

Ask HN: Do you think this is a good business idea? Rent your luggage - ankeshk
http://itworld.com/mobile-amp-wireless/76964/upcoming-service-lets-you-travel-without-luggage

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yan
Slightly off-topic, but why isn't every major purchase not rentable? Like
zipcar for everything from vacuum cleaners, video projectors, to lawn mowers
and everything else you use very rarely.

I don't like owning stuff; I find it to be a burden. How come I can't rent
things that are expensive and needed rarely? I don't see a reason why the
world has N vacuum cleaners when only N/m for some large value of m are being
used on any given day. I'm not saying we need a global pool of vacuum
cleaners, but no reason a neighborhood can't have like half dozen that people
rent/share.

~~~
noodle
vacuum cleaners aren't that expensive, so renting them out might not be a very
good business plan unless you do it with larger items. and thats already a
business.

<http://www.rentacenter.com>

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ankeshk
I am very intrigued by this idea. But I'm not sure if people would rent
clothes or not.

I know one thing: the company will have more success if they joint venture
with just one specific chain of hotel - at least initially. Will allow them to
scale with grace. And will get the hotel to promote their services too. (Rent
luggage while you're booking your room online. Just one extra step. No need
for 2 different transactions.)

And also - a lot of people will end up buying the stuff they've rented out -
and this revenue can be shared with the hotel.

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run4yourlives
Hrm, not sure.

If I'm travelling somewhere for a short duration that requires a hotel/change
of clothes, it's easy for me to just bring a carry on. 9 times out of 10, I
have to bring my laptop anyway, so it's not a huge deal to carry a small
travel pack with a laptop, change of clothes and a toiletries kit.

Any more than that and I want luggage, so the service is useless.

I'm not sure if I'm the idea target market, but I'm not sure I see any real
value here.

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RiderOfGiraffes
I always travel without checked luggage. My wife and I did 6 weeks in South
Island New Zealand in winter having travelled hand luggage only.

The discipline is difficult, but worth cultivating. If you can't be bothered,
perhaps this service is for you.

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byoung2
I would think most of the bulk in a checked bag is clothes, which people
aren't going to rent. I'm not sure what else they had in mind to rent.

I think the virtual closet would be a great idea though if you split your time
between two cities.

