Dabbling in the world of power tools and body shops has never quite been one of my concerns, but I sure do know a lot of others who spend an ample amount of time and, of course, money, doing repairs themselves or dishing out tons to professionals.

As previously discussed at Fueled, start-ups like Airbnb are making the customer-to-costumer (C2C) business model work wonders for them. ToolSpinner, founded by Daniel Cole, is a service which functions on a consumer-to-consumer business model allowing for power tool rentals between owners and renters with competitive rates. BodyShopBids, founded by Brad Weisberg, functions in a parallel way with its own consumer-to-consumer edge, enabling one to simply type in his or her zip code, find local body shops, compare prices based on the type of repair needed, and make cost-effective decisions right from the comfort of home. If you are the owner of a body shop or have a gift for car repair this is an opportunity to register your business and start interacting directly with those afflicted with car repair woes - an effective way to build your reputation, no?

ToolSpinner

If you are an owner listing your precious power tool toys, you do not have to worry about listing fees - simply include a picture, model, serial number, and availability. After the listing phase is completed you will ideally receive rental requests and have the opportunity to scope them out by means of reviewing renter ratings and desired reservation times. User reputation is built upon a foundation of reviews, so garnering a positive rating is conducive to success. The renter is billed upon approval and it is then negotiated as to how the tool will be picked up and returned. For every successful rental transaction, your account will be credited the rental price; just be aware that there is a 20-percent service fee. You can either save up ToolSpinner credits for future rentals or have it paid out upon request.
Our minds will at some point frolic into the realm of what happens if or when things end up going awry - ToolSpinner provides a relatively sufficient answer to this. Toolspinner states on the website, "At the end of the rental period the renter must return the tool in good working order. Upon return, verify the condition of the tool. Damage in excess of reasonable wear will be covered under the ToolSpinner Assurance Program."

The Benefits of a C2C Platform

If you’re the service provider, all you need to provide is the platform to grease the wheels of buyer-and-seller interaction. The laborious modus operandi involved in completing a sale, like managing product inventory, order processing, and shipping, are essentially erased as you allow users to synthesize the terms of their respective transactions.

You are, of course, still earning a commission from those very transactions since you are supplying sellers with the means to list their items and services for sale. Purchase inquiries and requests can be received and tracked through the service provider’s website and, best of all, those who choose to becomes sellers have a built-in cushioning of insurance in the event anything goes wrong. There is something powerful in the idea of having a definite sense of agency, whether you are the owner of the C2C service or a user. One is not bound to the C2C provider and there is a great potential to use it as a means of building one’s reputation and taking off from there.

BodyShopBids

BodyShopBids is a completely free service that erases the time-consuming process of physically making rounds to get auto repair estimates. Instead, simply submit photos of your damage, VIN number, and short description of said damage in order to receive personal estimates by email. As of now, it seems that the platform only caters to dents and scratches, but the beauty of the consumer-to-consumer platform is that a further set of negotiations can be made between mechanic and client outside of the service platform if other damages exist.

BodyShopBids, like other similar services such as Airbnb, make it their duty to pre-screen users and continuously ensure that they are reviewed for quality assurance and customer satisfaction. Users also benefit from BodyShopBids helping to resolve a dispute if a shop decides to change the price without warning. The increasingly popular use of C2C platforms among start-up companies is truly giving wings to those of us who are delving into entrepreneurship or simply need an easy way to get a service done without extraneous hassle. They provide just the perfect amount of mediation while still allowing you to be the prime decision maker - quite the golden mean.