"Rent Stuff" Business Model Growing In Popularity

from the this-dept-for-lease dept

As more and more people become early adopters, the pressure to stay on the leading edge is pretty intense -- so intense, apparently, that a number of companies are turning to a rental-style business model to take advantage. Some of the companies are basically "Netflix for other stuff" -- one the WSJ cites rents out expensive purses, one at a time, for $50 a month -- while others are using trade-in programs that basically make it easier for customers to "flip" their goods. Whatever they're renting, the services work off of the same principle: owning something isn't as important as having access to it when you need it. While it works for DVDs, it's unclear if the rental/subscription plan works for anything and everything. Add to this the growing number of subscriptions people find themselves paying these days, and it's unclear if the rental business model will get sent back and exchanged for something else soon too.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  1. identicon
    Anonymous, 17 Oct 2005 @ 9:45am

    Corporations will just get laws passed

    Did you ever wonder why can you rent movies and not rent CDs? Answer: The recording industry spends more money on lobbying than you do:
    http://www.bitlaw.com/source/17usc/109.html

    Expect any industry that faces a loss in revenue by a more efficient business model, such as rentals facilitated by the Internet and improved parcel carriers, to fight tooth and nail to make said behavior illegal.

    The only hope consumers have is that the rental services become so popular (e.g. Netflix) that industry attempts to shut down those distribution systems will be visible to a large enough share of voters to affect legislature thinking.

    It's basically a race now between people inventing new, more efficient business models, and the affected corporations. Consistency and logic be damned.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Ben McNelly, 17 Oct 2005 @ 1:03pm

    Watch out for that tree!

    the rental business model may be booming, but I doubt it will get out of hand... As "rental savy" as people are getting, I think materialism can still only thrive on whats owned, but I could be wrong.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Bob3000, 18 Oct 2005 @ 4:27am

    Re: Watch out for that tree!

    No, you are correct. American materialism and consumerism is spiralling out of control. People seem to accept huge debt and no owned assets as long as they have the McMansion, large SUV, and big screen TV. Of coruse they have to work their asses off so parenting their children takes a back seat.

    Mark my words - there is a whole generation of fucked up brats about to emerge and they will be leaders of corporations and teachers and your workmate someday. Beware.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    RentYourStuff, 27 Aug 2006 @ 7:47pm

    Announcing a new Rental Community for Peer To Peer

    Why buy when you can rent? You can afford many large ticket items that you wouldn't be able to afford if you bought them.

    - Imagine yourself on a boat, jet ski, etc.. for a weekend or two.
    - Or rent out that camping gear that you weren't sure whether to buy.. (Try before you buy at a store.)
    - Rent DVDs from your peers for less than the video store offers.
    - Rent artwork. Rent furniture.
    - And so much more..

    Check out the Beta website:
    RentYourStuff.net

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Jayden Eden, 23 Jan 2014 @ 4:15pm

    I had a buddy who had a place at http://www.houseofdraperyutah.com and he was enjoying it. I think renting stuff is worse for people, but better for businesses.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Kavita, 5 Aug 2014 @ 3:13am

    rental toys

    wanted to start buisnees of rental toys.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. icon
    City Furnish (profile), 15 Nov 2019 @ 10:28pm

    Tips to Refurnish Your Dining Room Area in a Budget Price

    If you are looking for refurbishing your dining room area but don't want to spend a lot on a single piece of furniture? No problem! We've got you covered. At CityFurnish you'll find all type of dining room furniture on rent that help you to refurnish your dining room in a budget price. To know more visit https://www.behance.net/gallery/45486745/Tips-to-refurnish-your-dining-area

    link to this | view in thread ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.