@rom_sh - glad to see the idea is resonating! Totally understand that the pricing might seem a bit high. We actually just implemented a new sliding price scale that will change the pricing based on the length of your rental. For example, a 12 month rental will be much less expensive than, say, a 3 month rental. Regardless, as we grow, the prices will most certainly be coming down as we achieve greater economies of scale :)
@rom_sh@jay_reno You list Wayfair as an example furniture company. I bought a bed on there for less than $400 last year. So if your bed costs about that much for a year it doesn't make sense. The pricing should work for people that only plan to live in a city for a year, in my opinion. This makes sense for people sharing with friends and don't want to own a sectional couch. You should discount for bulk items too, this already exists as a service you've just 'startup-ized' it.
Report
@jay_reno Why wouldn't I just buy these things on Wayfair or Ikea or Article or JoyBird? The pricing seems too high to rent.
Report
@rom_sh@jay_reno@brackin Is there a rent-to-own option? That might be interesting to explore. Buying $400 bed doesn't really seem in line with what feather is trying to do since their items are generally a bit nice. Seems like the renting option might be an interesting way to try out a nicer item in your home while you're still deciding, but you know you don't want a cheap bed from IKEA. I like the concept and the convenience but modern isn't my style.
Thanks @katmanalac!
Feather (YC S17) is a furniture rental company, setting out to provide stylish, affordable furniture to people and startups that move frequently.
I've moved 5 times in 6 years living in New York, and each time I spent an overwhelming amount of time at IKEA buying, schlepping, and assembling furniture I didn't exactly want. And at the end of each lease, I found myself with furniture that didn't travel well to my new apartment, and was often forced to scrap it, only to return to IKEA again to furnish my new apartment.
It was a vicious cycle of buying things I didn't really want, that didn't really last - and I'm sure many of you have gone through the same trouble.
That's why I created Feather - the best way to remove yourself from the burden of furniture. Click a few buttons and your furniture is delivered, fully assembled and placed in the the room of your choice. When you're ready to move, click a button and we'll come and pick it up.
We're excited to help people live more freely and flexibly. Feedback openly welcomed!
Thanks all,
Jay, Founder & CEO
@katmanalac@jay_reno I think that the vicious cycle of people posting 'your items are too expensive' and you needing to comment on every single one justifying *why* they are so expensive, is a really good example of how startup founders can look customer feedback in the face and say, 'you're wrong.' And I hate to be harsh, but that's why I can never see this taking off. You can't be on your site all day every day explaining to every potential customer why you're so overpriced - just doesn't bode well for the future in my opinion.
Report
@katmanalac@jay_reno@macconnollyco Assumptions, Assumptions, Assumptions. Yes I agree that price is very important, but time and mindspace is even more since you don't own it and have to take care of it. Pretty much the same as buying or renting a home; buying is allways cheaper but with it comes other responsibilities.
Price is not going to win customers over, I agree, so messaging the "real value" is key. But there is a market for it, and it's fresh so people like @dessalindstrom are glad you made it! And also shows your entrepreneurial skill because you probably heared the arguments before, and decided to build it and test it out.
Congratulations on getting on PH, and to throw in a slogan that fits;
Mo forniture, Mo problems... :)
Only available in NYC and SF. Not even a whole country or state. Thanks anyway, but the rest of the world will have to stick to Craigslist and the local second-hand shops.
@oneweirdglobe - We have grand plans to be available across the country and globe. Alas, we had to pick a few places to start. If you're curious to stay in touch, let us know where you are and we'll put you on our shortlist to reach out once we've launched near you!
Report
Great idea. I think as this business scales, it will really resonate with people. I opened a coworking space and spent $8k+ on furniture without knowing whether or not the coworking business would survive in my town. This would have been a great option to have when starting the coworking space. But, I agree with some comments here about the prices being a little high. Best of luck!
@parkeragee - great idea, Parker. We've found that a number of growing startups and small businesses, especially with small to medium-sized offices, have benefitted tremendously by renting vs forking over thousands of dollars up front before they've found product/market fit. Hope the co-working space project went well!
You do realise that millennial can barely afford rent let alone splash out $400 a month on a bookcase. IKEA is cheaper than renting one of these for a month!
@robjbye - you're totally right! The bookcase on there was added as a request by one of our customers, wanting to rent that particular item. It's definitely above what most (read: all) younger people would be willing to spend on a bookcase per month. We do have a number of more well-funded companies that have a bit more money to spend than you or I, so that's generally where the "premium" furniture on our site is being rented. Thanks for your note - we'll make sure our prices stay as low as they can as we grow.
How are the delivery times calculated? Seems like a long wait when I can just go to IKEA the same day and grab a desk. I could justify the high price per month if you provided a simple mobile app experience like Uber and delivered to my apartment the same day!
@garytokman great question! Some items we have in stock and can deliver to you as soon as the next day. Other items we have to get from our furniture partners. To minimize the time to delivery for folks who might want something as quickly as possible, we've put together a quick delivery section, where everything can be delivered, fully assembled, in as little as 3 days.
This is a great idea @jay_reno! A friend of mine had this same startup idea about a year ago and worked through all the business modeling to understand it's viability. Have you solved how to capture residual value of your stock after it comes off rental? Can it be refurbished and re-rented or re-sold?
Report
I really don't understand this. You're renting stuff I can buy at Ikea for the monthly price you're renting it for (or near to it). What's the benefit? If I were to swap out my furniture every few months I could see doing this, but do people ever do that? The only thing I could see this working for would be when people launch a coworking space or something to reduce the cash outlay a little bit (But really only a little bit). But then you're not going to have very long term customers (If it's working they'll just buy the furniture to cut the burn rate).
Replies
Feather
Visor
Feather
Feather
List Your E-book
Feather
Feather
Figma
Feather
Philosophical Foxes
Feather
Feather
v0 by Vercel
Feather
Rheo for Apple TV
EXPADS