Hacking NetFlix

Surfboard Fins by Mail

The Surfboard Warehouse now rents surfboard fins by mail, an interesting application of the Netflix business model. The Finatic program costs $39.95 per month:

Pick the top three fin sets that you’d like to test – don’t worry, you can change your top three at any time! After picking your top three, you’ll receive a set within just a few days. Keep the fins AS LONG AS YOU WANT. SURF on them WHEREVER you want.

When you’re done testing the fins simply send them in back in the prepaid envelope provided. Once we receive the fins back, we will ship out your next set of fins! ALL SHIPPING IS COVERED BY THE MONTHLY FEE.

via Surfing Magazine.

BlingYourself: Rent Jewelry By Mail

I'm wondering if this is an April Fool's joke, but BlingYourself claims to rent jewelry by mail, similar to how Netflix rents DVDs. BlingYourself was featured on the the Today Show (about 4 minutes into the video):

BlingYourself prices start at $24, and they charge a weekly fee of approximately 10% of the value of an item, such as a Rolex watch or diamond.

via Kalyan.

DVD Yashir Delivers DVD-by-Mail in Israel

The Big Felafel reports that DVD Yashir is the Netflix of Israel.

If you can get past the distractions and navigate your way through the site, you’ll learn that they sell and rent movies, and claim to be offering video rental in the “American style” with different fixed monthly rental plans. The cheapest plan costs 19 shekels for the first month and then 59 shekels for every month after that but doesn’t seem to include new releases. They let you keep a movie as long as you like and request new movies as often as you like, and like Netflix, it runs through the mail. But, let’s play this scenario out logistically in Israel. Just thinking about finding the nearest mailbox that would fit a dvd or attempting to go to the post office at a time when it’s open is starting to give me an anxiety attack.

BabyPlays: Netflix for Toys

Forbes has the story about BabyPlays, a Netflix-like toy rental service.

Customers pay $28.99 a month to get four toys a month for three months and $35.99 a month to get six toys a month for three months. Families willing to sign a yearlong contract can get six toys a month for $31.99.

Baby Plays' inventory includes popular toys by brands such as VTech, LeapFrog and Playskool as well as more obscure European manufacturers. Pope keeps at least seven of each kind of toy in stock so she can fulfill almost every request. She plans to double her inventory over the next two months.

Netflix Your Laundry?

Startup a Day proposes a Netflix-like service for laundry (he really hates to do laundry).

Today’s idea is a clothing rental service that delivers clean, “like-new” clothes right to your door. Users could sign up for the service, browse through a large selection of clothing online, and add clothes to their queue. The clothes would be delivered within a few days, and when you are done wearing them, you would return it via a pre-paid envelope. Once the company receives the clothes, they would ship out the next clothes in your queue.

It may seem like a silly idea, but Netlaundry.com is already taken.

Netflix Your Reciepts with Shoeboxed

Mashable reports that Shoeboxed, a beta online service that helps you organize your receipts, now offers a prepaid mail-in envelope program so you can send in your physical receipts.

Shoeboxed is one of those web-based tools that helps you organize your life–namely your finances. With a provided email address for you to submit your online transaction receipts, newsletters, updates, etc., Shoeboxed tracks and organizes your expenses accordingly. See initial coverage here. Now there’s a new tool from Shoeboxed, that will take a portion of its service into the offline world.

Instead of restricting you to online transactions and electronic receipts, you now have the option of mailing in your receipts for Shoeboxed to scan and enter into your accounts. The system is set up in a very similar to Netflix: you’ll gt a prepaid envelope every month for you to send in your receipts.

If you want to sign up, there is a special offer on Mashable.

Paperspine - Books via the Netflix Rental Model

John Cook at the Seattle Pi writes about a new book rental service, Paperspine.

Paperspine is trying to do for books what NetFlix did for DVDs. In fact, Dustin Hubbard -- the Microsoft program manager who co-founded the Issaquah startup on a leave of absence this past summer -- said he was inspired by the online movie rental company when he came up with the idea.

It happened one night while putting a book into a crowded night stand. Hubbard, who has spent 10 years at Microsoft, started wondering why he simply couldn't return the book for another, a la NetFlix.

The online book rental service was born. Paperspine launched last week with 150,000 paperback titles and four subscription plans, ranging from $9.95 to $24.95 a month. (Hardbacks are to be introduced later this month.)

BorrowLenses: Yet Another Camera Lense by Mail Company

BorrowLenses is another company that uses the Netflix business model to enable you to rent camera lenses by mail (we covered RentGlass last year).

Since the Netflix vs. Blockbuster debate is always interesting to watch, why not discuss your preference: Nikon vs. Canon?