How do I set up a decentralized neighborhood tool lending exchange?
May 1, 2015 10:43 AM Subscribe
I'm interested in starting a neighborhood tool lending exchange, both as a way to save costs on tool, but to also better foster community and getting neighbors to know each other. I'm not (at this point anyway) interested in starting a centralized tool library, given the costs and commitment. I'm imaging a google sheet or something similar where registered members can check and see what tools they're willing to lend and then go from there.
Have you had experience with a decentralized tool lending or can point me to successful exchanges where I can learn more about their system?
As stated, a centralized tool library will be more of a commitment than I'm willing to get into at this point, but I think we can quickly get buy in and have a relatively easy maintenance process with just a centralized neighborhood list, and let the exchange occur from neighbor to neighbor.
I'm thinking about starting with just limiting it to non-powered tools to see how it goes.
Potential problems I see and my thoughts, but open to other ideas:
* Membership - How do we handle membership, verify addresses?
- Registration with full name and contact information; then listing of tools available for
- Maintenance of membership registry; address verification?
- Signed liability waiver for participation in group
- Small Fee? If so, what for?
* Inventory management - How do we maintain an easily viewable database for members?
- I'm thinking a google sheet that members are responsible for maintaining and updating on their own, with their contact info and tools they're willing to lend out
* Dispute resolution - How do we handle late returns, stolen/broken tools, bad members/actors, disputes amongst members?
As stated, a centralized tool library will be more of a commitment than I'm willing to get into at this point, but I think we can quickly get buy in and have a relatively easy maintenance process with just a centralized neighborhood list, and let the exchange occur from neighbor to neighbor.
I'm thinking about starting with just limiting it to non-powered tools to see how it goes.
Potential problems I see and my thoughts, but open to other ideas:
* Membership - How do we handle membership, verify addresses?
- Registration with full name and contact information; then listing of tools available for
- Maintenance of membership registry; address verification?
- Signed liability waiver for participation in group
- Small Fee? If so, what for?
* Inventory management - How do we maintain an easily viewable database for members?
- I'm thinking a google sheet that members are responsible for maintaining and updating on their own, with their contact info and tools they're willing to lend out
* Dispute resolution - How do we handle late returns, stolen/broken tools, bad members/actors, disputes amongst members?
Best answer: How about something like NeighborGoods?
posted by divined by radio at 10:49 AM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I was going to suggest peerby which seems fairly similar.
posted by rubbish bin night at 10:59 AM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by rubbish bin night at 10:59 AM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Any Orthodox Jews in your neighborhood? This kind of thing is called a "gemach" in the Jewish community and has a long history -- it's possible they might be willing to chat with you about how they organize it these days.
posted by ostro at 11:16 AM on May 1, 2015
posted by ostro at 11:16 AM on May 1, 2015
I would charge a small fee and use it to create a sort of insurance pot to avoid bad feelings when something inevitably gets broken.
If you have 20 members and charge each of them $10, then you have a $200 pot that can be used to replace something that gets broken. You can then include in the liability waiver that anyone who lends out a tool with a replacement cost greater than the current pot does so at their own risk.
Tools do break or get lost and even a broken $20 ratchet can be enough to cause social nightmares.
Of course, depending on your breakage levels, you may need to occasionally re-up your membership costs. And if someone breaks a tool in an egregious way (blatant misuse of a power tool, for example), you probably want to have some system of putting them on probation.
posted by 256 at 12:23 PM on May 1, 2015
If you have 20 members and charge each of them $10, then you have a $200 pot that can be used to replace something that gets broken. You can then include in the liability waiver that anyone who lends out a tool with a replacement cost greater than the current pot does so at their own risk.
Tools do break or get lost and even a broken $20 ratchet can be enough to cause social nightmares.
Of course, depending on your breakage levels, you may need to occasionally re-up your membership costs. And if someone breaks a tool in an egregious way (blatant misuse of a power tool, for example), you probably want to have some system of putting them on probation.
posted by 256 at 12:23 PM on May 1, 2015
Do you have any neighborhood groups/contact already? If not, why not start with a more freeform group, like just a Facebook group for "[our suburb] lending/giving group" that people might be more likely to join without specifically being interested in tools? I havent seen one that handles lending, but I am in one for "[my suburb] free stuff" that works well - takes some mod effort to avoid sales and advertising, but with that is clean and helpful. PM me and I can give some more details if you like.
posted by the agents of KAOS at 7:26 AM on May 2, 2015
posted by the agents of KAOS at 7:26 AM on May 2, 2015
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