Swiss Sharing Economy Platforms to Fight Waste and Save Money

Sharing is in no way a new concept in Switzerland, but thanks to the Internet and mobile apps, there are now many new ways to share everything from stuff, to space, to skills. Sharing economy platforms have made renting, reselling, sharing, and swapping in Switzerland easier than ever. Here, moneyland.ch gives you an overview of sharing economy platforms to use to find interesting new experiences and/or save money in Switzerland. Many of these also benefit society and the environment.

1. Cars

Online platforms Gomore and 2EM let you rent out your car, van, or camper directly to other people and rent vehicles directly from private people. A third platform, Mycamper, specializes in camper and caravan rentals between individuals. These platforms let you list your vehicles for rent at the prices you choose, and provide insurance (your regular Swiss car insurance does not cover your car when you rent it out). There is some effort involved, as you have to meet the renter in person and complete some formalities when the car is rented out and returned. The formalities (rental agreements, photographs to prove damages) are typically done using the provided mobile apps. Aside from letting you earn money with your car to help cover the costs of owning it, these sharing platforms also let you rent vehicles for less than what you would pay at rental car companies.

2. Bicycles

The Match My Bike platform lets you make your bicycle available to other people to use during times when you are not using it. In exchange, you get to use bicycles in many Swiss cities which are owned by other participants free of charge. You normally only pay a basic subscription fee to use the platform. Pumpipumpe is a non-profit sharing platform on which you can borrow and lend out bikes free of charge. You can find bicycles near you using the map on the community website and contact members via a messaging function. You can offer your own bicycles (or other items) for other people to use as well. If you want to earn money by sharing your bicycles, you can offer them for rent on Sharely. You can list items you want to rent out for free. The platform deducts a 20 percent fee from the rent you earn.

3. Rides

Blablacar and Hitchhike are two platforms for sharing rides in Switzerland. Blablacar is the most established, and has users all over Europe, so it can be used for international travel as well. Hitchhike focuses on pooling regular commuters more than individual rides. These carpooling services match drivers who are driving someplace with people who need a ride for the same route. Drivers can charge passengers money to help cover the costs of the trip.

Uber and its Swiss counterpart Vertt are a different animal. These let you use your private car as a taxi, with you as the chauffeur, and get rides from private chauffeurs. In Switzerland you have to get a taxi-class driver's license before you can drive for these platforms. But anyone can be a passenger, and you can often get cheaper rides than you would with conventional taxis.

4. Accomodation

Do you have a spare room or a caravan out back which you hardly use, or does your home sit empty when you go on vacations? Home sharing services like Airbnb, Holidaylettings, and Vrbo let you convert the unused home space in Switzerland into cash by renting it out to travelers and holidaymakers. You can generally list for free, but the platform deducts service fees from the rents you earn. You can find useful information about sharing your home in Switzerland here. Home sharing platforms are also a good place to find affordable travel accommodations. For long-term subletting or room rentals, take a look at real estate platforms like Homegate.

Couchsurfing communities are a different kettle of fish. When you sign up to one of these online communities, you make your home, guest room, couch, etc. available free of charge to other users who are visiting your area and need a place to stay. In exchange, other users let you stay with them at no cost. Free couchsurfing communities like Bewelcome and Trustroots and paid platforms like Couchsurfing and Warmshowers (for cyclists) have many members in Switzerland and around the world. If you can handle the relative intimacy of staying in other people’s homes and having them stay in yours, couchsurfing is the cheapest travel accommodation option there is. It is also a great way to expand your social circle.

Home swapping is similar to couchsurfing, except that you make your whole home available to other people, who make their entire home available to you. This is a good solution for vacations. Today, most home swapping platforms use a points system. Instead of having to find someone who wants to swap homes directly, you get “paid” with points when you let other participants use your home. You can then redeem the points whenever you want, for a property in a place you want to go to. The majority of home swapping platforms charge annual membership fees, but these are generally well worth it, especially if your home would sit empty while you are away, and you would otherwise pay for travel accommodations. Major home-swapping platforms available in Switzerland include Home Exchange and Homelink.

5. Clothing

Fashion sharing in Switzerland is still largely conventional, with used clothes being sold in charity stores and social media groups, or traded at local clothing exchanges. But there are a few dedicated Swiss clothes sharing platforms. Walkincloset lets you earn points by offering clothes on the platform, and you can redeem these points for clothes you want. There are also some platforms which let you rent out your clothes and rent fashion items from other people. Ragfair is one such sharing platform. Sharely is also an option for renting out certain items of clothing (specialized sportswear, for example). Swapping clothes to avoid buying new ones and renting out the clothes you have can save you money. It also helps the environment by lowering demand for newly-manufactured clothing.

6. Sports equipment

If your sports equipment sits in your closet or cellar most of the time, you could consider renting or lending it out. You could also consider borrowing or renting sports gear instead of buying it, especially if you change sports often or frequently try out new sports. Sharely is currently the biggest Swiss platform for renting out your sports equipment and renting sports equipment from other people. The Pumpipumpe community is a good place to share and borrow some kinds of sports gear free of charge.

7. Tools and appliances

You can rent out and rent tools, appliances, and machines on Sharely. Some basic home appliances and tools are available through Pumpipumpe.

8. Meals

Meal sharing platforms connect people who do not have time to cook, or do not want to, with private cooks who are happy to share the love. You can offer meals for money and buy meals from private people on platforms like Eats Homemade. The added work and cost required to add a few extra portions to your cooking is often minimal, and the money you earn can subsidize your grocery bill. On the other side of the deal, buying home-cooked meals is generally much cheaper than getting equivalent food from a restaurant or takeaway joint – particularly if you are health conscious or have special dietary needs.

International food experience platforms like Eatwith and Traveling Spoon can also be used in Switzerland. These let you offer hosted experiences like cooking classes and dinner parties and get paid for them, and enjoy meals offered by other private individuals.

9. Groceries

Sharing groceries is not for everyone but if you can handle the idea of using groceries which someone else is giving away, it can significantly lower your grocery spending. The online platform Foodsharing lets you find unused or unsold groceries being given away by people and businesses free of charge. As a member, you can also offer groceries to other users. Madame Frigo is another initiative to check out. It operates publicly-accessible refrigerators across Switzerland. You can place good-quality fruits and vegetables, sealed packaged groceries, and bread which you do not need in these food closets for other people to take, and take groceries which other people deposit there, all free of charge.

10. Books and multimedia

Exsila is currently the biggest Swiss sharing platform for books and multimedia. You “sell” books and other items in exchange for Exsila points. You can then use these points to “buy” items from other Exsila users.

Bookcrossing is also worth a look. It lets you find free used books in public bookcases by title. In exchange, you list books which you place on public bookshelves so that other people can easily find books they want in bookcases near them.

11. Childcare

Genuine childcare sharing apps like Carefully, which let you swap child care with other parents free of charge, are not yet widely used in Switzerland. However, you can offer and receive childcare at no financial cost through Swiss time exchanges. The downside is that these are very localized and have relatively few participants. Conventional classified sites like Babysitting24 and Liliput, while not sharing economy services per se, do let you offer and find babysitting and nanny services.

12. Petsitting

Petcare exchange apps also have not yet caught on in Switzerland. Here too, local time exchanges are an option, but their usefulness is limited. Platforms like Pawshake and Petsitting24 which let you offer paid services and hire petsitters are also an option.

Housesitting is an interesting option for longer-term pet care (when you go on holiday, for example). In this setup, you let people stay at your home free of charge in exchange for caring for your pets. Many international housesitting platforms (like Housecarers, Trustedhousesitters, and Nomador) let you find housesitters in Switzerland, and take advantage of housesitting opportunities to get free travel accommodation all over the world. Note that while housesitting itself works on a reciprocal basis without any financial cost, you generally have to pay an annual fee to use the platforms.

13. Camping

Nomady, Wohnmobilland Schweiz, and the camping section of Myfarm let you rent camping plots from private people and businesses. You can easily rent out your own green spaces to campers with Nomady. As a camper, you benefit from cheaper rates and/or unique camping locations, compared to staying at campgrounds. As a landowner (or a tenant with permission to sublet), you can earn income just by letting campers stay on your land temporarily.

14. Parking

As of yet, there are no apps or online platforms which let you exchange parking space free of charge. However, Sharedparking lets you connect with people who are willing to share a parking space (and the rental costs) with you. This can make sense if, for example, your parking space is empty during the day or on weekends while your car is away.

The Share.P app is a higher-commitment option. This relatively new service provider installs a device on your garage door or gate which lets other users open it using the app. You earn money when other users park in your space, and you pay when you park in other users’ space.

Important: If you rent your parking, make sure to follow Swiss subletting guidelines when sharing or renting it out.

15. Experiences

Gemeinsamerleben and Meetup both have large communities in Switzerland. These platforms let you host and join all kinds of leisure events and experiences in Switzerland. If you think up a great idea for an event (a dinner, party, seminar, trip, or outdoor adventure, for example), you can advertise it on the platform and other members can sign up if they are interested. Likewise, you can join events hosted by other people.

On Meetup, you have the option of offering paid events and experiences in addition to free ones. You can also participate in paid events which other users organize.

16. Education

Language exchanges are the most established form of knowledge sharing in Switzerland. This arrangement involves teaching a language you know to another person and learning a language from them in exchange. My Language Exchange, Sprachtandem, and Tandem all have many users across Switzerland, offering numerous languages between them.

If you have the know-how and desire to offer private tutoring for students to earn extra money, you can use classified sites like Care, Nachhilfebrett and Tutor24 to offer your skills and connect with potential students. You can also use these to find a tutor for you or your child.

17. Skills

If you have useful skills, you can convert them to cash by offering them on platforms like Knows and Rent A Rentner (for retirees). You can also use these to find private people which have the skills you need. The fees are often much lower than what you would pay if you worked with a company. Knows deducts a fee when you get paid for jobs through the platform. Rent A Rentner offers free and paid models, differentiated by the number of skills you can offer.

More on this topic:
Airbnb in Switzerland: Home Sharing Mistakes to Avoid
Uber: Things to consider before sharing rides
Extra money in Switzerland: Ideas for side sigs
Subletting your rental home in Switzerland: Tips and guidelines
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