Support > FAQs

Patchbay is the peer to peer rental marketplace for musical instruments and audio equipment.

Looking for that special piece of gear that'll add the perfect “vibe” to your recording session? A quick and easy instrument hookup for your out of town shows? Or maybe your studio has a collection of idle toys that collect dust in between sessions. Whether you're looking to rent or lend, Patchbay is here to get you connected.

Renters can browse Patchbay's wide variety of modern to vintage listings, all from our curated network of the city's finest music studios and backline companies. Simply search for the gear you need, select the dates you'll use it and submit your rental request. Once the lender approves your request, we'll notify you and put you in touch-there you can seamlessly coordinate logistics all the way from pickup to return.

Lenders have the ability to monetize their own gear through “Shops” - turning unused or surplus instruments, audio equipment, and more into a new income stream. Just pick the gear you'd like to lend out, take some photos, input the item details and set your daily rental rate to start earning. Once your shop is up and running, we give you the flexibility to approve/deny any rental requests you receive. Lenders can also rest easy knowing all their gear is covered through Patchbay's short term insurance partner and industry leader, MusicPro. Every transaction. Every time.

(Note: During our pilot phase, insurance will not yet be available. However, Patchbay's Terms and Conditions create a legally binding liability agreement for all rentals and our Trust and Safety policies ensure that any misuse of the platform will result in a temporary or permanent ban.)

If you have a specific piece of gear in mind, simply enter it in the Search bar, specify the city you want to search in, and Patchbay will show you everyone in the area who may have the gear you're looking for.

Every Patchbay listing features a “Request” button that allows you to submit a request to rent a specific item. A Request Summary page will provide a breakdown of your transaction, featuring the following:

• - The daily rental rate multiplied by the requested rented days.
• - The short-term insurance coverage fee. (Not currently available)
• - Patchbay Community Fee
• - The daily rental rate multiplied by the requested rented days.
• - The final total for the entire rental.

Click "Submit" to send the request to the Lender for review. You can check on the status of your request anytime from the "Renting” dashboard.

After your rental request is approved, your Renting page will provide a messaging thread for you and the Lender to communicate. There, you can confirm logistics such as dates and times for pickup and drop off with your Lender.

Unless arranged otherwise, you should expect to pick-up and drop-off your rental at the Lender's location. (We are considering allowing Lenders to deliver for a fee in the future.)

We strongly encourage all users to use Patchbay's messaging platform so that all communication and agreements are available for any necessary future reference.

We get it — life happens. Your rented gear may encounter dings, scratches, or more serious damage despite your best efforts.

During Patchbay's pilot launch period (and after), Renters carry fully liability for the gear that they rent as per our Terms and Conditions. However, to summarize in plain language, Patchbay is built on the common sense principles of doing what's right. Treat rented gear with care. Small bits of wear and tear may happen, but if you materially or functionally damage a Lender's instsrument, the best course of action is to always to be honest, communicate with the Lender, and find a way to make the situation right.

Any user who breaches the agreements found in our Terms and Conditions may be subject to a temporary or permanent ban.

Yes, Renters have the option to submit a cancellation/change to any requested and active rental. You can do so through the Renting dashboard.

If a modification of rental dates/price request is submitted, the Renter will receive confirmation of their pending submission. Lenders will have 48 hours to either approve or deny this request. The Request/Rental Summary page will be updated accordingly after the Lender responds.

If a cancellation is submitted prior to 48 hours before the start of the rental, the Renter will be issued a refund to the payment method used in the canceled transaction. Patchbay's Community Fee is non-refundable.

To list your gear, navigate to the “Add Listing +” button in the top right hand corner of the Lending dashboard. From there, you'll be guided through Patchbay's Listing template, which includes the following:

• - Basic Info Info
• - Photos
• - Item Description
• - Daily Rental Rate

While you're creating your listing, you will be asked for the replacement value of your item. This is the current cost to replace the item, and effects the insurance premium calculated for the rental (Coming Soon). Artificially inflating this number will make renting your item more expensive and, in some cases, may constitute fraud, so be honest and accurate.

Patchbay will automatically calculate any rental between 4-7 days as 4 days. This is an industry standard put in place to ensure that your listings stay competitive with other rental alternatives.

When you're finished, you'll be able to preview what your listing will look like when it goes live on Patchbay. If you'd like to make changes, select Edit to change your listing's details. Otherwise, select Publish to submit your listing.

Your rental rates are entirely up to you, but some factors you can use to guide your decision might include:

• - The item's monetary or historical value.
• - The number of similar items currently available on Patchbay.
• - How urgently you'd like to begin receiving rentals.

Have a one-of-a-kind guitar or microphone that has a special story? You can set your rental rate a little higher to reflect its rarity. Just want that spare drum kit out of the studio and making you money as soon as possible? Set your rental rate a little lower than comparable listings to encourage a quick turnaround. The choice is yours!

Only verified Renters who are part of the Patchbay community can rent gear from your shop. Verification on our platform requires prospective Renters to undergo a mandatory identity check upon signup. Once a Renter's profile is approved, we keep a copy of their government-issued ID securely on file. Such measures bolster platform safety for all users and assure both parties of a credible interaction everytime.

During Patchbay's pilot launch period, short-term insurance will not yet be available. In lieu, Renters and Lenders are required to operate in accordance with the Patchbay Terms and Conditions, which include a rental agreement that outlines all terms and liabilities. If a Renter has their own annual insurance policy that covers rentals, that's great! If not, we encourage Lenders to communicate thoroughly with prospective Renters to ensure that both parties feel comfortable with the rental.

We encourage all users to communicate through Patchbay's messaging system (viewable from the dashboard) to ensure all arrangements pertaining to any rentals are clear and centrally available for reference.

Once a rental is marked as “Complete” in the Rental Summary progress tracker, we'll initiate a deposit of your funds via Stripe (less Patchbay's Community Fee).

When signing up for an account with Patchbay, Renters will create a “profile”, which can be accessed from the “My Profile” page of your dashboard. A Renter's profile details their personal information; this will include their full name, location, occupation within the music industry, verifications, bio, resume, social media links and transaction reviews from Lenders. All users have a Profile.

In order to begin lending gear, you must create a Shop. To do so, navigate to the Lending tab of the menu and select "My Shop". A Lender's shop details their studio's or backline company's respective name, business location, contact information such as phone number/website, bio, Renter reviews, and the listings the shop has available for rentals.

ID verification is one of the primary tools Patchbay uses to strengthen trust and safety within our community. ID verification is the process of validating a government-issued ID and assigning it to a user's profile. In doing this, we can a) verify that the information the user provides and b) create a system by which we can reduce or restrict access to users who misuse or abuse the platform.

After providing their basic information during sign up, users will be asked to provide a selfie as well as images of the front and back of their government-issued ID. After submitting, this information will be assessed by our verification system. Most users are instantly verified shortly after submitting their details.

Reviews and ratings are a valuable staple in Patchbay's Trust and Safety efforts within our community. They provide both Renters and Lenders an increased level of clarity into their rental counterparty and are a key pillar of an outstanding experience on Patchbay.

After a rental is completed, both the Renter and the Lender will be prompted to write a review of each other. If you like Patchbay and want to see it grow, we strongly encourage you to complete these reviews.

The value of using Patchbay is the measures we've put in place to promote Trust and Safety. Rentals that take place on Patchbay enjoy the benefits and protections of the following measures:

• - ID Verification
• - Ratings and Reviews
• - Short-Term Insurance (Coming Soon)
• - Secure Messaging
• - Rental agreements within our Terms and Conditions

Patchbay cannot extend the benefits and protections of these measures to - and therefore does not bear any liability for - rentals that take place outside of the platform. Patchbay also reserves the right to reduce or restrict at will access to our platform for any users found in breach of our Terms and Conditions or otherwise in abuse of the platform.

Patchbay's Community Fee is a fixed 10% fee we charge to both Renters and Lenders for every rental transaction. The amount you pay is calculated by taking 10% of the total rental price. Patchbay's Community Fees contribute to covering costs related to identity verification, coverage validation, security measures, customer support, enhancements to features and the resolution of disputes.

Customizations to payment and payout preferences can be accessed in the “Payments” section of your Account settings. There, Renters can update the cards on file used to pay for rentals. Lenders can update the checking account used to receive payouts for rentals as well.

Renters can use any major US-based credit and debit cards to pay for their rentals. We accept popular credit card companies such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.

While we aim to accommodate diverse payment methods, at present time we do not support payment cards issued outside of the United States or prepaid payment cards. We are actively working to broaden our payment options and appreciate your understanding.

Lenders are paid out for completed rentals via Stripe within 3 days of marking a transaction as complete. We ask Lenders to only mark rentals as complete after the gear is received and is confirmed to be in working order.

Exact processing times for Renter refunds can vary based on specific circumstances:

For denied, expired, and unaccepted rental requests: If your request is unaccepted, canceled, or has expired, your card won't be charged. You can check on the status of your rental request anytime via the Renting dashboard.

The income Lenders receive from rentals on Patchbay is taxable. If your rental earnings exceed a certain amount in a calendar year, you will receive a Form 1099 from our merchant account provider, Stripe. You'll use this form for your tax reporting.

Because California is a Marketplace Facilitator state, Patchbay is required to collect and remit sales tax on Lenders' behalf. Lenders will not have to worry about collecting and remitting sales tax from their listing profits.

It will not be possible for Lenders to opt out of this collection practice unless you believe you are tax-exempt. If you're a tax-exempt entity in California, please contact our support team. Please note that sales taxes are an incremental charge to the transaction and will not affect your pricing.