Image this. You just finished filming your next masterpiece, and now you're busy in post-production to finish the edit in time for the big premiere.
Meanwhile, your camera and production gear are collecting dust, and waiting to be used on the next shoot. Why not rent that gear out to bring in extra money? Much like Sharegrid, BoxedUp is not only a place to rent out your gear but to affordably rent otherwise expensive equipment you may not be able to buy.
BoxedUp was founded by Donald Boone on the idea that one doesn't need to buy tools to work on a project. Especially when they may never need that equipment again. Boone came up with the idea when he remodeled his mother's living room and found himself with expensive tools but no projects to use them on.
A decade later, BoxedUp came to life to provide filmmakers and content creators with the tools needed to shoot their projects without having to make expensive purchases.
How BoxedUp Works
While there are other peer-to-peer rental options such as ShareGrid, BoxedUp takes a different approach and allows creatives to ship their equipment instead of having someone pick it up. It's a model that should feel familiar, especially if you've used something like KEH to sell your gear. But the gang at BoxedUp is focusing on rentals.
So how do you use it?
Image: BoxedUp
- When you log onto BoxedUp's site and create an account, you'll list out the gear you'd like to rent out, such as your cinema camera and lenses, tripod, small light kit, microphone kit, etc.
- Your renter will put in the dates they need the equipment for and BoxedUp calculates the pricing and availability of the gear. Then the order is placed. It's easy to pack up and ship out the gear, and you are provided tracking information.
- Once your gear is shipped, you get paid.
- The renter will receive the shipped gear in two days, which is fantastic. What's also nice is that shipping and damage waivers are free.
- BoxedUp will also cover shipping and insurance to get your gear back to you with a pre-paid shipping label you'll include in the box(es).
Here is some more good news—BoxedUp provides $250,000 in lost and physical damage insurance, so if the renter breaks or loses your pricey camera, it will be replaced.
Donald Boone
BoxedUp compares itself to the likes of AirBnB or Turo, where you can rent out your home or car, respectively, to be used by someone traveling in the area.
If you're on the other side of the equation and have a project that requires a steep investment into getting the neccessary tools, you can rent that gear through BoxedUp. There is no need to buy that camera, set of lenses, support, lighting, and audio, nor do you need to rent from a traditional, and oftentimes expensive, rental house.
It feels exactly like a tradiational rental house, but you won't have to leave your home and deal with the baggage that comes with dealing with one.
In addition to production gear (including the cables and connectors needed), BoxedUp also specializes in podcasting tools for rent. As the radio-like medium continues to expand, renting the neccasary kits will help in getting your podcast off the ground.
We mentioned ShareGrid already, which has been around for a few years. That platform offers popular gear to rent and has expanded to include even homes and locations to rent for film and video projects. Unfortunatly, when renting with ShareGrid, shipping your equipment isn't an option yet. There's also BorrowLenses, which does offer shipped gear rentals and even places to pick up cameras and support, but it's not based on a community of gear owners like BoxedUp and ShareGrid.
Check out BoxedUp's site to try it out.
Boone and his team at BoxedUp recently closed a funding round of $2.3 million as they prepare to expand the site with more features and offerings, as well as expand their team.
