YEAA, we are open for pick-ups and drop-offs on Wednesdays from 11 am until 6 pm. Due to the extra procedures to prep the items, before they are checked out, booking is mandatory. We are having a “gentle reopening” to make sure all our processes are Covid-secure. Thanks for your patience 🙂

No, we are a pickup/drop off location. We have our inventory online and an awesome system for you to browse, pick and select what day you are collecting your items.

Unfortunately, you will have to return the items during our opening times to make sure that one of BDB’s team is in to checkout/checking the item.

We are based at THINQTANQ, a co-working space in the city centre (Fairbairn House, Higher Ln, PL12AN). It’s in the city centre, just across the Magistrates Court.

If you have any questions you can use the contact form on our website, send us an email to hello@borrowdontbuy.co.uk, or send us a message via Facebook.

We are opened on Wednesdays from 11 am until 6 pm. We hope to expand our opening hours once the Covid-19 crisis is over.

Short answer is ‘Sometimes’. We’d love to say yes to everything But.. we have limited space and funds, we have a wishlist of items that we think will be great for our inventory. We cannot take donations of broken items but you’re welcome to bring them along to a repair cafe and get them working again.

Here’s a shortcut to our Sign-up form: Link HERE

Everything that is in our catalog can be borrowed. We had to temporarily remove some items due to our new cleaning procedures. But we still have loads! 

If the item breaks then please do get in touch with us as soon as possible, we understand things happen sometimes. There’s a good chance we can repair a lot of the things in the inventory but if we can’t then we will work with you to decide if it was a fault or user error. We want to make things work for everyone.

When an item is returned to BDB, it’s handled by a volunteer wearing PPE (Gloves, face-covering, and goggles). It is taken to our workshop where we disinfect it with either rubbing alcohol (80%) or a bleach solution. We then place it on a shelving unit/area dedicated to quarantine items. We label it with the day that is was returned and leave it for 5 days. Once the item has been isolated for 5 days, we put it away. The item will be disinfected one more time on the day it is booked to go out again. (See our cleaning procedures HERE)

Here’s a short video on how to make a reservation. If you have any issues, please drop us an email at hello@borrowdontbuy.co.uk or contact us via our Facebook Page

We are currently only taking online payments through our platform (the platform where you book an item). You will have to save your card details on your account to be able to book and check out items.

You will not be charged when you make a reservation and check out your cart. You will be charged when you come and collect your reservation. Due to the extra procedures needed to operate in a Covid-secure manner, all the reservations will be charged on the pick-up day, even if the borrower does not turn up. 

If you don’t have a card save on file, here’s a short video on how to do it:

You will have to come and pick up your reservation during the time slot selected by you when booking the item. Time slots are in place to make sure we avoid gatherings and operate on the safest manner.

A lot of work behind the scenes goes on to make sure we have your item ready for you. We will charge every reservation, even if they are not picked-up. Thanks for your understanding.

Not at the moment but it is something we’re looking in to for the future! If you’d like us to deliver, please fill this quick survey HERE. 

If you are experiencing ANY symptoms of COVID19 or have been in contact with someone who has, do not borrow tools from us, and do not come to THINQTANQ. Please let us know if this affects a reservation you have made (we can free up the tools for someone else to use), or if you have an item to return.

Yes, you have to return your item clean, in the same or better conditions than you got it. Otherwise, we will have to charge you a cleaning fee (£5). More importantly, you will be putting our volunteers at risk by not returning the items clean. Thanks for helping us look after our volunteers and members!

There are no time slots for returns. Just come to THINQTANQ and ring the doorbell. One of our volunteers will go to the door and receive your items. 

Yes, we have late fees: £2 per item per day. Yes, this includes days that we are closed and yes, they are high late fees. We do not like having late fees, and we enjoy even less having to enforce them but we have them in place to encourage our members to return their items on time so that other members can enjoy a reliable and professional library of things. With our new procedures to make sure we are Covid-19 safe, late returns put our items out of circulation for days before being able to go back into our inventory and create big inconveniences for our volunteers and members.

Contact us ASAP, either sending us an email or contact us on our Facebook Page. Our volunteers will be waiting for the item to prep it for the next loan and late fees will automatically start accruing in your account.

Plymouth City Council Coronavirus (Covid-19) information (link)

Guidance: Staying alert and safe (social distancing) (link)

Covid-19 Toolkit (*pdf)

Working safely during the Coronavirus outbreak – a short guide (*pdf)

Working safely during COVID-19: Offices and contact centres (link)

Working safely during COVID-19: Shop and branches (link)

High Street Task Force (link)

Absolutely! 

You can read more about our re-opening operational plan HERE and our Post-Covid-19 procedures HERE

Here’s a link to how to wash your hands (link)

When you create an account with Borrow Don’t Buy you’ll be asked to sign our T&C and our Liability Waiver. You can download a copy of them and have a proper read (a second one, of course, you read them before signing them) from here:

• Terms and Conditions
• Liability Waiver and Indemnification Form

We have a temporary update on our procedures, terms, and conditions due to Covid-19 crisis:

• Covid-19 Update