New website “helps students borrow, lend, or rent anything from anybody”

Amy Szybalski

“Imagine a world where you bought as little as possible, borrowed as much as possible, got as much use from what you already own as possible, and brought as little as possible – to the dump”: this is the goal of a new social networking website. BorrowMe.com helps connect people, mainly students, with others who may be willing to lend some of their possessions.

“A lot of students have just left home for the first time, and are setting up in new digs. They need everything from pots and pans to a couch, a stereo, textbooks, maybe a used car or course supplies. Money’s tight, and every penny counts,” says Sean Young, chief architect of the program.

On BorrowMe you create your own profile, a home page if you will, that keeps you up to date on your BorrowMe activities and inventory.  There you can read comments, see new people in your friends list, and get updated with items of interest in your area.

If you have stuff you’re looking to lend out, you can add them to BorrowMe to lend, gift, rent, or sell. Alternatively, if you are looking for that item you just can’t live without, you can add what ever your heart desires to the “wishing list.”

“The days are gone where everyone has to buy every thing,” says Young. “We’ve had users furnish an entire apartment with goods that would have ended up taking up space in the land-fill.” Similar to E-bay, the company only takes a small cut, one percent, if there’s a financial transaction, like a rent or sale.

Not only does BorrowMe help you find the stuff you’re looking for, it builds community. You meet like-minded people from your extended social network, usually through your Facebook groups. Communities such as students can also create their own user group to trade amongst themselves – a system that works especially well with course materials and other limited-use supplies.

With lending sites like this, gone is the old philosophy of neither a borrower or a lender be, it has been replaced by a cleaner, friendlier, and more generous outlook.

[Quotations taken from BorrowMe.com]