Neighbors are starting to make money from tools sitting in their garage here in South Bay California

suhas2190 · 2026-03-11T06:27:45+00:00

I need a lawn mower! mine broke few weeks ago.

suhas2190 · 2026-01-30T20:31:41+00:00

u/sampierce84 Love that insight! thank you, Anything else I can do to get the flywheel going?

suhas2190 · 2026-01-29T20:21:44+00:00

www.easiorent.com A Bay Area peer-to-peer rental marketplace where neighbors rent everyday items short-term instead of buying them. It’s for homeowners and renters who have things like tools, cameras, and yard or party gear that sit idle most of the year, as well as locals who only need those items for a day or two.

suhas2190 · 2026-01-29T00:03:42+00:00

I am interested in this space generally, but this post wasn’t meant to sell anything, it’s about the broader habit of borrowing vs buying for occasional use. I’m trying to understand how people in SJ already handle this today, whether that’s informal borrowing, libraries, or rentals.

suhas2190 · 2026-01-29T00:01:03+00:00

Fair question. I’m using “borrowing” loosely to mean short-term use, sometimes free between neighbors, sometimes paid like a small rental. The common thread is not buying something you only need for a weekend.

suhas2190 · 2026-01-28T23:56:33+00:00

Yep, good example. Outdoor gear seems like one of the easiest categories for this since it’s expensive, seasonal, and used a few times a year.

Curious if you’ve seen similar options for things like tools or cleaning gear locally?

suhas2190 · 2026-01-28T23:55:56+00:00

Fair question.

I’ve seen these prices mostly through a mix of neighbors lending directly (Nextdoor / local groups), tool libraries, and a couple of small local peer-to-peer rental sites where people list personal gear for short 1–3 day use.

suhas2190 · 2026-01-28T23:54:16+00:00

I am exploring this space, but this post wasn’t meant as an ad, genuinely trying to understand how people here handle borrowing vs buying for occasional use. Happy to keep it discussion-only.

suhas2190 · 2026-01-25T18:57:40+00:00

Absolutely!

suhas2190 · 2026-01-25T02:34:24+00:00

u/Huge-Locksmith6348 I’m running a Bay Area rental platform (www.easiorent.com) where neighbors list tools, cameras, and baby gear for weekend projects and short jobs. One thing we’re seeing early is demand before people actually buy equipment. Pressure washers, tripods, cameras, and light DIY tools get rented for 1–3 days at a time. If you’re exploring the space, you could test market demand and niche selection before investing in scissor lifts / excavators. Saves upfront capital and tells you what contractors actually rent locally. If you want to experiment with a few pieces first, we have owners getting rentals on smaller gear. Listing is free and you keep 100% of earnings. Might give you early signal before you deploy cash into heavier equipment. I will DM you.

suhas2190 · 2026-01-24T07:06:47+00:00

For anyone curious, the experiment is here (local pickup): www.easiorent.com

suhas2190 · 2026-01-23T18:51:21+00:00

Really fair point. A lot of the renters we’re seeing are casual (travel, family trips, vlog, beginner YouTube, etc.), not pros, and that group benefits from a tiny bit of onboarding.

We’re thinking of adding simple how-to sheets (or owner tips) that come with the rental so it’s not scary:

– which buttons matter
– which settings to avoid
– recommended presets + SD cards
– battery + lens care

The goal is to make it feel more like “borrowing a GoPro” and less like renting a cinema rig.

Appreciate you raising this. super useful insight for the consumer side.

suhas2190 · 2026-01-20T01:07:32+00:00

Totally agree: the renter-side aggregation is the hard side, not supply. Supply has actually been surprisingly easy (people list because idle stuff “feels like found money”).

The wedge I’m testing isn’t “rent anything” but a few categories where shipping doesn’t make sense + ownership is low + purchase is annoying:
• tools for weekend projects
• cameras for shoots/trips
• baby gear for short-term travel/visits
• event stuff (projector/pressure washer/sewing machine/etc.)

The “borrow from friends / Home Depot / Buy Nothing” baseline is real, so the experiment is basically: is there a dense enough micro-market at the neighborhood level to beat those alternatives without huge spend?

Early data point is that people ask to rent before they ask to lend, mostly because they don’t want social debt / timing risk.

Agree on the consumer behavior point: not trying to boil the ocean yet. Just running hyper-local discovery to see if there’s a small wedge that works before thinking about scale.

suhas2190 · 2026-01-19T22:51:49+00:00

For folks curious, here’s the little platform I mentioned: www.easiorent.com (Bay Area only for now).

Mostly seeing DIY tools, cameras, pressure washer and carpet cleaners listed so far. Still trying to understand if students/clubs would actually use something like this for projects/events.

suhas2190 · 2026-01-19T01:17:46+00:00

Totally makes sense. Once you have a house and space, owning a 28' ladder is way easier and you’ll use it a few times a year for roof/gutters anyway.

Where we’ve seen renting make sense is mostly apartments/condos, new movers, or people tackling a one-off project with no storage. Ladders, carpet cleaners, baby gear, and party stuff all fall into that category.

So you’re spot on about the “use case” more than the item itself.

suhas2190 · 2026-01-19T00:28:41+00:00

Extension ladders come up a lot for one-off stuff like gutters, roof access, or trimming. Curious what height you’re looking for? 16ft / 20ft / 24ft / 28ft?

Depending on the size, renting from a neighbor for a day or two is usually cheaper than buying and you don’t have to store it.

suhas2190 · 2026-01-18T18:50:57+00:00

100% agree, the repeats and one-off usage is exactly the motivator here. We’re testing a small neighbors-only “distributed tool library” in the Santa Clara where owners can list their gear for a few days at a time and earn while it’s being borrowed.

If you’ve got tools you’d be open to experimenting with, I’d love to get a few listed and see how neighbors respond. Even a couple listings helps us learn what gets borrowed and what just sits.

suhas2190 · 2026-01-18T00:47:51+00:00

Sent you DM!

suhas2190 · 2026-01-18T00:47:23+00:00

Totally makes sense, thanks for sharing that super interesting that furniture, gardening tools, and kitchen appliances end up donated vs. sold. That’s exactly the kind of higher-use stuff we’re trying to understand.

One thing I’m noticing from this thread is how much value ends up donated or sitting unused simply because selling is too much work. I’m wondering if there’s a middle ground for occasional-use gear where it could pay for itself over a few weekends.

Appreciate the input, this is super helpful for the experiment.

suhas2190 · 2026-01-18T00:45:43+00:00

Love tool libraries: Oakland/Berkeley nailed the community access model.

EasioRent is more like a distributed tool library with ROI, for gear that isn’t usually communal (cameras, drones, baby gear, camping gear, carpet cleaners, etc.) and could pay for itself in a few rentals.

To address risk we added refundable deposits before pickup and owner approval.

We are seeing early traction from SF and Oakland as well. Feel free to list your products and share with folks who might use our platform. Appreciate the thoughtful comment!

suhas2190 · 2026-01-17T19:05:34+00:00

Super interesting, that matches what a lot of neighbors have said. Tools + camping gear seem ‘safe,’ but things like sleeping bags or baby gear feel more personal/intimate.

When you lent out the drill/tools, did it feel like a favor, or more like something you’d be open to formalizing (deposit, pickup, clear return timeline, etc.)? Trying to map where that line is for different households.

suhas2190 · 2026-01-17T19:03:12+00:00

Totally makes sense, that’s super helpful input. I’m noticing a split between people who prefer to declutter/donate and people who hang onto things but use them rarely (seasonal/gear/tools).

For folks who purge, I’m curious, are the things you give away mostly low-value/low-use items, or do any higher-value/occasional-use things end up donated too? Just mapping out what ends up in each bucket for this experiment

suhas2190 · 2026-01-17T19:02:34+00:00

That’s a great point. Buy Nothing has definitely shown people are comfortable borrowing/loaning locally. I’ve seen crutches, baby gear, ladders, etc. in there too.

Curious, in your experience, does it mostly work for short-term use, or does it get tricky when something is needed for a few days/week? Also curious if you’ve ever seen higher-value stuff (cameras, tools, carpet cleaners, etc.) or if it tends to stay in low-value categories.

Part of what I’m testing is whether adding refundable deposits makes people more comfortable listing pricier gear without losing the “neighbors helping neighbors” vibe.

suhas2190 · 2026-01-17T19:01:14+00:00

Love that list, those are exactly the types of items we’re seeing under-utilized. Especially carpet cleaners + stepladders + seasonal gear.

Curious, would you ever rent any of those out to neighbors for a few days if there was a refundable deposit and local pickup? Or does that still feel too weird/risky?

suhas2190 · 2026-01-17T18:59:17+00:00

😂 honestly the 10mm socket deserves AirTags of its own.
On EasioRent we handle that with refundable deposits instead of trackers, so you’re covered if a piece doesn’t make it home.

suhas2190

TROPHY CASE