Renting out my camera and lens kit on ShareGrid
The kit I already own for freelance work now pays for itself twice a month while I sleep.
How it works
Working photographers and small production companies rent gear they don't own for one-off jobs. Peer-to-peer platforms like ShareGrid and KitSplit handle payments, insurance and vetting. A modest $12k kit clears $600-1,000/mo in busy metros with almost no work per rental.
Step by step
- 1Audit your current gear at insured replacement value. If you don't have $8-15k of desirable equipment (Sony/Canon cine bodies, fast primes, wireless audio), buy or wait.
- 2List on ShareGrid and KitSplit simultaneously. Both are free to list; each pushes different renters.
- 3Photograph each item on a neutral background with the serial number visible. Buyers filter by exact model.
- 4Write listings in cinematographer language: 'Sony FX3 body only, 8K firmware, 2 batteries, dual XQD included, $110/day / $330/week'.
- 5Price 20% below rental-house day rates. You win on being local and same-day; rental houses win on selection.
- 6Require ShareGrid Coverage or KitSplit Insurance on every rental. Never rent uninsured, not even to friends.
- 7Screen renters: read reviews, verify job type, ask for the production name. Decline anyone whose profile is 3 days old with no reviews.
- 8Meet handovers in person at a coffee shop with a printed condition report. Photograph every side of every item at pickup and dropoff. Both parties sign.
- 9Charge a $250 cleaning fee if gear comes back with sand, moisture or sensor dust. Enforce it consistently; renters respect it after one incident.
- 10Reinvest first year's rental income into 2-3 in-demand items you don't own (wireless follow-focus, matte box, on-camera monitor). Bundles rent for 2x individual sums.
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