In addition to saving money, you will also be able to save space in your home.
Most children these days have too many toys, so much so that they pile up in their rooms. The numbers speak for themselves. According to the specialist magazine 60 Million consumerseach year in France, 110,000 tonnes of toys end up in the trash, and nearly 440,000 tonnes are stored in more than 28 million homes. Knowing that on average the duration of use of a toy is only eight months.
To avoid this waste, there is an alternative, which is also very profitable: toy rental. The French platform Lib&Lou launched into this market five years ago by offering monthly, quarterly or annual subscriptions for a certain number of toys. The concept is simple: a parent chooses, for example, the Chrysalis formula for 29.99 euros, they select 7 toys from more than 1,500 references and receive them at home or at a relay point. The child can use them as much as he wants and if he gets tired, he can ask his parent to exchange them at any time (limited to one exchange per month). He then places a new order and when going to collect it, he drops off the old toys. It’s that simple!
Of course, you’re probably wondering if it’s worth it from a financial standpoint. “The average price of a toy today in France is 25 euros, and with our first formula for 20 euros, you have 4 toys. Furthermore, if we take the average spending of families with children, there are approximately 600 euros spent on games per year and per household. With our formula of 4 games to rent, we are well below (240 euros per year, editor’s note)we are almost at the third”, Morgane Longon, founder of Lib&Lou, told us.
The packages offered are also aimed at different budgets: 4 toys and games for 19.99 euros per month, 7 for 29.99 euros and 10 for 39.99 euros. The prices are a little more advantageous if you choose the quarterly or annual option. In addition, the toys that are chosen are not limited in terms of price, Morgane Longon confirmed to us. “There are some that count in times two, because they are bulky. But among our references, the ones that are the most expensive are the counters, we cost between 60 and 70 euros,” explains the specialist. Here again, the consumer wins if he takes the basic formula at 19.99 euros and chooses a counter with three other toys.
As for the quality of the games, looking more closely at the articles available on the Lib&Lou site, we noticed that there are many very trendy references such as Ma Fabrique à Histoires – Lunii, Playmobil sets, the VTECH Discovery Tablet , My Book of Oxybul Nursery Rhymes, small musical instruments and wooden games. You even have the possibility of filtering the selection according to the age of the child, the type of game desired, the brand, the rating given by Internet users and the new features.
For the most skeptical, also know that all items are disinfected between each rental and if there is any breakage, this is taken care of 100%. Finally, if the child has a crush on a product, you can buy the game in question taking advantage of a certain discount, “which ranges from 10% to 70% depending on the number of times the toy has been rented. For example, if it is new and it has only been rented once, the discount will be 10%” , underlines the founder. Enough to make more thoughtful purchases and consume differently!