Would you rent a $14,000 DAC for $75 per day?


Would you rent an expensive DAC? I have a lot of expensive gear sitting around unused. That got me thinking... could I rent out my hifi gear when I'm not using it?

 

For example, Mola Mola Tambaqui is an amazing DAC. Instead of purchasing it new, or used, why not rent it for $75/day for a minimum of 5 days? Plus shipping of course. I'd credit card hold a refundable deposit (about 10% of the component value).

 

The benefit to this - there are zero obligations to buy. Just pay the rental fees, try it out for as long as you'd like, pack it up in its Pelican case, then return it with an included prepaid shipping label.

 

The benefit to me - generate some cashflow on my equipment and support my retirement;)

audio_bidder

Showing 2 responses by audio_bidder

Thanks for all the brutal replies. Lots of shade, but I still like the idea. This business model is not without precedent. 
 

Food for thought - I can rent a Leica M11 camera (MSRP $8000) from Lensrentals.com  - $67/day for 7 days. They don’t take a deposit, but do offer optional insurance to limit my liability. It’s shipped to my house in a Pelican case (roughly the size of the Tambaqui Pelican case) for $25 each way FedEx 2 day. 

Could I purchase the Leica from a retailer with a 30 day return policy? Yes, but I’d be putting $8000 down and be expected to follow through. I’d rather rent it for a week, decide if I like it, then purchase preowned for a $3000 discount.

@thecarpathian the liability contract lensrentals.com uses is good. It puts an emphasis on the lessee handling the gear with care. If the lessee is negligent and breaks something, they’d be on the hook to pay for repairs performed by a 3rd party or internally. Lessee can limit their liability by purchasing affordable insurance coverage. As far as a tax paying entity, I’d have to make some real money first, but yes if I generated income I’d form an LLC and pay taxes appropriately. Side benefit- a $14,000 DAC would then be considered a business purchase, a $14,000 tax write off to offset income from the business. 
 

Side tangent - I truly appreciate all the feedback, you’ve made valid points that I didn’t previously consider. However, I’m not dissuaded. When I started real estate investing 10 years ago, family and friends pointed out all the things that could go wrong, but I did it anyway. “Tenants won’t pay and there’s nothing you can do about it! They’ll destroy your property! Debt is risky!” But I still pursued it. And it’s one of the best decisions of my life. It’s allowed me to retire decades early and brainstorm other hair-brained business ideas;)

 

Not saying this is the same as real estate (RE appreciates). But folks, you can rent virtually anything - cars, dump trailers, DJ equipment, $50k RED cinema cameras, boats, Ferraris, someone’s personal house, etc. Seems like the only thing you can’t rent is hifi gear.