News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Ask HN: Has a startup ever tried renting out women's shoes? by tylerwl on Thursday February 02, 2012 @10:44AM (#3543087)
RentMeAHandbag.com seems to be the only site that offer women's shoe rentals. However, instead of a queue system, they offer weekly or monthly rentals. From the page I checked out, they're quite pricey ($279/week or $558/month for Manolo Blahnik pumps).

ShoeDazzle.com ($60M in funding) offers more of the type of service you described. However, instead of rentals, members pay $40 a month to receive a new pair of shoes selected by a Hollywood stylist.

It's also worth noting that in a 2011 interview, RentTheRunway.com ($30M in funding) said their future plans may include "product lines like shoes" - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870337340457614...

Re:Ask HN: Has a startup ever tried renting out women's shoes? by Zimahl on Thursday February 02, 2012 @02:03PM (#3544001)
Handbags can also be rented at bagborroworsteal.com, I think you can buy used ones there too. I find it weird that I know about rentable handbags.

Handbags are one thing, women tend to take pretty good care of them. Shoes are a tougher sell. Sizing is all over the place. Wear and tear can be inconsistent. Knock-offs are close enough in quality that most women don't care. The profit margins might be too low to be worth your time.

Then there's the 'icky' factor. People don't mind wearing bowling shoes because they wear socks with them. Women don't wear socks in high-fashion shoes and might be quite apprehensive using rentals even if they are disinfected.