and/or brick and mortar store. That or maybe something like FBA where you only warehouse and ship and others are responsible for providing the "things."

 

[Bence Ur]

Is it basically a rental service? Here's an existing thread about rental businesses: NOTABLE! - IDEA - Lex DeVille's - 200 Mostly Offline Rental Business Ideas

It is a viable idea, rental businesses do exist. However I would niche down. Don't try to make everything under the sun available for rent.
But the only way to test it is by creating a minimum viable product (MVP). You can do it cheaply, just buy a single item (like a single camping tent) and try to rent it out. Your only cost is the tent. Worst case, you can use it yourself later. Definitely don't buy 100 items at all once in the beginning. Try to rent out just 1 item to 1 customer just 1 time.

 

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