deskthority

NOTE: This is NOT an ad. I see a lot of postings on mechanical keyboard forums where people are like, "Amazon is not a rental service," or "_____ is not a rental service." Well, this got me thinking: what if there were a rental service? I already have an extensive collection of mechanical keyboards, and I just love to increase my inventory (I could now do it as a tax write-off ) . . . So, here's why I'm posting: I'm about to starting negotiating with shipping services, since keyboards are kind of expensive to ship, due to their width, quality keyboards are heavier than their inferior counterparts, as you all know . . . in fact, ordinarily, shipping an old model M would be more expensive under standard shipping than I would like to charge for the rent! They want a very rough idea of my business "volume" before they can give a quote, so I was wondering (just a show of hands) how many of you would consider utilizing a rental service that would allow you to demo a mechanical keyboard for 1 week, maybe 2? I would go out and get a bunch on different boards with different switch types, including a lot of the popular boards. Ideally, I would like for the shipping companies to allow me to be able to do this for a very small price, but I don't know if I can get any courier to go low enough for to pay for that, board maintenance supplies, fees for a minimalistic website, and my other overhead: rent (food would be nice, too).

So, I just need to poll the audience: 2 Questions – 1. Do you think you might ever consider using this type of service (note: this does NOT obligate you in any way, shape, or form--just a realistic answer, not a promise )? 2. If yes, what is the most that you would be willing to pay per week or two (I ask solely for the purposes of accepting or rejecting an offer from UPS or another courier): a. $20-25, b. $30, c. $35, d. $40, e. (specify your own limits, and they can be board-specific – i.e., if you would pay, at most, X to rent a Filco [name of model/switch type here], but only Y, at most, to rent an old '87 model M, then please tell me this--it's quite helpful (obviously, I would love for you to substitute names and figures in place of the variables )! NOTE: I am not asking with the intent of charging as much as I possibly can –– I am of the mentality that it's better to keep prices as attractive as humanly possible, while still being able to pay my own expenses, and yes, eat, pay rent, drive a car, feed my dog . . . I am just trying to figure out what my limits are and whether I will be able to swing it.

Just a quick, no-strings-attached, survey!

Please add some paragraphs and use actual lists for lists. This is really hard to read.

The idea isn't bad, but I certainly wouldn't pay $40 to try a board. Shipping probably kills the business anyway. Your profile doesn't state where you are from but most people on Deskthority are Europe based.

I doubt this works as a business model to do that for a living. As a "service" for the community maybe, but definitely not to make a big profit.

We have an exta section for a FREE "rental" service.
Check out http://deskthority.net/try-before-you-buy-f29/

No need for a commercial one. I wouldn't pay a penny.

Actually, this sounds a fantastic service. While the try before you buy / sink lists are brilliant — I've a Topre on its way to me in a couple of months that I'm really looking forward to — there are hardly any of them to choose from, as they rely on the owner's generosity (thanks 002!), and you can wind up waiting a long time for several reasons:

• Minimum quorum of interested borrowers required before the tour begins. This can take longer than you'd think.
• Rules on who is entitled to join in. Perhaps you're overqualified and ineligible for getting in the way of more needy newbs.
• Item is currently touring in another region. Europe / North America / Rest of the World.
• Lack of interest in general. I wound up buying Mr.Interface's sampler once this tryout went silent. I'm glad I did, anyway. But many tryouts fail to reach the starting line for many perfectly understandable reasons.

So, perhaps there is a place for a pay-to-try system. I certainly would just love to try an HHKB before I inevitably slap £200 down on importing one from Japan someday. Same for the even more expensive Topre HiPro. And then there's ergonomic keyboards to think about. Those really are screaming out for a try before you buy, but only some manufacturers have the sense to allow that. Can you just imagine laying hands on, or rather in, a DataHand for a week or two? Even I'd love to try some of that, and I'm fortunately quite free from RSI. Those cost more used than a palette of new HHKBs…

My doubts are basically just these:

• You're talking in dollars, so you're thinking about basing this in the US, right? Although your idea could fly over there as well, it's the rest of us out in the keyboard third world between North America and the Far East that have real availability nightmares for much desired keyboards. (Old and new.) An EU based version of what you're talking about could be highly interesting for those of us also in the customs union. No quarrels over import taxes to worry about (no matter that this is renting, not buying; you know how the authorities can be). And a large, easily postal-connected market of keyboard-starved hobbyists.
• Postal costs are what you've put the most thought into. Rightly so for equipment like heavy Model Ms. The more frequently you ship, the better off you and your clients will be. But I expect postage won't be your main expense.
• Stock will be! The kind of stuff people would be most interested in trying, rather than just buying, will be expensive. Some of it rare and expensive. Insurance is going to be right at the heart of your potential business, even if you're just wanting to keep this a hobby. Great keyboards easily cost several hundred dollars. Mail them enough times and they will be damaged or lost. Mail them to enough strangers on the internet, and they will go missing. It's a risky setup.

But it is a pretty sneaky way of building up one hell of a great horde of keyboard rarities, and feeling good about providing interested people a worthy service. So investigate further if you like. It's all about stock and logistics.

i wouldn't rent a keyboard because i'm not a collector and don't have the spare cash to rent a few keyboards before buying one - that also means i wouldn't be interrested in the "upper class" keyboards that cost a metric shitton of money which probably would be the most interresting to rent

Would there be an option to just pay the balance and keep the keyboard if you decide that you like it?

It'd probably be better to work it more similarly to a sale with a restocking fee.

So, ship a keyboard for the sale price, and if the user ships it back, they get all but 10% back (excluding shipping fees, of course).

That way, if someone keeps the keyboard, you're not out anything.

True. I doubt it'd be nearly as busy as letting people try $300 Japanese keyboards for a reasonable rental and no deposit. But a store that actually encourages trials by returning most your money could be a safer place to shop if you're worried you need a few months with an ergo to really know if you want it or not.

A used keyboard shop with a bulletproof trial and return policy could be handy.