Toolshare scheme added to the freeconomy community

[TimthetoolmanTaylor]

I just set up a new sharing, community building project

As part of it we just launched a scheme where anyone in the world can share tools with other 'freeconomists' within a 10 mile radius of their house.

So not only do you get access to a huge amount of tools, we use less of the earths increasingly precious resources, it saves you a bundle of money and cash and you get to meet loads of people in your local community.

It's a win-win-win situation. Let me know what you guys think of it and I'll improve it along the lines of your feedback - would love to get the opinion of DIY'ers....

 

[TimthetoolmanTaylor]

I understand you probably think it's advertising but the community is set up as a gift to society to help ease on impact on the environment.

As it is a 'moneyless' community we do not recieve income of any kind - we refuse advertising, it's free for members and we won't even accept donations. There certainly isn't any 'trading' going on!

So it would be great if you could restore the web-site address, I think all the people here would love it, it was built as a gift to such people.

 

[Deluks]

It's bad enough lending out tools to mates, let alone complete strangers!

 

[marshman]

It's bad enough lending out tools to mates, let alone complete strangers!

yup
after the promise of I'll bring it back when done turns out to mean you can come and get it all to often.

 

[Thermo]

my tools get lent to no-one. then again they are my livelehood

 

[breezer]

.............As it is a 'moneyless' community we do not recieve income of any kind - we refuse advertising, it's free for members and we won't even accept donations. There certainly isn't any 'trading' going on!

So it would be great if you could restore the web-site address, I think all the people here would love it, it was built as a gift to such people.

sorry have to agree with theeveryone.

The mod

To post your website url is encouraging others to visit it, be it you charge or not, if you can do it so can i and everyone else. I too have a website that is purely information, it costs nothing to visit and i dont sell anything, but i do have google ads, but i cant tell anyone about it, because it would be advertising my site.

Deluks / marshman

yes, and also what if some one "borrows" something and then puts it on ebay

yes quite a good money spinner

TimthetoolmanTaylor, where do you live, as i want to "borrow" anything you will lend me, i also drive a white van, so you know i will return what i borrow (not)

 

[TimthetoolmanTaylor]

I take all your points guys and thanks for your feedback.

One of the problems however in this world of ours today is that we automatically distrust strangers before we trust them - the media has had a strong role to play in that. And so we have become more and more isolated from our local communities because of it.

And yes there are people who may not give you your tool back. But by not trusting anyone in the first place you have already lost something infinitely more valuable than a tool (I see the predictable response coming, but thats how I feel about it)

On the evidence side of things, loads of people use the site every day and 100% of feedback so far has been amazing, people are not only sharing stuff but they are making friends. So there must be at least a few non-thieves out there!

 

[breezer]

i leant my neighbour my step ladder, i will not say how, but despite asking several times i had to embarass him into giving them back

 

[TimthetoolmanTaylor]

i leant my neighbour my step ladder, i will not say how, but despite asking several times i had to embarass him into giving them back

What would happen if Nature decided she was not going to give unconditionally anymore - only food for those who give back?? The apple tree doesn't ask whether you are willing or unwilling, deserving or undeserving. It just gives.

I'm not saying its an easy thing to get over (distrust), but if you can it is very liberating. Stuff stops owning you then.

Hope your neighbour learned something from it, in fact I'm sure he / she did. But you did a really good thing lending it to them, be proud of yourself for that.

 

[Deluks]

All very altruistic Tim, but lots of people here earn their living from their tools, and what if the borrower brought it back on time having knackered it?
I once lent a cordless drill to a good mate, he brought it back in two days as promised but had run the battery right down to nothing, I ended up having to buy a new drill as the battery in question was too expensive to replace.

As there is no guarantee that the borrower knows how to use the tool correctly which could lead to damage to either the tool or the user.

We have hire shops for this sort of thing, just ask them what state their tools come back in.

I think your idea would work in a small close knit group of members if everyone chipped into a communal 'tool pool' so that nobody was lending out their own personal tools.

Whenever a friend asks to borrow a tool for a small job, I'd rather go round there and do the job myself.

 

[breezer]

Have to agree, also some people do not know how to use some tools.

I once borrowed a bit of kit from a mate, never again, i didn't exactly break it, it just stopped working, (he got it umteenth hand on ebay, so it was probly at the end of its life) but i felt so guilty, i brought him a new one and gave them both to him (old and new)

but i would have saved money by buying one for myself in the first place, since i had to buy 2, one for him and one for me.

 

[Deluks]

Have to agree, also some people do not know how to use some tools.

I once borrowed a bit of kit from a mate, never again, i didn't exactly break it, it just stopped working, (he got it umteenth hand on ebay, so it was probly at the end of its life) but i felt so guilty, i brought him a new one and gave them both to him (old and new)

but i would have saved money by buying one for myself in the first place, since i had to buy 2, one for him and one for me.

Was it a hammer?

 

[JohnD]

I have an old mate who will lend out tools only on the condition that if you damage it, you buy him a new one. seems fair.

 

[wanabechippie]

Deluks touched on a good point. Instead of having a 'tool share', how about a 'skill share'? If you own the tools, fair chance you know how to use it as well as how to carry out tasks associated with it.

Not visited the site in question, but perhaps have a list of people with their tools and DIY abilities as well as how far/when they're willing to help. Any compensation (cash in hand / a few beers) could be agreed privately between the 2 parties.

 

[TimthetoolmanTaylor]

Deluks touched on a good point. Instead of having a 'tool share', how about a 'skill share'? If you own the tools, fair chance you know how to use it as well as how to carry out tasks associated with it.

Not visited the site in question, but perhaps have a list of people with their tools and DIY abilities as well as how far/when they're willing to help. Any compensation (cash in hand / a few beers) could be agreed privately between the 2 parties.

Skillshare is the main part of the site, so it's already there! The toolshare was added in to augment it, so if you got someone with the skills to do the job but hadn't the tool, you could then look for someone with the tool also.