Posted by Ryan Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:24:00 GMT
We have moved Loanablog onto the Blogger platform at http://blog.loanables.com. Please visit the new site and subscribe to the feed, and check out our latest post describing how your stuff can be the best investment in your portfolio!Posted by Ryan Wed, 17 Oct 2007 02:54:00 GMT
We are very excited to announce that we’ve been able to remove transaction fees from Loanables! Sharing your stuff has never been easier! We’ve been offering Loanables for Teachers at no cost since its launch, and instituted the Green Neighborhood program to reward neighborhoods who appreciate green values. We have now put this into effect for everything on Loanables.
This is an exciting milestone because our goal is to make it as easy as possible for people to loan their stuff out to others, and this simplifies the process to be purely between the Loaner and the Borrower. Both parties will still benefit from our Rental Agreement, which clarifies the responsibilities between Loaner and Borrower. And we have lots of enhancements in the works, including electronic facilitation of the security deposit and a new mobile-messaging system to speed up communications between Loaners and Borrowers.
Like what we’re doing? Please let us know ... or better yet, help us spread the word!!
Posted by Ryan Sun, 16 Sep 2007 23:11:00 GMT
Have you ever known someone with a car or boat that just sat on their lot for years without being used? When they finally put in a fresh tank of gas and tried to start it up, what happened? It didn't start! Why? Because engines are meant to be used, not to sit there abandoned. When you use an engine regularly, the various seals and other parts stay properly lubricated and moist so that they do not dry out. It also keeps fresh gas and oil running through the system instead of letting stale fluids sit there. Simply put, an unused engine deteriorates over time.Posted by Ryan Mon, 03 Sep 2007 04:15:00 GMT
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the extra money that I earn from renting out stuff I'm not using anyway. In fact, I believe that for most people, their unused stuff can be the best investment in their "portfolio" when rented to neighbors for a small fee. But that's a story for another post...Posted by Ryan Thu, 28 Jun 2007 03:33:00 GMT
I've been loaning out a lot of my own stuff lately through Loanables, and I really enjoy meeting and chatting with the Borrowers. I had a great experience today that I wanted to share.
On Monday, a very nice guy named Chris requested to borrow my ladder. He was putting his house on the market 2 days later and just needed to hang some shutters, so he only needed a ladder for a day. He picked it up yesterday. The price was $8 for the day.
Tonight, he was a couple hours late returning it because his A/C died and he had to deal with that crisis. When he returned the ladder, he shoved an extra $10 into my hand and wouldn't let me give it back, then proceeded to thank me profusely for letting him use the ladder. Wow. Just for grins, I checked the rental prices at a local "Depot" store. $26/day for a comparable ladder. If he had been late returning it there, guess what? They would have charged him another $26. Instead of being forced to pay an extra $26, he gladly gave me an extra $10. That's the difference between borrowing and renting, folks.
Just for being such a great Borrower, I've credited his account with $10 in rental credit. And I was glad to do it.
Posted by Ryan Sun, 24 Jun 2007 18:05:00 GMT
When one of our members posted a horse a few weeks ago, we got a big chuckle out of it. I mean, I can understand renting out an air compressor, or a tile saw, or a chafing dish. But a horse?? Well I'm happy to announce that this horse has found a borrower! There's a girl out there who has been taking riding lessons for several years and now will have the chance to ride a lot this summer, thanks to the Loanables community. At $75 a month, you can't afford NOT to rent a horse!Posted by Ryan Fri, 25 May 2007 04:01:00 GMT
A friend of mine whose wife is a teacher shared with me an interesting tidbit of information. School teachers (who are among the most underpaid members of our modern society) often end up spending their own money to buy materials for their classrooms. Perhaps you can give an adequate education using public funding. But I can understand how those who are driven to be great educators would be willing to sacrifice a bit to give their students a superior educational experience.
Let's help them out!
I ran across a great charity called DonorsChoose (http://www.donorschoose.org). It allows teachers to submit project ideas that require funding, and donors can pick out specific projects that they wish to support. Brilliant!
We are also considering adding a special Teachers section to Loanables, whereby teachers can share these materials with each other, track who is borrowing what, manage security deposits for valuable items, etc. Watch this space for more news, and let us know what you think!
Posted by Ryan Fri, 18 May 2007 16:30:00 GMT
We are long overdue for a more interactive way to communicate with our fans! For starters, here is a little more background behind who we are and what we're trying to accomplish. We have a humble goal: to change the world through community bonding.We enjoy our neighbors and our neighborhoods, and we welcome the opportunity to meet more of the folks who live in our area. The trend today is towards less neighborly interaction. Many people communicate more with folks halfway around the world than with the families living just a couple of doors away. That seems odd to us.
We realize how much "stuff" the average family accumulates, and more specifically, how much dust this stuff collects from not being used most of the time.
So we said "hey, why not put these together in a way that benefits everyone!" And Loanables was born.
The idea quickly expanded. You see, we also believe in charitable giving. The borrowing idea seemed like a perfect way to benefit non-profits, schools, and other groups and individuals who often need to borrow things that they cannot afford to buy or rent from conventional stores. Donating money is great, but why not also donate items you aren't using? Thus we added a new role at Loanables, that of the CCO -- Chief Charitable Officer. We now let Loaners offer up their items to schools & non-profits at no charge, and are always looking for other ways to benefit those in our community who are in need of help. We have a couple of programs in the works, including one to provide baby clothes/items to parents who cannot afford to buy stuff that their children will outgrow every 3 months.
We also realized that the flip side of borrowing is not purchasing. In addition to saving money, our community is helping to save the earth by reducing the consumerism that seems to be rampant these days. We gave our Chief Charitable Officer another hat to wear, that of CEO -- Chief Environmental Officer. (She is now the CCEO, and is always on the lookout for more letters to add to her title.)
We love talking to like-minded folks, in Austin and around the world. Do you like what we're doing? Do you have ideas for how we can do even more with this community? Please share your comments with us!
