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Idea

An app or website to recycle items from past hobbies

Image credit: Photo by Cogua Kiteboading from Pexels

Contrived _voice

Contrived _voice Dec 17, 2021

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why?
Stuff from old hobbies tends to lay around as clutter. the more things you try the more clutter you collect. On the other hand, some of these things are too expensive for some to afford, and finding new things to try on a tight budget is increasingly hard.
Solution
Create a website or application for sharing and trading of used items. Say I bought a guitar but I don't play anymore. Instead of it laying around I could trade it in for a pottery set. In the process, you get to experience a new hobby, Save money on buying new things and everything gets maximum utility. All that remains are shipping fees which are relatively low compared to the cost of new items. Consequently, by replacing throwing things in the trash with recycling we reduce our carbon footprint saving the planet.

hobbies online platform

1

Creative contributions

Timeshare

Spook Louw

Spook Louw Dec 18, 2021

I like this idea, there's no way of really knowing if you enjoy something, or are good at something, without trying it. For a lot of hobbies, this means you have to invest in the right gear. 
I think another way to approach this problem is to form a group of friends, or even perhaps create a platform to connect strangers, who can then collectively buy the necessary equipment for a variety of hobbies which could then be rotated between the members of the group so that for a fixed amount everyone is able to spend a set amount of time trying out different activities to see if they stick.
For this to work, everyone in the group should be of a similar size and there should be some kind of insurance in case one member damages a piece of equipment. It would also be easier if all members live near eachother. The gear could be rotated on a predetermined basis, let's say every member gets to keep it for a year (to allow for seasonal activities), after a year the equipment is rotated and you would have another year to try out something new. Not only does this allow you to try out a number of different activities for the same amount you would normally spend on one activity, but it might also get you to try certain activities that you might not have done otherwise, since you have the equipment in any case. 
Apart from being a good option for adults, I can imagine parents benefitting from such a system or platform immensely, as children tend to be curious and eager to try out new hobbies or sports, but also tend not to stick with many of them. 
After a full rotation, members could be offered a chance to buy the equipment to keep, or everything is sold and the earnings could be split between the members. 
As an example, 5 people could form a group and between them buy all the necessary equipment for surfing, mountainbiking, photography, playing guitar and snowboarding. Then, over a period of five years, each member would have a year to try out each activity.  

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Gompachiro yuuji

Gompachiro yuuji3 years ago

I had not even thought about the children. That's a really good sugestion.  The rorational ownership is great too and I think a way to trade equipment between diferrent rotational groups would enhance the experience

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Spook Louw

Spook Louw3 years ago

Gompachiro yuuji Thanks, for the children, major school sports probably won't work, because they won't want to be rotating between only one per year, most kids participate in a number of team sports during the same seasons, but it could definitely be useful for allowing them to try more niche hobbies. Instruments are some of the main things that come to mind when thinking of activities children often want to attempt but end up leaving after a while. With a system/platform like this, a child could have an opportunity to be exposed to a number of instruments before deciding which, if any, he/she would like to continue with.

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Darryl Koh Yuan Jie

Darryl Koh Yuan Jie3 years ago

I think this is a great step forward! However, I think it would be only feasible for hobbies that feature really expensive equipment, for example, snowboarding or even skydiving etc. It might not be feasible for acitivities that do not require such expensive equipment(basketball). Furthermore, it is perhaps more likely that more people are interested in cheaper sports like basketball as compared to snowboarding. That would mean it might be difficult to connect strangers via location along with their interest. However, I believe that is what this app is for, to bridge the gap between price and interest.
To add on, unless it is your intention, the app or webstite should differentiate itself from other existing online marketplace such as Carousell or Olio. Carousell functions as a online marketplace where users can sell their own items while Olio is more of a free trade online marketplace where user can give away unwanted items for free. I would imagine it to be some form of collective membership that funcitons more as a group as compared to solely an individual!

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General comments

jnikola

jnikola3 years ago

It's definitely a good idea and I would use it myself. Did you think about how would the platform finance itself? Since it would be trade-based, no money would circulate through the platform. Although that is good for the users, makes it a cool solution, and an easily implementable option, it presents a problem for the platform itself. I suppose you would do the advertising on the platform or similar sort of financing?

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Spook Louw

Spook Louw3 years ago

J. Nikola Otherwise subscriptions or donations often keep these kinds of programmes alive as the company would not need much in the form of human capital. Once it's built it shouldn't require much work. 

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