FAQs

Overview

What is ecoBorrow?
ecoBorrow is a place where friends and neighbors can come together in a secure online environment and "borrow" one another's items. 

How much does it cost?
Membership into ecoBorrow costs $20 per year, but can be reduced or eliminated when you successfully refer new, active members to the Site.

Why did you create ecoBorrow? 
Ultimately, we created ecoBorrow to assist in addressing two significant societal problems. First, by helping individuals save money at a time when they are feeling the impact of a global recession. Second, by encouraging individuals to do their part to improve the environment by reducing the consumption of goods, and by reusing items that can be borrowed from a friend or a neighbor. ecoBorrow developed a better way to share our rarely used possessions with our friends, family and neighbors.

How is ecoBorrow eco-friendly?
Remember learning about the 3 R's of the environment when you were in grade school? Reducing waste, Reusing products, and Recycling items are important ways to go green. Going green means changing our lifestyles to protect the environment in ways that also protect our health. You can Reduce waste by using less and throwing away less. You can Reuse products to prevent waste and improve our communities. ecoBorrow allows our members to Reuse useful products that might be discarded by people who no longer want or need them so they can be shared with people who do. You can also Recycle items to get the maximum value from them rather than disposing them in the trash. ecoBorrow will get you started with going green and remind you of the importance of the 3 R's. You may think your actions are small, but small changes can add up to big differences.

How else does ecoBorrow plan to help the environment?
We are committed to doing our part, as a company, in helping the environment. In the future, upon reaching certain milestones, we intend to partner with several eco-friendly websites as well to donate to environmentally conscious causes.

Items

How do I list my items?
When you are logged in, you can choose "create item" from the drop down menu under "my items."  Also, from the my items page, you can click the "Create a New Item" button in the upper right corner of navigation.

Can I rent or sell my items?
ecoBorrow was built to allow our users to borrow from each other without any rental fees or late fees. If you wish to sell an item to another user, you may do so on your own terms. We are open to enhancing our website in the future to allow members to sell items they do not wish to own, but as of right now we are concentrating on building our sharing platform.

Can I search for an item to borrow?
Once you are logged in, you can access simple search function in the top right corner each page. Since all of ecoBorrow's groups are completely private, your desire to search is limited to the groups in which you belong. This way, we protect your privacy and security.

What can I do if I don't want people to know what I own?
In this situation, you have two choices. First, you can restrict which of your items you want to make available to a certain group. Second, you can remove yourself from the group and then create a new group with people you want to invite.

What happens when an item is damaged or broken when it is borrowed?
Ideally, we would like all members to behave like adults and to return things on time and in the same shape as they were received. We realize that this might not be the case 100% of the time, but we expect everyone to use common sense when it comes to using other people's belongings. If your use of materials from this site results in the need for servicing, repair, replacement or correction of equipment or data, you assume any and all costs.

Groups

What is a group?
An ecoBorrow group is a place where friends and family can come together in a secure online environment and "borrow" one another's items.

Who can create a group?
Anyone. You will become the group administrator when you establish a group. You can create a group among your friends family, neighborhood, a church group or any other local organization or network.

What control does a group administrator have?
As the administrator, you will create a group name and define the characteristics of the group. You also have the power to remove other members from a group, as you deem see necessary. Lastly, you may also assign the admin role to another member for any reason.

Which group can I join?
You can only join a group you were invited to or you can create your own group and invite others who you would like to network with. This way, the groups are kept private so you are only sharing your possessions with people you know directly or through someone else in that group.

Who can invite others to join a group?
The group administrator and other members of that group all have the ability to invite new members to their group who fit the characteristics as defined by the group administrator.

Can I search to find a group to join in my neighborhood or community?
No. Due to the privacy, safety and security concerns of our members, we will not allow users the ability to search for a group to join. You can only join a group you were invited to or you can create your own group and invite others who you would like to network with. The bottom line is that we don't think it is very realistic that many people are willing to lend to someone they don't know on the other side of town. That is why it is necessary to create private groups with people you know directly or through someone else in the group.

Can I leave a group at any time?
Yes. You may voluntarily leave a group for any reason and at any time.

Membership

Why am I charged a fee?
ecoBorrow is a for-profit company and instead of bombarding you with ads and other industry nonsense, we decided to create a web platform for a reasonable nominal fee. We've all heard the saying, "You get what you pay for". Well, ecoBorrow is committed to to providing the best online, sharing platform.

How can I get my fee waived?
Your future annual fee will be based on how many people you refer to ecoBorrow. Once five (5) of your referrals become active registered users of the Site, your ongoing annual fee will be reduced to $10.00 for the life of your membership with ecoBorrow. Once ten (10) of your referrals become active registered users of the Site, your account will be free of charge for the life of your membership with ecoBorrow.

Will my fee ever go back up after I receive a discount?
No. Once you reach the respective discount levels of five (5) or ten (10) referrals, your cost will never go back up. Even if one of your referrals ends up cancelling his or her account, it does not negatively affect your referral count.

Will my fee ever increase?
No. Your fee will never increase from the level at which you signed up. ecoBorrow reserves the right to change our fee schedule in the future for any reason, but it will only affect new members.

What is the difference between a 'trial' and 'active' membership?
'Trial' status is a member who is in their thirty (30) day trial period. 'Active' status is a member who has gone through the trial period with ecoBorrow and has paid their initial membership price.