What’s the first thing that comes to mind when one says Lego—expensive, right? Being a cult classic toy, Lego sets don’t come cheap. Even so, kids and in turn, their parents are lured by the magic of Lego. Enter funstation.in, a service started by Mumbai-based Kashyap Shah to provide Lego sets on rental basis.

The aha moment
Needless to say, Shah is a Lego enthusiast. But the aha moment came to him when he realised that in spite of Lego being a world-class toy, kids will play with it for not more than a week or two, which is why a rental service makes perfect sense. Funstation.in has more than 150 sets (128 being unique ones) with an MRP range of Rs. 1,100 to Rs. 37,500. These are rented out on a monthly basis for Rs. 300 to Rs. 3,700, with free shipping. For ease of use, the website segregates the sets into four broad categories based on MRP and level of complexity.

What do Lego loyalists say?
Shah is thrilled with the customer response. A while back, Vashi resident and mother of seven-year-old Ayush, Mrs. Shah had placed an order for a Star Wars Lego set on an e-commerce website. Shortly thereafter, she came across Kashyap’s stall at a fair in Bandra-Kurla Complex. On understanding what his concept was all about and realising that she could save Rs. 1,500 on the same set, Mrs. Shah made the switch to funstation.in. She says, “It’s not just the savings but the Lego toys that Kashyap delivers are sanitised and sealed neatly in a Ziploc bag. I know that I can go back to him for renting another set when my son gets bored with this one.”
Colaba resident and father of ten-year-old Husaina, Mr. Poonawala shares the same feeling about Shah and his venture. He says, “Funstation.in is a well-oiled set-up, which not only has a wide selection of toys but also impeccable service. I’m quite happy with Kashyap as he practises due diligence.” Poonawala is also glad about the time and space saved due to renting Lego sets.

Missing pieces
Shah seems to know his business well and has explained all terms and conditions thoroughly on the website. For example, there is no charge if a user ends up losing up to three Lego pieces; thereafter, charges apply. Shah plans to scale up his venture and take it pan-India. For now, he’s prepared for his stall at KidTown Fair 2015, which will be held this weekend at World Trade Center, Cuffe Parade. So, if you want to grab some of your favourite Lego sets, get in line as Shah concludes, “The Lego MINDSTORMS EV3, with an MRP of Rs. 37,500, is booked until March 2016!”

If you can’t buy Lego, rent it