For a fee, company will buy back your electronics

The idea of short-term rentals has become so pervasive that it has made its way to an unlikely retail sector: the world of small consumer electronics.

Consumers who want a new cellphone, flat-screen television, or iPod every six months to a year can get them from Los Angeles-based TechForward Inc. Founder and chief executive Jade Van Doren said he got the idea in 2005 while traveling in Japan, where he noticed the high rate of turnover for ... Full Story »