Blog

Rental insights and gear strategy

Practical guides on rental ROI, equipment portfolio decisions, and getting more from your Sharegrid business.

Why Production Companies Track Rental ROI
Featured
Industry TrendsMarch 26, 2026

Why Production Companies Track Rental ROI

Why more production companies are tracking per-item rental ROI in 2026, what changed in the economics of gear ownership, and how to start.

Read article →7 min read
Best Rental Management Software for Film (2026)
Equipment ROIApr 6, 2026

Best Rental Management Software for Film (2026)

The best equipment rental management software for filmmakers, rental houses, and production companies compared. Most are overbuilt. One is not.

Read article →12 min
Rental Tracking: Sharegrid vs. Analytics Tools
Sharegrid StrategyApr 3, 2026

Rental Tracking: Sharegrid vs. Analytics Tools

What Sharegrid's built-in dashboard actually shows you, where it falls short, and what dedicated rental analytics tools add to the picture.

Read article →7 min
Equipment Management for Indie Filmmakers
Rental BusinessApr 1, 2026

Equipment Management for Indie Filmmakers

A practical guide to managing production equipment as an independent filmmaker, from tracking what you own to understanding what earns its keep.

Read article →6 min
How Production Companies Offset Gear Costs
Industry TrendsMar 31, 2026

How Production Companies Offset Gear Costs

How production companies offset equipment costs by renting idle gear. How to set it up, what to expect, and how to track the return.

Read article →8 min
Running a Small Rental House: 2026 Numbers
Rental BusinessMar 24, 2026

Running a Small Rental House: 2026 Numbers

Overhead, margins, utilization targets, and financial benchmarks for small rental house operations. A reality check for owners already in the business.

Read article →8 min
Rental House Inventory: Buy, Keep, or Sell?
Equipment ROIMar 19, 2026

Rental House Inventory: Buy, Keep, or Sell?

A data-driven framework for rental house buy, hold, and sell decisions based on utilization rates, payback progress, and depreciation curves.

Read article →9 min
Is Renting Your Camera Gear on Sharegrid Worth It in 2026?
Equipment ROIMar 17, 2026

Is Renting Your Camera Gear on Sharegrid Worth It in 2026?

A data-driven look at what rental gear actually earns on Sharegrid, using real ROI figures from a working portfolio.

Read article →4 min
Camera Rental Business Plan: What to Include
Rental BusinessMar 13, 2026

Camera Rental Business Plan: What to Include

How to write a business plan for a camera rental operation. Market analysis, revenue projections, equipment strategy, and realistic expectations.

Read article →8 min
How to Start a Camera Rental Business from Home
Rental BusinessMar 11, 2026

How to Start a Camera Rental Business from Home

A practical guide to building a real camera rental business from your home. From LLC formation to inventory strategy to tracking profitability per item.

Read article →8 min
RED vs ARRI vs Sony: Which Earns Most?
Gear GuidesMar 6, 2026

RED vs ARRI vs Sony: Which Earns Most?

Comparing rental demand, daily rates, and return on investment across the three major cinema camera ecosystems to help you decide where to invest.

Read article →11 min
The Best Camera Gear to Buy for Rental Income in 2026
Gear GuidesMar 4, 2026

The Best Camera Gear to Buy for Rental Income in 2026

Which cameras, lenses, and accessories earn the most on Sharegrid? A practical guide to building a rental kit that pays for itself.

Read article →7 min
How to Calculate Whether Your Camera Kit Has Paid for Itself
Crew Kit FeesFeb 27, 2026

How to Calculate Whether Your Camera Kit Has Paid for Itself

A payback framework for crew members who charge kit fees. Learn how to calculate whether each piece of gear in your kit has earned back its purchase price.

Read article →7 min
Build a Kit That Pays for Itself: Crew Guide
Crew Kit FeesFeb 25, 2026

Build a Kit That Pays for Itself: Crew Guide

How to strategically build your equipment package based on what productions actually need, what you can charge, and how fast each item earns back its cost.

Read article →8 min
Tracking Kit Fee Income: Why It Matters
Crew Kit FeesFeb 19, 2026

Tracking Kit Fee Income: Why It Matters

Most crew members have no idea which gear has earned its keep. Why tracking kit fee income per item changes how you buy, sell, and price equipment.

Read article →7 min
Kit Fee Pricing Guide: How Much to Charge
Crew Kit FeesFeb 13, 2026

Kit Fee Pricing Guide: How Much to Charge

2026 rate benchmarks for camera, lighting, drone, and audio kit fees. How to set your rate, justify it to productions, and know when to raise it.

Read article →8 min
What Is a Kit Fee? Guide for Camera Crew
Crew Kit FeesFeb 11, 2026

What Is a Kit Fee? Guide for Camera Crew

Kit fees are how crew members get paid for bringing their own gear to set. What to include, how to price it, and why tracking matters.

Read article →7 min
Tax Guide for Equipment Rental Income
Rental BusinessFeb 4, 2026

Tax Guide for Equipment Rental Income

Taxes on equipment rental income and kit fees. Which deductions to claim, how depreciation schedules work, and when Section 179 applies.

Read article →9 min
Best Way to Track Rental Income for Taxes
Rental BusinessJan 29, 2026

Best Way to Track Rental Income for Taxes

How to track equipment rental income for taxes. What records to keep, which expenses are deductible, and why tracking tools save hours at tax time.

Read article →9 min
Sharegrid vs. Renting Direct: Which Makes More Money?
Rental BusinessJan 23, 2026

Sharegrid vs. Renting Direct: Which Makes More Money?

Comparing peer-to-peer rental platforms like Sharegrid against direct bookings. When each approach makes sense and how to track income across both.

Read article →6 min
Sharegrid Alternatives: Rental Platforms (2026)
Sharegrid StrategyJan 21, 2026

Sharegrid Alternatives: Rental Platforms (2026)

Equipment rental platforms compared: KitSplit, Fat Llama, renting direct, and local networks. How to choose the right platform mix for your gear.

Read article →8 min
Sharegrid vs Fat Llama vs KitSplit Compared
Rental BusinessJan 15, 2026

Sharegrid vs Fat Llama vs KitSplit Compared

An honest comparison of peer-to-peer equipment rental platforms. Fees, audience, insurance coverage, and which type of gear does best on each.

Read article →7 min
Equipment Utilization Rate: Why It Matters Most
Equipment ROIJan 9, 2026

Equipment Utilization Rate: Why It Matters Most

Revenue tells you what came in. Utilization rate tells you what sits idle. How to calculate it, what good looks like, and why it matters more than revenue.

Read article →9 min
When to Sell vs. Keep Renting Camera Gear
Equipment ROIJan 7, 2026

When to Sell vs. Keep Renting Camera Gear

Sell or keep renting? Use depreciation curves, booking trends, and payback data to make the right call at the right time for every piece of gear.

Read article →9 min
Equipment Rental Profit Margins: What to Actually Expect
Equipment ROIDec 18, 2025

Equipment Rental Profit Margins: What to Actually Expect

A realistic breakdown of profit margins in camera and production equipment rental. Gross versus net, what eats into your margins, and how to improve them.

Read article →8 min
Seasonal Trends in Camera Rental Demand
Industry TrendsDec 16, 2025

Seasonal Trends in Camera Rental Demand

Camera rental demand follows predictable seasonal patterns. Use these cycles to time purchases, adjust pricing, and plan for slow months.

Read article →8 min
How to Get More Bookings on Sharegrid
Sharegrid StrategyDec 10, 2025

How to Get More Bookings on Sharegrid

Practical, tested strategies to increase your Sharegrid booking rate. From listing optimization to pricing tactics to building repeat renters.

Read article →8 min
How to Set Rental Rates for Production Gear
Sharegrid StrategyDec 4, 2025

How to Set Rental Rates for Production Gear

How to set and adjust rental rates for production equipment. Market research, pricing models, discount structures, and when to change your rates.

Read article →9 min
Rental Management App vs. Spreadsheet
Rental BusinessDec 2, 2025

Rental Management App vs. Spreadsheet

Spreadsheets vs. dedicated rental management apps for camera owners. When a spreadsheet works, when it breaks down, and what to look for in an app.

Read article →8 min
Track Film Equipment Without a Spreadsheet
Rental BusinessNov 25, 2025

Track Film Equipment Without a Spreadsheet

Why spreadsheets fail for tracking rental equipment, what to use instead, and how to build a system that actually tells you which gear is making money.

Read article →6 min
How to Manage Rental Equipment Inventory
Rental BusinessNov 19, 2025

How to Manage Rental Equipment Inventory

How to manage your rental equipment inventory. Storage, labeling, condition tracking, availability management, maintenance, and insurance documentation.

Read article →8 min
How to Write a Rental Agreement for Camera Equipment
Rental BusinessNov 13, 2025

How to Write a Rental Agreement for Camera Equipment

How to write a rental agreement for camera equipment. What to include, when you need one, and how to protect yourself on and off platform.

Read article →8 min
How to Handle Damaged Rental Equipment
Rental BusinessNov 11, 2025

How to Handle Damaged Rental Equipment

What to do when a renter returns damaged gear. How platform protection works, what it doesn't cover, and how to protect yourself before it happens.

Read article →9 min
Rental Equipment Insurance Guide: What Owners Need to Know
Rental BusinessNov 4, 2025

Rental Equipment Insurance Guide: What Owners Need to Know

Insurance options for rental equipment owners. What Sharegrid's protection covers, what it doesn't, deductibles, claims, and insuring off-platform gear.

Read article →8 min
Passive Income from Camera Equipment: What Nobody Tells You
Rental BusinessOct 30, 2025

Passive Income from Camera Equipment: What Nobody Tells You

Renting camera gear is not truly passive. A realistic look at the time, effort, and risk involved, and how to minimize work while maximizing return.

Read article →8 min
Starting a Camera Rental Side Hustle
Rental BusinessOct 28, 2025

Starting a Camera Rental Side Hustle

A step-by-step guide to turning your existing camera gear into rental income. From listing setup to insurance to pricing to tracking your earnings.

Read article →9 min
How to Calculate ROI on Rental Equipment
Equipment ROIOct 21, 2025

How to Calculate ROI on Rental Equipment

Learn how to calculate return on investment for camera and production equipment rentals, with worked examples and the formulas that actually matter.

Read article →6 min
The Hidden Costs of Renting Out Camera Equipment
Equipment ROIOct 14, 2025

The Hidden Costs of Renting Out Camera Equipment

Platform fees are just the beginning. Insurance, maintenance, damage, downtime, and depreciation all eat into your rental profits. The full picture.

Read article →8 min
How Much Does Sharegrid Actually Pay?
Sharegrid StrategyOct 7, 2025

How Much Does Sharegrid Actually Pay?

A detailed breakdown of Sharegrid's fee structure, how payouts work, and what you actually take home after fees, discounts, and platform costs.

Read article →5 min
How Much Can You Make Renting Camera Gear?
Rental BusinessOct 1, 2025

How Much Can You Make Renting Camera Gear?

Realistic income expectations for renting cameras and production equipment on Sharegrid. What the numbers look like after fees, discounts, and downtime.

Read article →7 min
Equipment Rental Spreadsheet: What to Track
Rental BusinessSep 25, 2025

Equipment Rental Spreadsheet: What to Track

Build an equipment rental tracking spreadsheet that works. The columns you need, net earnings formulas, and when spreadsheets stop being enough.

Read article →8 min
How to Track Equipment Rentals: Complete Guide
Rental BusinessSep 18, 2025

How to Track Equipment Rentals: Complete Guide

Every method for tracking rental equipment income compared. Spreadsheets, dedicated software, and what actually works as your rental business grows.

Read article →8 min
How to Price Your Rental Equipment
Rental BusinessSep 16, 2025

How to Price Your Rental Equipment

A step-by-step pricing framework for camera and production equipment based on purchase cost, depreciation, market rates, and your target payback period.

Read article →9 min
Camera and Lens Depreciation Rates Explained
Equipment ROISep 9, 2025

Camera and Lens Depreciation Rates Explained

How fast do cameras, lenses, and production equipment lose value? Real depreciation data by category to help you plan purchases, rentals, and sales.

Read article →7 min
What Is a Shoot Day? Rental Pricing Explained
Industry TrendsSep 2, 2025

What Is a Shoot Day? Rental Pricing Explained

Sharegrid prices rentals in shoot days, not calendar days. How the conversion works, what multi-day discounts do to your earnings, and your true rate.

Read article →8 min
What Is Equipment Utilization Rate?
Equipment ROIAug 26, 2025

What Is Equipment Utilization Rate?

Utilization rate is the percentage of available days your gear is booked. How to calculate it, benchmarks to target, and why it drives smarter decisions.

Read article →9 min
What Is Rental ROI? How to Calculate It
Equipment ROIAug 19, 2025

What Is Rental ROI? How to Calculate It

Rental ROI tells you whether your gear is paying for itself. The formula, a real example, how depreciation factors in, and what good ROI looks like.

Read article →9 min

Stay in the loop

Get notified when we publish new articles and ship new features.

Ready to track your rental business?

Free during beta. No credit card required. Import your data and start seeing results in minutes.