UseThis

Don’t have it? UseThis. Someone in your dorm probably does. "It’s like Craigslist if it wasn’t terrifying" - Me

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Inspiration

I was inspired by the daily struggles I personally witnessed as a broke college student myself - classmates stressing about textbook costs, needing expensive tools or parts for single projects, or wanting to try equipment they couldn't afford. I realized students have tons of underutilized items sitting in dorms that could help their peers while earning them money. This sparked my vision for UseThis.

What it does

UseThis is a peer-to-peer rental platform I built specifically for students. It allows users to:

  • List items they own for daily rental with photos, descriptions, and pricing
  • Browse and search available items with filters by category, price, and location
  • Book items through a secure request system requiring owner approval
  • Communicate directly with other students through built-in messaging
  • Leave reviews and ratings to build trust within the community
  • Manage bookings with status tracking from request to return
  • Build profiles with ratings and rental history

The platform emphasizes safety with verification systems and aims to create university-specific instances requiring .edu emails for enhanced trust. For demonstration purposes, the .edu restriction has been temporarily lifted. However, the long-term vision is to implement this exclusively for universities, tailored to their specific institutional email domains.

How I built it

I built UseThis using modern web technologies:

  • Frontend: Bolt.new (React with TypeScript, tailwindCss)
  • Backend: Supabase for authentication, real-time database, and file storage
  • Routing: React Router for seamless navigation
  • Forms: React Hook Form with Zod validation for robust form handling
  • Deployment: Netlify for fast, reliable hosting with automatic deployments

The architecture supports messaging, complex booking workflows, and scalable user management.

Challenges I ran into

  • Complex State Management: Coordinating booking states, message threads, and user interactions across multiple components required careful planning
  • Real-time Features: Implementing live messaging with unread counts and conversation management using Supabase
  • Booking Logic: Creating a secure flow from request → approval → payment authorization → active rental → completion with proper status tracking
  • Responsive Design: Ensuring the brutalist design worked seamlessly across mobile, tablet, and desktop while maintaining visual impact
  • Database Relationships: Managing complex relationships between users, items, bookings, reviews, and conversations in Supabase
  • Image Handling: Supporting both file uploads and URL inputs for item photos with proper validation and preview

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

  • Complete Feature Set: Built a fully functional peer-to-peer platform with all essential features in a short timeframe
  • Unique Design: Created a distinctive brutalist aesthetic that stands out from typical marketplace apps to cater to students and gen z
  • Security Focus: Implemented owner approval workflows and verification systems to build trust
  • Real-time Communication: Successfully integrated live messaging for seamless user interaction
  • Mobile-First: Achieved excellent responsive design that works perfectly on all devices
  • User Experience: Crafted intuitive flows from discovery to booking completion
  • Scalable Architecture: Built with future university-specific deployments in mind

What I learned

  • Supabase Power: Discovered how quickly you can build complex applications with Supabase's real-time features and authentication
  • Design Systems: Learned the importance of consistent design tokens and component libraries for rapid development
  • User Trust: Understood that trust-building features (reviews, verification, approval workflows) are crucial for peer-to-peer platforms
  • State Complexity: Gained experience managing complex application state across multiple user flows
  • Community Building: Realized that successful sharing economy platforms need strong community features, not just transactions

What's next for UseThis

  • University Partnerships: Launch pilot programs at specific universities with .edu email verification
  • Mobile App: Develop native iOS and Android apps for better mobile experience
  • Advanced Features: Add item insurance, delivery options, and automated pricing suggestions
  • AI Integration: Implement smart matching between item needs and availability
  • Inter-University Trading: Enable secure item sharing between verified students at different schools
  • Analytics Dashboard: Provide insights for users on their rental income and community impact
  • Sustainability Metrics: Track environmental impact of shared vs. purchased items

NOTE ABOUT PROJECT VISIBILITY FOR THE JUDGES

I had to duplicate the bolt.new project as I set it up via a repository initially, so to prove that it does indeed work within bolt and was built with it, I had to duplicate it and change visibility as I was informed by a mentor.

Built With

  • bolt.new
  • netlify
  • supabase
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