Snapgoods.com has just rolled out a 2.0 version of their website, improving the usability and interaction. If you recall, Snapgoods is an “acquaintance rental” or “Collaborative Consumption” service, which means you rent your stuff to people you may or may not know but, presumably, they live in your neighborhood. For example, a photographer needs a tripod, a jar of vaseline, and one of those old-timey photo-taking hoods for his DSLR. Instead of going out and buying those things, he can post a request to Snapgoods and receive a rental offer in a few minutes.
The previous version of the site focused on renters offering items to rent. However, there is more back-and-forth with buyers in this version and the interaction has been changed to more of a classifieds model. If you need further explanation think of it as sort of an AirBnB for gadgets. It breathes new life into items that don’t get much use and, as Joni Mitchell sang, “Don’t it always seem to go/That you don’t know what you’ve got until someone offers you $20 to borrow your air compressor.”
This is not a new idea, but it seems to have struck a chord with creative types unlike, say Neighborgoods.net. The site is popular with photographers and artists in Brooklyn and Manhattan who may need an iPad or a camera for a few hours on a Sunday. The system supports deposits and even includes a new guarantee that essentially says that any renter is safe for up to $5,000 in damages to their goodies.
The company has had two angel roundsone seed round of funding and is working out of a space in DUMBO. The new version is live today and the guarantee is active for all verified accounts. I just rented out my old USB turntable if anyone wants to rip Ladies Of The Canyon from vinyl.