The honest answers.

What can I hire?

What can't be listed on Gear Envy?

Do I pay a bond when I hire?

It depends on the gear, and the listing tells you before you book. Gear with a replacement value of $500 or more always comes with a bond. Below that, it's the owner's call. Either way, the owner sets the amount. A bond is a temporary hold, not a charge. It's held on your card at the handover, once you and the owner both confirm in the app that you're there, and released after the gear comes back in good condition. No bond means nothing extra is held, but you're still responsible for the gear under the hire agreement.

What happens if gear is damaged?

If an owner has set a bond, it is held on the hirer's card, and the owner can open a claim against it within 48 hours of the return being confirmed, or of the scheduled return if that's later. Both sides photograph the gear at pickup and return, so a Gear Envy reviewer, acting as the owner's agent, works from a clear record, and a scratch that was already there shows up in it. A loss can be more than the bond. how trust works for the full process.

Is the gear insured?

No, and we won't call it that. Gear Envy is a marketplace with an owner-set bond hold and a documented claims process, not an insurance product. We'll always be honest about that: the bond and claims wording on the app describes what the platform actually does, and nothing more.

How do I get the gear?

Pickup from the owner, at a time you both agree. The pickup address shows once your booking is approved and paid. At the handover you both tap I'm here in the app, any bond is held, and you walk the gear together and take timestamped condition photos. The owner's screen turns to a green go-ahead once all of that is done, and the gear changes hands then, not before. Two minutes, total clarity at both ends. Launch is pickup-only; delivery is on the roadmap, coming soon.

What if I need to cancel?

Each owner picks a cancellation tier for their listing: Flexible, Moderate or Strict, and it's shown on the listing before you book. The cancellation policy sets out what each tier refunds and when. If the hire before yours is running late coming back and the new pickup time won't work for you, you can cancel from the booking for a full refund, service fee included, with no cancellation fee. If the owner can't go ahead, they can cancel without a fee and you're refunded in full.

How long can I hire for?

On gear under $500 you can book up to 14 days, and extend to 21 days in total. Everything else can be booked for up to 7 days. Each listing shows its own limit next to the calendar, and some owners set a minimum too.

Can I keep the gear longer?

Yes, while you have it. Ask for more days from your booking page. The owner has 12 hours to accept. If they do, your saved card is charged straight away for the extra days at the same daily rate, plus the service fee. To go past 7 days in total, a new bond hold goes on your card first, covering the extra days, and your current hold is released once it's on. The owner is asked after that. Gear under $500 can be kept for up to 21 days in total.

The owner would rather I brought it back a day or two later. Is that OK?

Yes. Either of you can suggest a return time up to 3 days after the paid return day, and it locks in once you both agree. There's no extra cost and no late fee for those days.

What if the owner doesn't answer my request for more days?

After 12 hours, or at the agreed return time if that's sooner, the request lapses and the original return stands. Message the owner, or bring the gear back as planned.

Do I get money back if I return it early after extending?

No. Like the rest of the hire, extra days you've paid for aren't refunded if the gear comes back early.

What does it cost to hire?

Owners set their own daily rates. At checkout you see a clean breakdown: the hire price, a 5% service fee (minimum $2) for using Gear Envy, and you'll see the total before you pay. Any bond is a separate hold on your card (a temporary hold, not a charge). The bond and claims process is not an insurance product.

What does it cost to lend my gear?

Nothing to list. When a hire goes ahead, Gear Envy takes a 15% commission, so you keep 85% of your listed price. The hirer's service fee is on top of your rate and never comes out of your share.

Is there a launch offer for owners?

Yes: 0% commission on your first hire, when it's booked by 15 December 2026. That's the first 30 days after we open on 16 November 2026. It counts once per owner: your first booking that goes ahead, and the 0% is locked in on that booking when it's made, even if you're paid after the offer ends. After that, the standard commission applies. Hirers pay the same price either way.

When and where does Gear Envy open?

Greater Sydney and the Central Coast first: anywhere within about an hour of the CBD, from the Northern Beaches and the North Shore to the Inner West, Surry Hills, Parramatta, Penrith and the Sutherland Shire, plus the Central Coast, from Woy Woy and Gosford to Terrigal, The Entrance and Wyong. The upper Blue Mountains, the outer Hawkesbury and southern Wollondilly come next. The waitlist is open to anyone, anywhere; at launch, listing and booking unlock for the launch postcodes first, and new areas open from there. The waitlist hears first.

Why is my message flagged?

Phone numbers, emails and bank details are hidden in Gear Envy messages, before and after a booking. Keeping it all here means we have the full record if anything goes wrong, so we can help sort it out. Messages that look like an attempt to pay or deal off-platform are flagged too: the bond and the claims process depend on payments staying on Gear Envy.