# Do people always ask to borrow your props?



## cmk4425 (Oct 16, 2007)

Every year after my party people ask to borrow my stuff. This year my dads neighbor wants to borrow some stuff to have a party for their son this weekend. I am tired of people asking and offering me nothing in return. I don't know these people and I am supposed to say "sure come over and dig through my 11years of stuff to help you out". I built alot of my props and I don't want to have to redo any because of damage. Also I am supposed to just hand over one of my fog machines. I can just picture a teen pouring a coke in it to see what happens Ok I am done with my rant.:jol:


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## Hauntiholik (May 17, 2006)

Really? No, people have asked to buy my props but not to borrow them.


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## Chuck (Oct 10, 2009)

It would be a cold day in hell before I let someone I do not know "borrow" my props. I don't even let people I do know borrow them.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

You could always take it for a compliment on the quality of your props


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## CoolDJTV (Jun 28, 2011)

Never in my life! Would I let someone "borrow" my props! If they offered money.... I might consider!


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## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

Maybe you could politely explain that many of the props are fragile and would likely be damaged in trying to transport them. It's a polite way of saying Hell, no.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol: Spooky is kind....me? I would just go ahead and say, "hell, no" because I am not so kind. Your props are your props. I would NEVER consider lending my props out. Am I selfish? Yeah, pretty much, but my time is valuable and for me my props are priceless. Someone who would ask to 'borrow' your props has evidentally never made a prop and therefore would not treat your props with the proper respect. Just tell the overzealous person your props are haunted and can't be lent out due to the ghost switching houses.


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## gypsichic (Jun 6, 2006)

asking to borrow my props is the same thing as asking to borrow my harley!!!!

ohhhhhhhhh HELL nooooooooooooooooo!!!!


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## MrGrimm (May 19, 2009)

Loving the responses here!

Our props are like our children... No one gets them! 

(unless they misbehave )


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

"Naaahhhh....they like to stay home with me. Sorry, I can't help ya."


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## creepykate (Oct 15, 2011)

I have one guy who every year asks to borrow my stuff for his Tae KWan Do haunted house, which he charges for! I've stuck with - it's so much trouble, blah blah.


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## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

To put things in perspective, my wife cooks most of the meals here, sleeps next to me, and does not touch my props. But, some random person wants to take my props from my home and use them for whatever? You're more likely to get me to loan you a portion of my liver.


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## Spooky D (Oct 4, 2011)

I loaned out my fog machine once. Luckily the guy took good care of it and even bought me a fresh gallon of fog juice as a thank you. However I would never even consider loaning out any of my actual props.


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## ScreamingScarecrow (Oct 1, 2008)

we've loaned out stuff before with mixed results.
Some stuff broken most ok.
We lent a bunch of stuff once to a Halloween wedding and we made them sign a guranteed replacement contract!

Now we just say sure! no problem but the catch is that we have to set it up and we charge $250.00 an hour!


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## kevin242 (Sep 30, 2005)

I loan stuff out every year, but only to good friends.


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## Lunatic (Oct 3, 2006)

I'm with most of you. I wouldn't lend anything fragile or mechanical to someone I don't know well enough. However, I have set up my haunt at a friends house in another town but I guess that's a little different since I set everything up. Yeah, most people just don't understand the complexities that are involved with our children, I mean our props.


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## yyzmec (Oct 19, 2009)

lend out current stuff that i use...no...stuff i am not currently using and will help out a friend that is just getting started...yes...to people i dont know...no. Just lent out a bunch of stuff to a co-worker who made the mistake of telling me that his wife wanted to do up their front yard for Halloween.


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## kiki (Oct 6, 2011)

how strange.. i actually had a neighbor "tell " me he was gonna use some of my props for his Halloween Party ( of which he didn't even invite me ) I have to say I handled it well and gave him the look from hell and also told him flat out NO..and that besides that .. when a prop is in place its methodically zip tied , braced or wired into spot..


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## kiki (Oct 6, 2011)

ScreamingScarecrow said:


> we've loaned out stuff before with mixed results.
> Some stuff broken most ok.
> We lent a bunch of stuff once to a Halloween wedding and we made them sign a guranteed replacement contract!
> 
> Now we just say sure! no problem but the catch is that we have to set it up and we charge $250.00 an hour!


great plan...


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## kiki (Oct 6, 2011)

so funny .. but valid...


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## tcass01 (Aug 20, 2010)

Totally agree, If they want a prop they can come over and I will teach them the pain and anguish (and messiness) of making a prop then they could join our ranks of minions and come over to the dark side........(we have cookies)


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

If you are really getting this kind of thing that often then maybe you ought to look at building stuff to rent out. Let the renter sign an agreement, and take a deposit to cover your work and materials. Why not make money off of those people who want to enjoy the holiday?
Making extra stones and props might be a money maker for you, providing you can rent and store them.

If they don't want to pay rent, ask them if you can use their car during the time they want to borrow your props, when they get indignant and say you're crazy, that they don't know you, then you can feed them their own words as a reply.


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## DeathTouch (Sep 6, 2005)

I would rather loan my cat than my props. Because I know my cat would come back. Of course now that I think about it, i think a few props could walk back too.


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