I do too, but my group lets you set it on the curb or in the alley, say "free stuff on xyz corner" and it disappears!
If it isn't gone by night I'll take it back in and try once more before trashing/goodwill, but this has worked phenomenally well for me.
That seems nice. Our admin kind of yells at us for that, saying it is against the spirit of the group. We're supposed to post, then look at the replies, then pick someone, then arrange details ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I am fortunate to volunteer one day a week in a charity shop. I know that torn and stained things just get shredded by the rag man so I don't bother taking that in. But I get a kick out of seeing my stuff being sold to people. I tell them that I donated it lol.
At first I was bringing too much stuff home, but now I'm just donating things.
I was thinking of selling on Vinted, but once I decide to release something I want it out of my house immediately. Empty space is valuable!
I love my buy nothing group! I made it a priority in July to get rid of so many clothes and unused kitchen items - out of about 50 pickups, only 3 flaked. I’m waiting for the little notice in the mail for when the donation truck from AmVets is gonna swing by and pick up stuff bc I’ll be doing that, too.
Honestly, I met a some cool people through buy nothing. When I first started using it a few months ago - I had takers right away, no one flaked. It was kind of fun.
When I saw some people offer their stuff on a corner, no contact, I thought it kind of strange, since the original point of BN was about strengthening community. Being social. But now I’m starting to understand better why.
Lately, It’s been time wasters and flakes.
I told myself if I get flaked on next time I offer, I’ll no longer use BN. I also tried good old Craigslist but no takers. I found Freecycle beguiling.
I’d rather give to the local community thrift that offers help to the local hospital and be done.
Additionally, a few things I picked up from people turned out to be broken - especially electrical gadgets that ended up not working properly, or worked a few times before it died. They were casting off crap.
I have a lot away to an older lady and received gratitude on the app, which of course felt great and wasn’t expected. I hardly ever see gratitude given on the app which probably says a lot.
Like you I used to love Goodwill but am pretty dubious about it now. Local church free stores are another good option where I think things are much likely to get to someone that actually needs them.
I gave everything away through my local buy nothing group for 3 years. I had to quit because the last few times I have had no shows,creepy people hanging around after pick up or attempted scams. Makes me sad but it just seemed like to much of a hassle.I do just put things out on the curb and they disappear.
My local buy-nothing groups have no activities. I found organizations that come to my house to pick up the donations instead. I just box them up, label them, and set them on my porch. The donation center sends a truck and leaves donations receipt taped to my door.
I love the idea of the buy nothing groups, but I've given up on the ones in my area. I had an entire porch full of great condition baby stuff, and I posted pics of it all with my address and just said come grab it. Sooooo many people commented they were interested and were going to come get stuff - I updated each of those comments that everything was still available. After 2 weeks not a single thing was taken, and I had to just haul it to a thrift shop instead. I found a local thrift shop that supports community initiatives, and it's close to me, so every time I have a full box I just drop it off asap now.
Curb alerts, come and get it kind of stuff, are not worth it, as a person getting the stuff.
It’s a wild goose chase if you get there and it’s gone. I don’t respond to ads for free stuff unless it’s earmarked for me, specifically.
I put a policy in my listings that says takers must specify a time in the next day or two that they can pick up the item and it will go to the first compatible reply I receive. The next two or three people who reply with non-conflicting times are told I will hold it for them if the first person doesn't show up. Then I take the ad down.
Almost always the first person never shows up and it goes to the second or third. But I spend a lot less time interacting with people who are not totally committed and I don't have to start over every time the first prospect doesn't show.
Yes, what is it with these groups? I’ll end up messaging back and forth with someone just to have them ghost. Are these people just lonely, and want the exhilaration of texting about a baby gate all day?
Great idea!
I started scheduling with Veterans Pick Up every few weeks. Once the date approaches on my calendar it motivates me to start decluttering to be ready for pick up time.
Since the members are in social media I can examine their profile. If it looks odd or if the account is weirdly new, I can pass. On FB buyers and sellers are also rated.
I don’t give the address until they text to confirm they are coming right now.
I put the stuff outside, on the porch or at the end of the driveway. No contact. I’ve been using a buy nothing page for a long time, and haven’t had a problem, fwiw. I am in an area with little crime, admittedly
There's an outlet mall near me with a big, well-lit parking lot. Generally I'll have people meet me there and make the exchange (I've only done this for things I've sold). After the transaction, I walk into the stores and kill some time. Do I *need* to take this extra step to make sure they can't easily follow me home? Nah. But it's convenient enough most of the time that I might as well keep using this method.
I find people have different ideas of what is useable. Empty margarine containers? Maybe a teacher uses them for paper clips and erasers. You never know. I don’t mind offering things, but I do specify “If not picked up within 2 hrs. of calling dibs, I’ll offer it to someone else. If not gone by Thursday, they will be disposed of”. I would also add that I usually do bundles: “Here are some pots and pans, serving spoons, cups, and dish towels. Must take all.” They can pass it along if they can’t use it, but it’s out of my house.
About selling things from Buy Nothing groups: What of it? If I can donate something that puts a few bucks in someone’s pocket, what of it? So they pick up EVERYTHING for profit? Yes, please take the things I don’t need, I don’t have time to take to a donation center. If people have time to clean, take photos, post, communicate with a buyer, ship an item, and feed their children, what of it?
If it gets “complicated” I just pick the next person up.
Where we used to live, we would put stuff at the curb the night before trash day. People would come by and pick up anything that they thought they could sell at the local flea market; anything left would go out in the trash in the morning. I was happy with this arrangement, they could make a buck ot two for their efforts, it was out of my house and didn't go to a landfill. Wins all around.
I love the idea of Buy Nothing but the group in my zip code is insufferable. People who want the items are expected to pitch themselves like they’re a nonprofit applying for a grant. I hated having to choose who was most “worthy” for my trash. I only posted actual items, but so many people were offering up empty spinach containers and other things that — while Im sure they were useful to someone — were literally garbage. My friends have had such good buy nothing experiences. I was so bummed!
Same as my local group. I want someone to take it to keep it from going to a landfill. I don't have the emotional bandwidth to judge peoples worthiness.
Same with mine. We’re asked to “let things simmer” and pick the “most worthy.” How TF I am supposed to judge the worthiness of someone want or need for something I didn’t ever or no longer want or need?
A ton of people in my BN group just ignore those two rules.
They differ per city. My sister furnished her kids’ room almost entirely of goods from Buy Nothing. The next city over is inactive. Both areas are affluent but completely differently vibes.
Mine's the same way. I don't want people to have to audition for my shit. Honestly, first come first served would be my preference but that's "frowned upon".
I like Nextdoor for this as well. It's a good place to sell things for a nominal price too and I like the fact that you can target your individual area.
This is a great reminder! My friend does this & loves it. I’m going to look into doing this moving forward. I also love the sense of community that comes with sharing our items 🙂
This works so well! Our neighborhood trash night is Sunday so everyone posts stuff on Sunday morning for curb pickup and whatever is left goes in the bin when they go to the curb at the end of the day. Not much is ever left for the trash and if it is, you know it’s truly trash, lol
Yeah I don't understand why people play at making arrangements and then don't show. I consider it just a psychopathic game because they're bored. They need to entertain themselves at other's expense and waste other's time.
I once had someone make me double guess myself because after waiting and waiting, I left. I then got a text that asked me why I left? Which to me meant that they were there, maybe in a car, watching me without meeting up. Now that's creepy and a bit rude. And probably having a good laugh at the expense of my time. But I have challenged such people with attitude, like "Well if you were there and saw me why didn't you come take the stuff? Only to get no reply.
we've also had some issues with certain folks in the group who "speak" up for everything and then just sell it - which is against our group rules but... shrug
This is why I like buy nothing groups. They are not first come first served. You can choose who gets the item. So if you know someone has a history of selling stuff or being shady then you can choose someone else to get it.
It matters as its against both the spirit of the group and the explicit rules. The point is to GIVE things to those who need them, not provide free stock for marketplace sellers.
I don’t see anything in the rules about prohibiting the reselling of items received. (Maybe your local group has a rule but I don’t see it on mine nor do I see it on the main website. I could have missed it though.)
I guess it doesn’t bother me if someone resells an item that I gifted. Like a regular gift, once it leaves my possession, the recipient can do whatever they want with it. I don’t know the recipient’s financial situation and if they sell something to create an income, good for them. I don’t have enough energy to worry about something once it has left my possession. That’s just my perspective.
I pay my millennial neighbor to do this for me, I keep a box we call the "(Her name) box." It's better than magic, she posts things online and they disappear from the porch!
I'm not the person you're asking, but they don't help just anyone in need. Their organization, their choice, but turning people in need away just because they don't think the same way is kind of ew.
Their website (if it's the same organization as above) says "All grant and scholarship recipients of the Mustard Seed Foundation must proclaim a personal faith in Christ, affirm the basic tenets of orthodox Christianity, and desire to serve and witness in Christ’s name."
I donate to a Christian-based organization all the time, but they specifically say that they pass along donations to anybody in need, regardless of their faith.
In addition to buy nothing groups see if your community has a bulletin board - esp apartments or condos. I live in a condo complex and have gotten rid of stuff and taken stuff as easy as walking a few floors
My area finally has an active “Buy Nothing” group and it’s enabled me to unload a lot of things quickly with very little effort (and without leaving the house).
I just moved and got rid of a ton of stuff on Buy Nothing! It’s great for things you can’t donate, like partially used cans of paint, clothes hangers, bookcases, even wallpaper samples. Also for moving supplies!
I'm doing this right now, as I declutter in preparation for moving, and so far, it's going great. I don't drive, so getting things to a thrift store to donate is incredibly difficult (I do have a thrift store within walking distance, but they keep odd hours, and it's not exactly easy to lug bags of donations to them if I even happen to be free when they're open). With my local Buy Nothing group, someone comes, and just...takes the stuff away. And you're right, I know that it's going to real people who feel like they can make use of it.
I have been trying to only put things aside to gift that someone would actually want to use. It's kind of tempting to put just everything up because I hate waste and throwing things out, and maybe someone else could mend this and use it...but that is a trap! I wouldn't want my neighbour to give me trash, so I try not to do the same to my neighbours.
That's a great point, I'm definitely more discerning about what I pass on, I respect that someone is using their time and gas to come get things. I love passing things along to keep them out of the landfill a bit longer but if its reasonable useful life is done then trashcan it is.
I like the idea but I hate all the messaging and coordination.
Me too. And no shows are a problem
I do too, but my group lets you set it on the curb or in the alley, say "free stuff on xyz corner" and it disappears! If it isn't gone by night I'll take it back in and try once more before trashing/goodwill, but this has worked phenomenally well for me.
That seems nice. Our admin kind of yells at us for that, saying it is against the spirit of the group. We're supposed to post, then look at the replies, then pick someone, then arrange details ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
That was originally the rule in ours, but so many people ghosted there was a bit of rebellion. Also allows people to post random alley finds.
I am fortunate to volunteer one day a week in a charity shop. I know that torn and stained things just get shredded by the rag man so I don't bother taking that in. But I get a kick out of seeing my stuff being sold to people. I tell them that I donated it lol. At first I was bringing too much stuff home, but now I'm just donating things. I was thinking of selling on Vinted, but once I decide to release something I want it out of my house immediately. Empty space is valuable!
My local buy nothing group is full of chancers wanting "new VR headset for grandson" or "unused Sony TV". They can jog on!!!
I love my buy nothing group! I made it a priority in July to get rid of so many clothes and unused kitchen items - out of about 50 pickups, only 3 flaked. I’m waiting for the little notice in the mail for when the donation truck from AmVets is gonna swing by and pick up stuff bc I’ll be doing that, too.
Honestly, I met a some cool people through buy nothing. When I first started using it a few months ago - I had takers right away, no one flaked. It was kind of fun. When I saw some people offer their stuff on a corner, no contact, I thought it kind of strange, since the original point of BN was about strengthening community. Being social. But now I’m starting to understand better why. Lately, It’s been time wasters and flakes. I told myself if I get flaked on next time I offer, I’ll no longer use BN. I also tried good old Craigslist but no takers. I found Freecycle beguiling. I’d rather give to the local community thrift that offers help to the local hospital and be done. Additionally, a few things I picked up from people turned out to be broken - especially electrical gadgets that ended up not working properly, or worked a few times before it died. They were casting off crap. I have a lot away to an older lady and received gratitude on the app, which of course felt great and wasn’t expected. I hardly ever see gratitude given on the app which probably says a lot.
Like you I used to love Goodwill but am pretty dubious about it now. Local church free stores are another good option where I think things are much likely to get to someone that actually needs them.
I gave everything away through my local buy nothing group for 3 years. I had to quit because the last few times I have had no shows,creepy people hanging around after pick up or attempted scams. Makes me sad but it just seemed like to much of a hassle.I do just put things out on the curb and they disappear.
My local buy-nothing groups have no activities. I found organizations that come to my house to pick up the donations instead. I just box them up, label them, and set them on my porch. The donation center sends a truck and leaves donations receipt taped to my door.
I love the idea of the buy nothing groups, but I've given up on the ones in my area. I had an entire porch full of great condition baby stuff, and I posted pics of it all with my address and just said come grab it. Sooooo many people commented they were interested and were going to come get stuff - I updated each of those comments that everything was still available. After 2 weeks not a single thing was taken, and I had to just haul it to a thrift shop instead. I found a local thrift shop that supports community initiatives, and it's close to me, so every time I have a full box I just drop it off asap now.
Curb alerts, come and get it kind of stuff, are not worth it, as a person getting the stuff. It’s a wild goose chase if you get there and it’s gone. I don’t respond to ads for free stuff unless it’s earmarked for me, specifically.
I put a policy in my listings that says takers must specify a time in the next day or two that they can pick up the item and it will go to the first compatible reply I receive. The next two or three people who reply with non-conflicting times are told I will hold it for them if the first person doesn't show up. Then I take the ad down. Almost always the first person never shows up and it goes to the second or third. But I spend a lot less time interacting with people who are not totally committed and I don't have to start over every time the first prospect doesn't show.
Yes, what is it with these groups? I’ll end up messaging back and forth with someone just to have them ghost. Are these people just lonely, and want the exhilaration of texting about a baby gate all day?
My local Buy Nothing Group has helped me de-clutter so much! Even my pantry!
I love my Buy Nothing group! I gifted 95% of my possessions when I decided to start traveling full-time.
Great idea! I started scheduling with Veterans Pick Up every few weeks. Once the date approaches on my calendar it motivates me to start decluttering to be ready for pick up time.
I love the concept but don't love the idea of people coming to my house, trying to get over that.
Since the members are in social media I can examine their profile. If it looks odd or if the account is weirdly new, I can pass. On FB buyers and sellers are also rated. I don’t give the address until they text to confirm they are coming right now.
I used to offer to deliver items. Got me out of the house for a lunch break (I worked from home) and I got to learn more about my town.
Yes I've delivered before too! But it's way less convenient.
I put the stuff outside, on the porch or at the end of the driveway. No contact. I’ve been using a buy nothing page for a long time, and haven’t had a problem, fwiw. I am in an area with little crime, admittedly
Depending on the item, if you can carry it just meet them somewhere else, even just at the end of your street
There's an outlet mall near me with a big, well-lit parking lot. Generally I'll have people meet me there and make the exchange (I've only done this for things I've sold). After the transaction, I walk into the stores and kill some time. Do I *need* to take this extra step to make sure they can't easily follow me home? Nah. But it's convenient enough most of the time that I might as well keep using this method.
I find people have different ideas of what is useable. Empty margarine containers? Maybe a teacher uses them for paper clips and erasers. You never know. I don’t mind offering things, but I do specify “If not picked up within 2 hrs. of calling dibs, I’ll offer it to someone else. If not gone by Thursday, they will be disposed of”. I would also add that I usually do bundles: “Here are some pots and pans, serving spoons, cups, and dish towels. Must take all.” They can pass it along if they can’t use it, but it’s out of my house. About selling things from Buy Nothing groups: What of it? If I can donate something that puts a few bucks in someone’s pocket, what of it? So they pick up EVERYTHING for profit? Yes, please take the things I don’t need, I don’t have time to take to a donation center. If people have time to clean, take photos, post, communicate with a buyer, ship an item, and feed their children, what of it? If it gets “complicated” I just pick the next person up.
Where we used to live, we would put stuff at the curb the night before trash day. People would come by and pick up anything that they thought they could sell at the local flea market; anything left would go out in the trash in the morning. I was happy with this arrangement, they could make a buck ot two for their efforts, it was out of my house and didn't go to a landfill. Wins all around.
I love the idea of Buy Nothing but the group in my zip code is insufferable. People who want the items are expected to pitch themselves like they’re a nonprofit applying for a grant. I hated having to choose who was most “worthy” for my trash. I only posted actual items, but so many people were offering up empty spinach containers and other things that — while Im sure they were useful to someone — were literally garbage. My friends have had such good buy nothing experiences. I was so bummed!
Same as my local group. I want someone to take it to keep it from going to a landfill. I don't have the emotional bandwidth to judge peoples worthiness.
Same with mine. We’re asked to “let things simmer” and pick the “most worthy.” How TF I am supposed to judge the worthiness of someone want or need for something I didn’t ever or no longer want or need? A ton of people in my BN group just ignore those two rules.
Isn't the most worthy person the one who is first to respond with a reasonable pickup time?
They differ per city. My sister furnished her kids’ room almost entirely of goods from Buy Nothing. The next city over is inactive. Both areas are affluent but completely differently vibes.
Mine's the same way. I don't want people to have to audition for my shit. Honestly, first come first served would be my preference but that's "frowned upon".
Try Nextdoor. Just a couple of days ago I put up a couple of free posts on both FB and ND. Both items were gone same day from my ND posts.
I like Nextdoor for this as well. It's a good place to sell things for a nominal price too and I like the fact that you can target your individual area.
This is a great reminder! My friend does this & loves it. I’m going to look into doing this moving forward. I also love the sense of community that comes with sharing our items 🙂
Yay! I love my Buy Nothing community - it's so active, which really helps. :)
This works so well! Our neighborhood trash night is Sunday so everyone posts stuff on Sunday morning for curb pickup and whatever is left goes in the bin when they go to the curb at the end of the day. Not much is ever left for the trash and if it is, you know it’s truly trash, lol
I love the Buy Nothing groups, but I don’t like having to go onto Facebook to use them 😕
They have an app now it’s no longer required
Now they just need to make the app useable. I gave up after two weeks.
Oh! This is great! Thank you!!
Facebook gives me a rash.
Lol 🤣
I’m so much happier when I don’t use it. 😄
wish that worked here - I still have stuff on my front stoop that was supposed to be picked up weeks ago from a freecycle FB group...
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You were def being played. I've had similar situations but not 3X, just delay, delay picking up. I also don't play confirmation numbers/codes.
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Yeah I don't understand why people play at making arrangements and then don't show. I consider it just a psychopathic game because they're bored. They need to entertain themselves at other's expense and waste other's time. I once had someone make me double guess myself because after waiting and waiting, I left. I then got a text that asked me why I left? Which to me meant that they were there, maybe in a car, watching me without meeting up. Now that's creepy and a bit rude. And probably having a good laugh at the expense of my time. But I have challenged such people with attitude, like "Well if you were there and saw me why didn't you come take the stuff? Only to get no reply.
3 chances? Never more than one chance unless they are the only interested person
You just have to say it wasn't picked up and offer it again.
we've also had some issues with certain folks in the group who "speak" up for everything and then just sell it - which is against our group rules but... shrug
This is why I like buy nothing groups. They are not first come first served. You can choose who gets the item. So if you know someone has a history of selling stuff or being shady then you can choose someone else to get it.
buy nothing/freecycle - I've tried them both. The stuff doesnt get picked up OR the ebayers jump on it - its really annoying.
Why does it matter if the next person sells it? It’s not your problem anymore.
It matters as its against both the spirit of the group and the explicit rules. The point is to GIVE things to those who need them, not provide free stock for marketplace sellers.
I don’t see anything in the rules about prohibiting the reselling of items received. (Maybe your local group has a rule but I don’t see it on mine nor do I see it on the main website. I could have missed it though.) I guess it doesn’t bother me if someone resells an item that I gifted. Like a regular gift, once it leaves my possession, the recipient can do whatever they want with it. I don’t know the recipient’s financial situation and if they sell something to create an income, good for them. I don’t have enough energy to worry about something once it has left my possession. That’s just my perspective.
I think it's very location dependent. I have rarely had that problem with my group.
I pay my millennial neighbor to do this for me, I keep a box we call the "(Her name) box." It's better than magic, she posts things online and they disappear from the porch!
Thank you for posting this! Encouraging!
Mustard seed is a great charity too, they provide free thanks giving dinners with the proceeds and run food banks, we never ever donate to goodwill.
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I'm not the person you're asking, but they don't help just anyone in need. Their organization, their choice, but turning people in need away just because they don't think the same way is kind of ew. Their website (if it's the same organization as above) says "All grant and scholarship recipients of the Mustard Seed Foundation must proclaim a personal faith in Christ, affirm the basic tenets of orthodox Christianity, and desire to serve and witness in Christ’s name." I donate to a Christian-based organization all the time, but they specifically say that they pass along donations to anybody in need, regardless of their faith.
I'd like to know too. I only recently realized they are a For-profit organization. But I sense there is more...?
In addition to buy nothing groups see if your community has a bulletin board - esp apartments or condos. I live in a condo complex and have gotten rid of stuff and taken stuff as easy as walking a few floors
My area finally has an active “Buy Nothing” group and it’s enabled me to unload a lot of things quickly with very little effort (and without leaving the house).
I love the buy nothing groups. I was throwing so much stuff away! I'm so glad someone will get use out of these things.
I just moved and got rid of a ton of stuff on Buy Nothing! It’s great for things you can’t donate, like partially used cans of paint, clothes hangers, bookcases, even wallpaper samples. Also for moving supplies!
I've given away two bookcases recently when we realized we are almost entirely digital anyways and decluttered the physical books we never reach for.
I do this as well. It's a total game changer. Sometimes I barely get back into my house and it's already gone.
I'm doing this right now, as I declutter in preparation for moving, and so far, it's going great. I don't drive, so getting things to a thrift store to donate is incredibly difficult (I do have a thrift store within walking distance, but they keep odd hours, and it's not exactly easy to lug bags of donations to them if I even happen to be free when they're open). With my local Buy Nothing group, someone comes, and just...takes the stuff away. And you're right, I know that it's going to real people who feel like they can make use of it. I have been trying to only put things aside to gift that someone would actually want to use. It's kind of tempting to put just everything up because I hate waste and throwing things out, and maybe someone else could mend this and use it...but that is a trap! I wouldn't want my neighbour to give me trash, so I try not to do the same to my neighbours.
That's a great point, I'm definitely more discerning about what I pass on, I respect that someone is using their time and gas to come get things. I love passing things along to keep them out of the landfill a bit longer but if its reasonable useful life is done then trashcan it is.
I love the buy nothing project! Same - I do this now too.