Archive for the ‘iRent2u’ Category

iRent2u World Wide

iRent2u is growing rapidly, and is truly international. Within a year we expanded into more than 50 countries. Our website is accessible worldwide, it offers the same rental process and functionalities everywhere, supports all major currencies, and offers a mapping system for every country. So people can lend and rent from and to each other within each country. But for a lot of items, lending and renting makes even sense across borderlines. Vacation homes, cars, boats, airplanes, helicopters, RVs, golf clubs, surf boards, and snowboards are rental items that make sense to rent out at your travel destination.

Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Morocco, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Romania, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, St Lucia, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turks and Caicos, United Kingdom, USA, Venezuela, Virgin Islands.

Popularity: 10% [?]

The Problem

People have debts, and sometimes they have to work on two jobs, just to be able to pay their bills. They already made the mistake of buying everything instead of renting it, and thus have to live with all the disadvantages mentioned above. Also commercial lenders or “rental shops” are confronted with several problems. Very often they have no website and only get customers that visit their store in person during office hours. They have to spend in marketing such as the yellow pages and have no guarantee of any sales.

The iRent2u Advantage

People can still correct their mistake of purchasing everything, and make some extra money by lending out their stuff, to recover some of the money they have spent to purchase all these assets, or to at least split operating expenses, such as taxes, insurances, and maintenance cost for the time they don’t use their assets. It is even possible to earn more money through lending out an item, than it costs to purchase it, so people can become power lenders and make renting a profession. Commercial lenders can finally have an online presence and offer a 24/7 service to their customers. At the same time they can extend their market reach by having access to customers worldwide, since items can also be shipped. If they have a website already, iRent2u still complements theirs, because iRent2u can bring them customers that did not find their website, thus they can benefit from iRent2u’s search engine optimization and Internet marketing.

The iRent2u Solution

iRent2u offers powerful and easy to use tools to manage every bit of the lending process. A simple lending wizard that helps lenders to describe their items, upload pictures, define the lending terms and conditions, as well as schedule availabilities, and select the lending logistics. iRent2u offers a contract system which pre-populates a standard contract with all relevant information automatically or any contract the lender wishes to upload and use. In addition to the rental contracts, a patent pending double blinded feedback and recommendation system, a flagging and reporting system, as well as a deposit system, and iRent2u’s eTrust certificate, helps to keep abuse from the website. An inventory management system provides complete visibility on all items one has uploaded or lent, listed online or offline, and allows organizing and editing them easily. A communication system helps to discuss and answer any question a renter might have. A dashboard lists all available rental history and advises users what to do next. And if a user or commercial lender wants to appear more professional, they can create and customize their own rental store. And with iRent2u, all that is for free. No listing fee, no commission.

Popularity: 10% [?]

The Problem

Today, we can buy just about anything we want, which to some extent is a great thing, but let’s not ignore the downside.  Buying new means piling up all sorts of things, filling up garages and homes, potentially having to pay credit card interest and insurance.  Buying new prevents that money from being used for something else, and, as often is the case, we don’t even use what we bought sufficiently to have justified the purchase in the first place.  Buying new can also push us deeper into debt and contribute to waste and pollution.  Is there a need to have 10 lawn mowers on one street so each can mow 200 square feet of lawn, if one lawnmower can do the job for all?  Does it make sense to drive to stores on the other side of town, when these items are already available right in your neighborhood?

The iRent2u Advantage

When we focus on utility rather then on ownership, and rent rather then buy, we oftentimes get more bang for our buck.  We can save money through renting and gain flexibility in the process.  We can use more space to live rather than using it to store things, or we can live in smaller and more affordable homes if there is less need for storage space.  We can spend money only when we need to and can thus always rent the latest and most trendy stuff, instead of being stuck with stuff we bought ten years ago.  We can also use items wherever we need them. For example we can have rental golf clubs shipped to our hotel or country club so we don’t have to carry them around when we go on a trip.  Or we can rent RVs in remote areas to explore new regions instead of being limited to our own area.  We can also rent items for special occasions, which we normally could not afford to buy, such as a Ferrari, expensive jewelry, or a designer hand-bag.  Lastly, if we don’t blow our cash or sink further into debt to buy what we could easily rent, we will be in a better position to get through the current economic crisis.

The iRent2u Solution

iRent2u offers a powerful and easy to use search engine, where you can browse by keywords, categories, or location, to find items for rent, any time of the day or night. You can sort search results by price and distance, visualize them on a map, compare them with our compare tool to find the best deal, and use our rental cart to start “shopping around” for rentals.  You can save searches, and subscribe to RSS feeds to get updates about the latest items in your area of interest.  The rental process is very easy to use, and carries you through a few simple steps.  The rental terms and logistics can be negotiated with lenders directly,the rental contract is pre-filled with information about the renter, the lender, the item, and respective terms and conditions.  An inventory management system provides complete visibility on every item you have rented.  A communication system helps to discuss and clarify any question you might have for the lender.  A dashboard lists all available rental history and advises you what to do next.  And with iRent2u, all that is for free.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Economic Crisis II
One of the many aspects of the current economic crisis that worries us at iRent2u is illustrated in the graphic provided by the Washington Post displayed below. It clearly shows the U.S. government shifting from budget surpluses in 2000 and 2001 to deficits beginning in 2002 and projected to continue at least for the next decade.

For many Americans, the out of control spending by the Republican controlled congress and President from 2000-2006 were strong indications of their greed and incompetence. By looking at the projections from the (nonpartisan) Congressional Budget Office (CBO), it is clear that we are planning to double down on the worst aspects of George W’s domestic policy. A situation so bad, even USA Today has noticed.

The supporters of the current policy defend the expenditures by reminding us that, in general, it is acceptable to run large deficits under two conditions, (1) in an economic downturn or (2) during a war. As we are in the largest economic down turn in at least the last 25 years, and maybe the last 75 years, the huge increase in government spending is therefore justified.

But haven’t we heard this before. Remember in 2000 the .com bubble was bursting all around, high tech and IT companies were imploding, unemployment was sky rocketing and then the 9/11 tragedy dealt a huge blow to the airlines, financial services and hospitality industries. Subsequently, we embarked on wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Thus all conditions were met for running huge deficits, which President Bush and Congress proceeded to do. At the same time, Alan Greenspan was doing his part to boost economic activity by drastically cutting the Fed Funds rate to below 2% and holding it there for nearly 5 ½ years. Which looks to be what Ben Bernanke is doing right now.

So if George W’s out of control spending and low interest rates did not lead to economic prosperity, but rather Economic Catastrophe, how will the current administration’s policy, let’s call it “George W^2”, lead to anything other than Economic Catastrophe^2…?

Popularity: 10% [?]

As of March 24, 2009, iRent2u will no longer charge a transaction fee to lend items. That’s right, it is absolutely FREE to list and lend items on iRent2u.

Remember last week when we said we would lead the way in the effort to build a world with environmental, ethical and financial sustainability at it’s core. Well, this is just one more step down that path. Just as many of our friends and family are suffering, we know many of our customers are as well. As result of prudent financial management, we are in a very strong position to not only weather the storm, but also to extend a hand to the fast growing iRent2u community.

We’ll keep this policy in affect throughout the economic downturn. Here at iRent2u we want to do our part to build a better world and we encourage each of you to do so as well, by taking this opportunity to make more money from what you already have and to save money through renting on iRent2u.

Thanks,

Your iRent2u Team

How to change the world? Start in your garage! ☺

Popularity: 11% [?]

Economic Crisis
The world wide economic meltdown is hurting people in all corners of the globe. Here at iRentu2, although we are not immune to the pain and uncertainty many of you are experiencing, we believe that we are in a unique position to help.

On Forbes.com the other day, Nouriel Roubini, an economist at the Stern School of Business, wrote an interesting article titled The United States of Ponzi that really gets to the core of what brought us into this colossal mess.

“Americans lived in a “Made-off” and Ponzi bubble economy for a decade or even longer. Madoff is the mirror of the American economy and of its over-leveraged agents: a house of cards of leverage over leverage by households, financial firms and corporations that has now collapsed in a heap.

When you put zero down on your home, and you thus have no equity in your home, your leverage is literally infinite and you are playing a Ponzi game. And the bank that lent you, with zero down, a NINJA (no income, no jobs and assets) liar loan that was interest-only for a while, with negative amortization and an initial teaser rate, was also playing a Ponzi game…

…A country that has–for over 25 years–spent more than income and thus run an endless string of current account deficit–and has thus become the largest net foreign debtor in the world (with net foreign liabilities that are likely to be over $3 trillion by the end of this year)–is also a Ponzi country that may eventually default on its foreign debt if it does not, over time, tighten its belt and start running smaller current account deficits and actual trade surpluses.
Whenever you persistently consume more than your income year after year (a household with negative savings, a government with budget deficit, a firm or financial institution with persistent losses, a country with a current account deficit) you are playing a Ponzi game. In the jargon of formal economics, you are not satisfying your long-run inter-temporal budget constraint as you borrow to finance the interest rate on your previous debt, and are thus following an unsustainable debt dynamics that eventually leads to outright insolvency.”

In short, he is saying that a large percentage of American businesses, governments (local, state, Federal) and people have spent money in an economically unsustainable manner.

Further, implicit in his Ponzi analogy are the gross ethical lapses that poured fuel on the unsustainable spending fire. How else could a mortgage broker close their eyes and sell a NINJA loan, in the understanding that they would pass the risk onto others, while they get paid immediately and therefore didn’t care. Or the ethical lapses of those in Congress that essentially created the market for these loans by directing Freddie/Fannie to purchase them, all with the lofty intent of increasing homeownership rates (ie. buying votes for reelection). This without even mentioning the ethical blind spots of numerous Wall Street banks, credit rating agencies, regulators…

Lastly, he mentions the current account deficit, which in non-economic jargon means that the US purchased more goods & services from China, than China did from the USA. This deficit was made up by the US borrowing money from China in the form of US Government Securities, which will have to be paid back through higher taxes or inflation.

This outsourcing of our production of consumer products to China has had a highly detrimental affect on the Environment. China does not maintain the high environmental standards that we do here in the US. So as they rape the Chinese environment, with the common man wondering when they will see the sun again (the sun is often blocked due to the tons of pollution in the air), we sit back, breathing fresh air while enjoying the fruits of other’s suffering. Additionally, think of all the fuel burned to ship the raw materials to China for processing and then even more fuel burned to deliver the finished consumer goods to the US. All of which added together, leads to a long-term approach to fulfilling our consumer wants in an environmentally unsustainable manner.

Renting on iRent2u can lead to the fulfillment of our consumer needs and desires in a financially sustainable manner. Instead of going further in debt to purchase something, come find it on iRent2u. Think of how many vacation homes were purchased on crazy debt in the last 6 years that are only used once per year. If you are only going to use a large ticket item once or twice a year, rent instead of buy, it is the economically sustainable route to take,

Instead of selling mortgages to those without jobs, credit history and savings, or leveraging yourself to the verge of financial oblivion to purchase and flip that last vacation home, join the growing iRent2u community and thereby earn more from what you already have. iRent2u is an ethically sustainable course of action.

Arguably, we have all of the consumer goods from overseas that we will need for the next 5 years, if we are willing to lend them between each other. If we buy less and rent more, we can make a new start, in an environmentally sustainable direction, all done without compulsion from our fearless leaders in D.C.

We as a Nation will climb out of the hole we have dug ourselves when we accept responsibility and begin to approach life with environmental, ethical and financial sustainability top of mind. Here at iRent2u, we are happy to help lead the way.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Rent Golf Clubs

In this episode of the “What We Rent” series, we want to tell you about some very fun sport rentals that are available anywhere in the US. Those rentals are top of the line golf club rentals, available through the mail to anywhere in the contiguous 48 states.

Hassle Free Traveling

For many of you across the US as Summer approaches, it is time yet again to thing about your Golf game. Unlike Winter, where the most popular locations to golf are Florida, South Carolina, and Southern California, the US is great for golfing just about everywhere in the Summer. So what is the biggest problem with traveling to a distant location to go golfing? Well one big annoyance is taking your clubs on the plane! You have to lug them through the airport, sometimes pay additional fees to take them, and worry that they are going to get lost. Maybe you are just traveling on a business trip, and now you have to explain to your wife and co-workers how you are planning to “work the entire time” while bringing a huge bag of irons. Traveling has already gotten difficult enough. You have to arrive at the airport two hours early, practically strip to your underwear to make it through security, carry your bags, find a taxi or rent a car – and the last thing you need is one more thing to carry and try to cram into your rental car along with your luggage. 


Try It, Before You Buy It!

Or maybe you are considering buying a set of golf clubs. Then you might want to check out and test what’s out there, before buying it.

Want To Be Flexible & Trendy?

Or maybe you just want to always use the latest technology on the green, every time you play golf, instead of hanging on to the same set of Golf Clubs over many years.

The Solution

Through iRent2u, you have an easy way to rent golf clubs for corporate outings and tournaments, for business travelers, or individuals, throughout the United States. This is better than just going to a course and renting some beaten up old clubs. This is a full service where you get to pick from top line pro golf clubs, and have them delivered right to your hotel, resort or golf course. And when you are done, you just stick them back in the box they came in, give them back to the concierge in your hotel or drop them at a nearby package place like federal express or UPS, and forget about them.

One of our Lenders offers whole set collections, where one set includes a driver, a complete set of irons, a putter, and the bag itself. The complete sets of clubs are rented by the single day, or the weekend. Daily rentals are delivered as early as the day before your outing, and are picked up after your outing is complete. Weekend rentals are available for two full days throughout the week. Check out the listings here.

Popularity: 19% [?]

“What We Rent – Cars”

This is our third installment in our “What We Rent” series, and today’s topic is cars and automobiles. Of course vehicles are nothing new to rent, and most people have rented previously for a variety of reasons. Often people rent vehicles when they fly somewhere and need a way to get around. Other times they’re making a long driving trip and don’t want to put the extra miles on their car. Some people will rent a bigger car for when family is visiting, or if they need to move something large that their present vehicle won’t handle. Finally, some people will rent luxury cars for a special occasion, like a wedding or an anniversary.

Whatever the reason you want to rent a vehicle, rest assured you can find one on iRent2u.

How to Rent with iRent2u
The first place to go the next time you need a vehicle rental is iRent2u. Here is the direct link. http://irent2u.com/Browse/cat/4/Cars-Trucks This takes you to the Cars & Trucks rental category. You will see a number of different options, including any vehicles that private owners in your area are offering for rent. One of the first options you will see is the “Worldwide Car Rental Service” http://irent2u.com/Item/view/206890/Worldwide-Car-Rental-Service. This is a booking engine that allows you to rent a car from one of 22 major car rental companies. That includes such big names as Enterprise, Hertz, and Alamo, plus some smaller ones that aren’t as widely known where you can find some real savings! These cars are all in great condition, with many of them less than one year old. Click on “Rent it Now”, enter the details of your request, and compare the different options. You will be impressed with the prices. I have quite often found better prices here than on Expedia!

Why iRent2u for Cars
The first thing you may notice after performing a search for a vehicle in your area is the added benefit of being able to choose between professional car rental companies, and private citizens. Rental companies have good cars, but it is hard to compete with the prices that you will find from private citizens. Additionally, in busy vacation or holiday seasons the big rental companies will either sell out or jack up their rates considerably. Avoid their price gouging maneuvers by renting from the guy down the street who is happy to get the extra money for Christmas.

Rent Your Car To Others
Do you have an extra vehicle that you hardly use? Put it online and start getting something back out of it. Instead of it just sitting there and rusting, let someone use it by renting it to them. You make a bit of money, your vehicle stops gathering dust for at least a couple of days, and you save someone else money at the same time. It’s a virtual Karma jackpot!

Popularity: 8% [?]

What We Rent – Party Supplies

This is our second installment in our “What We Rent” series. Considering what time of year it is, it is very appropriate. New listings continue to pour in to iRent2u. It is great to see so much happening so quickly – and look for even more soon. It looks like we may be adding construction equipment, those big inflatable jumpers that kids love so much, and other great stuff such as pinball machines and antique jukeboxes. Who ever knew there was so much cool stuff to rent?

Party Supplies
Today’s topic is party supplies, something that you see a lot of over the holidays. Party Supplies is a pretty broad category, and includes some of the most commonly rented items in the country. You’ll find everything from tables and chairs, to disco balls and lighting equipment, to dunk tanks! Apparently, people all around the US like to party, and when they do they like to do it in style.

Throwing parties is fun, but can require a lot of equipment to do it right. There sure is no reason to go out and buy 20 tables and 100 chairs - when renting is so easy. Most of the party rental companies will deliver everything to your location, and even set it up for you. If you can think of it, there is a company that will rent it to you. Plan on having a lot of people and don’t want them all walking through your house to use the bathroom? Rent out portable toilets! Planning a party in the winter and don’t want to get all your guests sick from the cold? Rent out some propane heaters! Want to make the party a real treat? Get costumes and party props - to fit any theme. You can have an Egyptian party right where you live - and think of how much money you just saved on plane tickets!

Wedding Supplies
For those of you in the Inland Empire, we already have over 1,300 items in our “Events & Parties” category, with much more on the way. You can rent plates, glasses & tableware. You can find barbecues, generators, and all sorts of lighting equipment. Planning a winter wedding? Make sure to get one or two of the nice tents or canopies in case the weather isn’t perfect. Our providers will not only take care of the equipment rentals, but they also provide access to all sorts of services to make the occasion easier and more successful.

Party Planning
Planning a big event can be quite challenging, so when you look through the inventory don’t get overloaded. Probably you don’t really know what you need, but there is help! Submit a request to one of the rental providers and they will get back to you and help you through it. Often times working with a professional will give you a lot of ideas and save you money at the same time, as they will assist you with planning your event.

Have Something to Rent Out?
While we already have a large number of items, there is a lot more that we are looking for. Do you have some neat things that you think others would enjoy having at a party? List them on the site, you could really make someone’s day! I know I plan on listing my karaoke machine – but then again maybe that is just my way of trying to get it out of the house so no one makes me sing. =^)

.

Popularity: 11% [?]

What We Rent – Audiobooks

iRent2u has now launched and is in full swing. We have successfully added a very large inventory, and new items keep pouring in every day. We hope that very soon you will come to rely on iRent2u as your single source for all rentals, and list your own items as well. Remember, by helping others you help yourself – as they save money by renting you earn money – a win win situation!

Today we begin a series we are calling “What We Rent”. This will be an ongoing series where we highlight items listed on our site, which ones are new, and which situations rentals are the best solution.

Our first category we will cover is “Audiobooks”. One reason we are covering them first is that we have a lot of audiobooks to choose from. Presently we are hosting an inventory of over 9,000 different titles. Audiobooks are great for people who commute, people who exercise with a personal listening device like and iPod, and for people who are vision impaired but still love the joy of a good book.

I personally love audiobooks, and have listened to many. This is originally because I commuted for two to four hours a day for the last couple of years. After a couple of weeks I got bored listening to the radio and knew I had to find something different. My father who has had a long commute for almost 20 years recommended that I try listening to audiobooks. He gave me a few of his, and I immediately fell in love with the concept. Now instead of dreading the long commute to and from school, I actually looked forward to it! Sometimes I even found myself sitting in the car after I had arrived at my destination waiting anxiously to hear some conclusion or pivotal point in the story.

After a while I discovered that there is much more to audiobooks than just exciting stories. Think of all the incredible non-fiction books there are in the world, that hold incredibly valuable knowledge on anything from how to succeed in work to how to be happy in life. I found days where I learned more in my commute back and forth to school than I did in the classroom!

Beyond the commute I found audiobooks to make exercising more enjoyable. Instead of focusing on the treadmill, I could become engrossed in some story or concept. The time would fly by and before I knew it my exercise was over. And when my grandparents began to lose their vision, they turned to audiobooks so that they could continue to enjoy reading. This has been a great solution for everyone!

There is one problem with audiobooks though, once you listen to them you don’t have much need to listen to them again. That is why my father was able to send me two boxes full of audiobooks, with over 50 titles. Obviously he was spending a lot of money to buy these books, yet listen to them only once. That sounds like a perfect situation for iRent2u, and now we are happy to help audiobook lovers all over the US.

Do you have audiobooks that you have already listened to?
If so, great! List them on our site and let others borrow them – share the joy of a good book and recover some of your investment. My father has already listed 5 of his books and is ready to list a bunch more.
Click here to list your items on a site, and make a free account if you haven’t already.

Do you want to find and listen to good audiobooks?
Well you are in the right place then also! We have thousands of books to choose from, with new listings coming every day. Try either renting individual books one at a time. Or sign up with one of the services listed and get a subscription – keeping the books coming on a regular basis.
Click here to browse our thousands of audiobooks that are available right now!

Do you know someone with a long commute, who likes to exercise, or is vision impaired?
If so, consider giving them this Christmas a subscription to a service like Jiggerbug – one of our premier partners – so that they can share in the joy of audiobooks for a long time.
Click here to learn more about JiggerBug, see or leave a user review, or see which titles they list

Either way iRent2u is the place for audiobooks.

Know of other ways that audiobooks are better than regular books?
If so, click “comment” and let us hear about it. We are always interested to hear good ideas from our readers.

.

Popularity: 13% [?]