There is a new “sharing economy” going on across the United States that means lower prices for people looking to rent lots of different items as well as extra cash for the owners of those items.
One of the best examples is FlightCar, a service that lets automobile owners rent out their cars when they’re traveling, something that helps them to avoid airport parking fees as well as earn $.10 – $.20 per mile that their car is driven. The plus for renters is that they pay much lower rates than they typically would renting a car from a car rental company at the airport.
In fact, there are a number of surprisingly profitable peer-to-peer transaction opportunities arising all over the country. For example, there’s Airbnb, a service that connects homeowners with people who want to rent a home, or simply just a room, for short-term periods of time.
Mike Rox is one of the new “super sharers” that the new peer-to-peer transaction economy has produced. He owns a condominium in Manhattan, New York and in 2013 earned $37,000 renting out the spare room that he has there. Rox also rented out his friendship on RentaFriend as well as his dog on Craigslist, for $30 an hour and $10 a day respectively.
There are now all people all over the country who are renting out everything from power tools to swimming pools, bicycles, sports equipment and even their time.
One new peer-to-peer company, EatWith, allows people to host cooking sessions in their home and, although the profit isn’t very high, the friendships and camaraderie that comes with it is more than enough reward for some of the people hosting these in-home cooking get-togethers.
For many the new “sharing economy” simply helps to create better communities both locally and globally. For Josh Rogan, who rents many of the power tools that he owns for his construction business, the rewards aren’t simply monetary but also the fact that he’s gotten to know many of his neighbors a lot better.
“When you rent a piece of equipment or a tool to one of your neighbors it creates a much more personal interaction and I think that people these days are looking for those kinds of interactions as we become more of a society that communicates using electronic devices,” he said.
The trend has caught on overseas and online peer-to-peer websites like CouchSurfer, where people can find rooms to rent and places to “crash” around the world have seen an amazing response from people looking to travel more inexpensively.
For more info on peer-to-peer renting simply Google the term. You’ll be surprised at how many opportunities there are available.