(Jun 30th, 2014) Maybe this is the first time you’ve heard the term “collaborative consumption,” but even if it’s not, chances are you’ll be hearing it a lot more. It refers to an economic model based on renting, lending, and sharing goods instead of buying them. In fact, not long ago, Time magazine listed it as one of “10 Ideas That Will Change the World.”

Collaborative consumption is very popular among Millennials, who increasingly constitute a culture that likes to rent just about everything from clothing to tools. For one thing, rental prices are lower than purchase prices, which not only is nice on the wallet but also significantly increases the number of items from which to choose.

Rental culture is not entirely new – remember DVDs from Netflix? – but it is growing. In 2013, Forbes estimated the revenue from the sharing economy will exceed $3.5 billion, representing more than 25 percent growth over the previous year.

While people certainly do still buy things, especially online, the ownership culture primarily involves one-way shipping except for the occasional returns. Rental culture guarantees two-way shipping every time, or double the revenue, for carriers like the U.S. Postal Service.

Some think the Postal Service is already well-positioned to be a major player in rental culture shipping. It delivers to rural or remote areas at the same prices as urban addresses while other carriers charge more to deliver to rural areas. Moreover, the Postal Service’s roughly 30,000 post offices across the country mean renters wouldn’t have to look far for a shipping point when return time comes, or just put it in the mailbox for the mail carrier to take. And flat rate boxes mean renters immediately know the cost of shipping without having to weigh anything.

Tell us what you think: Do you use these kinds of rental services? How should the Postal Service actively pursue the rental-shipping market? Or do you think rental culture is really just a fad?

via Collaborative Consumption: Shipping Revenue Times Two | Office of Inspector General.