Photo credit:
weirdvis, stock.xchng
You're already swapping and reselling books. Why not share DVDs, too? That's the idea behind LendAround, a free web-based lending tool that facilitates recycling your stuff, starting with DVDs. LendAround helps you keep track of what you've loaned, what you've borrowed and where.
Americans spend an estimated $7 billion a year on movie rentals, according to TreeHugger, with other estimates suggesting that 80% of the 2 billion DVDs in the United States get watched only two times per year. The idea for LendAround came about when creator Tim Jackson returned home after visiting a network of community groups helping vulnerable children in Africa. Looking around his home, Jackson noticed how many of his possessions weren't seeing very much actual use.
Enter LendAround. When your wish list matches someone else's stuff, LendAround automatically sends them your request. You choose who to trust. There's even a LendAround Facebook app to help you connect with your friends and family. While most users use the service to connect with others who live nearby, LendAround provides downloadable, pre-addressed wrappers for mailing.
Currently in beta testing, LendAround is accepting waiting list signups for American registrations.
How to join the Canvolution
Comments (1)Add a Comment
Inappropriate or promotional comments may be removed.
We're really excited that LendAround has captured so many people's imagination, and we've brought the time on the waiting list down to under 24 hours as of now.
Just a note that our Facebook app is still in alpha, which means that it won't be useful to you until you've registered at LendAround. We don't want to disappoint anyone who reads Lisa's great post and tries to use LendAround only via Facebook. That's something we're planning to support, but we're not quite there yet.
What we're trying to do here is build a tool that's really useful for people. We promise to do our best to respond to every piece of feedback email within a working day, so please go ahead and join LendAround and let us know what you think.