Buying stuff online is great, but sometimes they are only needed as a one-time use, such as books, party supplies,
office rentals, etc. Instead of paying for the full ownership, you can get discounted rates to rent stuff at SnapGoods.
SnapGoods is like ZipCar, but for stuff. Instead of cars, real people post their stuff online along with the availability of when you may rent it for. The great part about it is that the users on SnapGoods are chock-full of current computer users in NYC. You can pick up and drop off most of the items or other ones that are too far can be shipped. Cool items that have been borrowed are: the iPad, GPS, Roomba cleaner, and camera.
Other notable goods borrowing sites are: NeighborGoods and ShareSomeSugar. NeighborGoods offers a pretty wide variety of stuff whereas ShareSomeSugar seems based more on Home Depot appliances and tools. SnapGoods looks like the most established and easiest to navigate of the three sites.
These sites are great ways to save some dough. Keep in mind some tips when borrowing online:
- You shouldn’t have to leave more than half of the cost of the item for deposit
- If you’re paying for half of the total cost of the product, you might as well buy it. The depreciation + total usage overall will be more valuable in the long-run.
- Stay way from those with bad reviews.
- It’s more practical to borrow from someone locally instead of shipping/receiving.
Overall, the computer support experience is straight-forward. Tech experts are not needed here for borrowing or lending.