- Motherhood Melbourne
Parent-to-parent baby gear hire that benefits local parents
Travelling with kids can be stressful, but throw in the numerous gear that you need (especially with babies) and it all becomes a little "too hard basket." When Melbourne parents Eva and Tom, went on a holiday with their 4 month old son, they decided to ditch the load of bringing their own items and instead found a local family to hire the essentials from. It was this experience that sparked the idea of Tree Hut Village. Together, they created an easy, online system that allowed parents to hire equipment from other parents and parents to hire out their equipment to travelling parents. It is a win/win for both sides. Learn more about how this Melbourne couple have created a total game-changer for baby hire equipment and Australia and soon New Zealand.
An interview with Tree Hut Village founders – Eva and Tom.
1.Why did you create Tree Hut Village?
There’s so many mums who have so much baby gear and rather than sell it they could put it to good use and make it make money more often so that other parents can travel like they used to. I also really like the sustainability factor – the more families hire off local families, fewer items will go to landfills after one-time use.
2. How did Tree Hut Village begin?
It started when I was looking for baby equipment for their visiting niece and thought that hiring should be easier and more affordable. The idea really became more interesting when we went on holiday to the Whitsundays with our then four-month-old baby boy, Max. We wanted to avoid the hassle of travelling with lots of baby gear such as prams and travel cots. After searching online, we ended up hiring from a local family and thought that it would be amazing if this were a lot easier going forward.
We connected online and loved that our $30 would go to a local family. It sparked our desire to create something that provides families with the opportunity to travel more easily and also allow families to earn a bit on the side with no capital outlay.
3. How does Tree Hut Village make mother’s lives easier, better or brighter?
The convenience of hiring vs. buying for a trip is one of the key benefits along with being able to make money from stuff you already own (i.e. not having to carry your own baby gear, spending less on quality items for your travel period, less "one-off purchases" are sent to landfills and the baby gear is delivered to you – usually at no cost).
The key benefits for lenders are: • parents anywhere in Australia can list their item(s) online for free. • hiring out their baby items then becomes a little side income for them (I've made $350 in 4 weeks from having my items listed) • full control over who to lend to (gated process) • their items are also insured for public and product liability when handled via Tree Hut Village – we also offer a guarantee should there be any damage to the item. • no cash needs to be exchanged – everything is handled online by Tree Hut Village.
The key benefits for borrowers are: • delivery outside of office hours – most parents find it convenient to deliver their items in the evening or on weekends • you can hire the exact item you want – this is not always the case with rental companies • local interaction with a fellow parent who can give you tips on where to go with your children • it's more cost effective than traditional baby rentals in most cases • review based system gives confidence for the transaction • you have access to a big range of baby products and a big geographical area (i.e. availability also in remote areas and your suburb or a suburb close to you). This will get even better every day with more users signing up across Australia • no cash needs to be exchanged – everything is handled online by Tree Hut Village.
4. How does it make you feel when someone hires through Tree Hut Village?
and I love talking to our customers and solving their problems. Only recently a Nana from Hobart was looking for a baby capsule but couldn’t find a place that was hiring them out. I was able to source one for her and her granddaughter. It’s such a great feeling to know that you have helped – especially knowing how stressful travelling with little ones can be.
5. What is your most popular product that parents hire?
Most of our users would like to hire travel prams like the Babyzen YoYo and premium prams like the Bugaboos or Joolz. Other travel tiems like plane pals, CoziGo and travel cots are very popular also.
6. What’s the most common frequently-asked-question about Tree Hut Village?
Are you already operating Australia wide? The answer is yes! We started in Melbourne and are going to take it to NZ soon also.
7. Describe one thing mamas would be surprised about from behind-the-scenes of Tree Hut Village.
How long it takes to get a simple and easy website going and how long and complex the thought processes are to make something intuitive.
8. What aspect about Tree Hut Village do you love the most?
That mums can connect with other mums and that it benefits local families.
9. When you’re not in business mode, what do you love to do?
That mums can connect with other mums and that it benefits local families.
ABOUT TREE HUT VILLAGE
A parent to parent baby gear hire platform. Parents can list their unused baby gear and others can hire it off a local mum when travelling.
Biz owners: Eva and Tom
Coffee order: Flat White, full cream, no sugar.
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MOTHERHOOD MELBOURNE
Are you a Melbourne mover & shaker? Does your biz make mother's lives easier, better and brighter? We'd love to showcase your dreams and help Melbourne mums on their quest to shop small and support locals. Have a look at our Let's Work Together page for more info.