SpaceOut was included in an excellent feature story by feature writer Mike Bruce, in the “U On Sunday ” Magazine lift out from today’s Sunday Mail Newspaper (Qld). The article “Sharing and Caring” was focused on one of the latest consumer trends sweeping the world – Collaborative Consumption.
The theory of Collaborative Consumption suggests we should lend
or rent out our underused gadgets to save money – and the world.
Collaborative Consumption takes many forms, but essentially it’s a new way of consuming -renting, recycling, sharing and lending goods instead of buying them. It’s about reducing consumption, cutting waste and stretching the life-cycle of products.
The section on SpaceOut Reads :
Andy Henderson, 48 is another member of the Queensland phalanx leading Australia’s charge on CC. When friend Damion Russell was heading overseas in 2008, he had a household of items that weren’t exactly worth a fortune, but worth enough to hang on to.
Russell was astounded by the cost of commercial storage space and so pondered the possibility of finding storage privately, perhaps a garage, spare bedroom or under a house.
From his frustration a business was born.In 2009, the pair, with one other partner, founded SpaceOut and currently have over 300 listings Australia wide. It;s expanded to car and boat parking and office space, and even the bog players in the commercial storage game are listing on the site.
SpaceOut suggests individuals charge 50 to 70 percent of the commercial rates, but rates vary greatly depending on location, type and condition of the space. One SpaceOut member is seeking $500 a month for a 50sq m space in Stafford, while another wants $400 for a 240sq m space in Boondall.
“So a homewoner can get a few grand a year basically out of thin air. We like to call it money for nothing,” Henderson says. “Often people are just using a spare bedroom as a place where they can let their own junk accumulate. Now thay can rent it out for $200-$400 a month, just by shutting the door and forgetting about it.”
The Full Article provides a great overview of Collaborative Consumption and definitely worth a read.
