Shurable.com
The Shurable map provides prices and locations of equipment for rent.
A new online, peer-to-peer platform helps outdoor equipment owners rent their items to people looking to visit the Adirondacks. Like Airbnb that allows people to easily rent their homes, or Craigslist that allows people easily to sell their stuff, the start-up Shurable.com, of Saratoga Springs, is trying to make it easy for people to rent everything from mountain bikes to kayaks and mess kits.
Soft-launched about six weeks ago, Shurable is now ready for a wider audience, founder Nick Daley said in an interview today.
"There was a lot in the beginning,” Daley said, referring to glitches and kinks in the programming. “When we went through the soft launch, there were a lot."
However, he said his small team of outsourced developers and designers have pushed to make corrections. He took these seriously, he said, because the ease-of-use is key to this sort of transaction.
"If the user experience isn't perfect, I've failed as the founder,” he said. "That's why people love Amazon. That's why people love Airbnb...We just wanted to follow in those footsteps."
He also looked at the timing and wanted to launch now, before summer was over. It joins others such as "friendswitha..." and "recshare" in the peer-to-peer rental market.
The site works like other rental apps. A person lists equipment they own and how much they want for a rental time period. Once it is rented, Sharable takes a small fee on the transaction. Daley would not say what it was but that it was smaller than on many similar sites.
Renters looking to try a new sport without having to pay for all the equipment, or vacationers who don’t want to travel with all the extra baggage, search the website for the equipment they want, indicate a location, a rental start time and a duration needed. A map appears with points that list renters, pictures of equipment, prices and other details.
The whole process is facilitated on the platform including details such as pick-up and drop-off times, and even if the equipment will be delivered to a renter.
Each side of the transaction comes with its own rental agreements, hold-harmless agreements and other legal paperwork, and Daley said Shurable has tried to make it difficult to scroll down and click “Agree" without reading so that the owner has some assurance that the equipment will come back in decent condition.
“I make them check multiple boxes throughout” the agreements, he said. “I want them to slow down.”
He added that the renter is pretty much liable for the equipment from the moment they rent it, but so far, the problems he feared—theft, damage—have not materialized.
Although it is aimed for the Adirondacks and surrounding areas, anyone can participate, Daley said, but the compnay will also be pushing into other “outdoorsy” areas over the next two years. Thus far he has funded the venture himself, but he will be seeking more funding soon, he said.