Itemhog, rent out items in your home

[mwk]

Hey everyone,
I’d like to share Itemhog, an easy way to give your Airbnb guests a richer experience while making additional cash by renting items in your home. Check it out at https://www.itemhog.com/airbnb-signup

Simply list your items and share it with your guest. We take care of everything from there.

If you sign up now, we’re not charging fees until the end of the year (minus credit card fees). In exchange, we just ask that you share feedback with us or let us know if you have any questions.

https://www.itemhog.com/airbnb-signup

Thanks!
Matt

[Lucy_R]

Sounds like a nice idea, but your site is a little sparse on information about how this service actually works. How do the guests use it? can this work if the guests don’t have cellphone service? is anything insured?

[smtucker]

but your site is a little sparse on information about how this service actually works

sparse is an understatement!

[LizinMN]

It’s sparse, for sure. But over and above that, if we start nickel and diming our guests for the items they use, that’s the opposite of hospitality.

[mwk]

Great questions, we’ll make changes so it’s clearer. Here’s a follow up to your specific questions:

How do the guests use it?
Once you add items to your list you get an option to share the list with a guest (via airbnb’s inbox, sms, or however you’d like). From there, it’s very similar to Airbnb’s rental flow. The guest chooses which items they’d like to rent and what days, their credit card is charged, and you’re paid.

Can this work if the guests don’t have cellphone service?
Yes, as they rent the items shortly after they rent your home. When they arrive at the home, they just pick up the item at the location you specified.

Is anything insured?
We’ll work with hosts to compensate them if something gets broken and make sure they’re satisfied with the outcome (it’s critical that we understand potential pain points like this and make sure the outcome is happy for you).

LizinMN, we agree guests shouldn’t feel nickel-and-dimed. We’ve spoken to hosts that were interested in a service like this because often times they had a camera, bike, etc that they were interested in renting to a guest, but it was too high value to lend for free. On the flip side, guests have been interested in renting things they can’t bring with them (like a bike) and packing lighter/trying new things (like cameras). Finding the sweet spot for items will take some time, but we do think there’s opportunity to make both host and guests happier with this service.

Thanks and keep the feedback coming!

[mwk]

@LizinMN also, you can list items for free–you could even make the entire list free and share it with your guests so they know what’s in your home that you’re willing to share, along with details on where to find it.

[LizinMN]

Thanks for the clarification.

[Asheville]

Is it only available to Facebook users? The mobile version would not provide any details without my Facebook login, and I’m very selective about providing my Facebook login to third parties.

[mwk]

Hey @Asheville, yes you’ll need to login with Facebook. We need to use real identity so there’s a community of trust, just like Airbnb.

Note that we only get/use your basic information including name, profile pic, and email. I used to work at Facebook as a product manager too so I’m very aware of how important privacy is-- we’ll never share your details with 3rd-parties or spam you.

[Asheville]

So, I may be more security-conscious than others, but I would skip learning more about your offerings because I can’t review the most basic info without having to give up my login. I want a company to earn my trust first. Also, there are actually people who still don’t use Facebook. Anyway, I just wanted to give my input in case it’s helpful. Best of luck to you!