An online marketplace for borrowing and lending secondhand goods in Dubai

Have you ever caught yourself window shopping at a mall, pining over things you can’t afford? Or perhaps you blew your budget on a shiny new gadget, only to find out it wasn’t really worth the money? Maybe you’ve got some BBQ equipment languishing in the backyard crying out for use while you’re away over the summer?

Tnerit, a new Dubai-based online marketplace offers you the chance to try-before-you-buy everything from electronics to musical instruments to clothing, renting directly from other users.

For the moment, the marketplace skews more towards books and electronics, which makes sense as they are easier items to rent out, but there are a number of categories available including: Electronics, Home Garden & DIY, Holiday & Travel, Toys, Games, Hobbies & Party Supplies, Sports & Fitness, Appliances, Apparel, Music & Musical Instruments, and Books.

You can either choose to be a ‘Borrower’ or a ‘Lender’, the latter allowing you to make a little extra cash from that complete The X-Files series boxset that’s sat unused on your shelf for years.

Tnerit says that the app promotes sustainability, which might be a bit of a stretch, but we agree that it’s a clever way to potentially both earn and save money in a city where too often people buy things they don’t need in excessive quantities.

How does it work?

Tnerit works in a similar way to sites like Dubizzle, but rather than selling and buying secondhand goods, users can instead rent them out for a per-day fee.

Once you’ve downloaded the app and registered an account (you’ll need to supply your Emirates ID and a valid credit or debit card), you choose whether you want to be a ‘Borrower’ or a ‘Lender’.

If you’re looking to rent an item, you’ll be presented with a list of what’s available from the categories above. Each listing has a short description, photo, item location and the amount per-day that it will cost to rent.

You can then check the availability of the item and choose the length of time you’d like to rent it out for, complete with a cost breakdown. Tnerit will charge you an 11 per cent ‘Rental Fee’ for your trouble, and then it’s up to you to communicate with the lender to get the item.

Renting out your own stuff is just as easy. When in ‘Lender’ mode, you add the items you want to rent out (complete with photo, description etc) and set a price and date range for when they’re available.

Tnerit then takes the hard work out of the process, by blocking off availability to users once an item is already being borrowed.

We especially like how users can rate each other so that you can check whether the person you’re renting that baby stroller from is on the up-and-up.

Currently, Tnerit is only available to users in Dubai, but there are plans to expand the app to Abu Dhabi and Sharjah by 2019.

tnerit App is free (with In-App Purchases) and available now for iOS and Android smartphones.