As the Open Shed team go out and about, we often find people who are really enthusiastic about the idea of sharing their stuff or collaborative consumption but are really nervous when it comes to listing itself. So we’d like to take some time out to answer some common questions and concerns.

“I don’t know what to list!”

You first listing will be your hardest in a lot of ways because it means you’re new to Open Shed, listing and writing a description. The trick is not to over think the process.

Start with something super useful that only gets a look in on a semi-regular basis (or even once in a blue moon basis).

An example of this would be a drill or a lawn mower.

Both these items usually spend a lot of their life hanging around waiting for something to do, make life a lot easier than their manual alternatives and are not something everyone owns.

But beyond this…

“I don’t think people would want my stuff!” 

If you are really unsure, check the things people have posted as Wanted items because with the Wanted Listings you know someone somewhere needs that item.

As Vinko mentioned he was able to rent his tennis racquet, an item he hadn’t considered before he saw the Wanted listing. 

An example of an extremely hot ticket item members want are iPads- especially in Sydney.  And as extra proof, the iPad in Melbourne is proving to be a hot rental item.

Being a startup, Open Shed is constantly talking to other businesses who would also like to use Open Shed to rent iPads for testing, demos or seeing if they will work well for business.

So armed with this knowledge the last hurdle remaining is…

“I don’t know what to say in the listing!”

Our best advice is break it down and don’t worry about super long descriptions or awesome photography. In a description, the main things people want to know are:

a) The condition of your item

b) Its features (if applicable)

c) What you use it for

You can even use the headings to break it down to cover all bases. And feel free to use a stock photo if you don’t feel fantastic about your photography skills.  

A perfect example is Tania’s ladder in South Perth, WA. http://www.openshed.com.au/listings/290-rent-awsome-ladder-south-perth

Tania has included a few photos of her ladder, included a line on the near new condition of the ladder and its positioning in 20 different ways as its features. And Tania seems keen, warm and friendly- even though the listing is really fairly simple.

Any owners who have ladders would know how handy they are for changing light bulbs, cleaning cobwebs and gutters and so on. Anyone who needs one but doesn’t have room for a ladder knows how frustrating it can be.

To help you get over the listing jitters, Open Shed is also considering offering workshops, personalised help or even listing day events so we’d love to hear your thoughts- and your tips- on how we can make listing rentals and/or wanted items easier for you. Feel free to hit us up on Twitter, Facebook or in the comments below this blog.