Street WhatsApp CF

Yes, we have one of these, a grabby person who usually gets in first with a claim then sells it on. We absolutely know they do sell stuff on.

I've got some bits to get rid of I know this person will sell on so I may use the private message ruse.

Well I didn’t pull him up about the dresses cause they were free. I hadn’t put a caveat on them saying what they could be used for. I was giving them away, and someone collected them.

With the second item, it was only a fiver and I’d put a few things on at the same time and had reduced prices to get rid of stuff, including for free. So at the moment of collection I assumed I’d incorrectly reduced it to free and that it was my mistake and so let him walk off with it.

I don’t understand how someone can get so pressed about something that doesn’t matter, tbh.

We have a freebies page for our area on FB. If you keep taking things and don’t offer things you get booted off!

I wouldn't take that approach OP. However who is the group Admin? Speak to them first or just be blunt and post in the group that it's sole purpose if for people who are really struggling!

I would start all offers with this

READ THIS FIRST - because not all people have as much time to check the feed, rather than first come first served, names will be pulled from a hat after 24 for people to register their interest.

The other person is foolish for backing out if they were first, and the person selling should have also stood up to the grabby person by saying they weren't first.

If you know specific neighbours then maybe ask them directly if wanting to get rid of stuff or tag them in the group chat. I normally ask a woman a few doors up if she wants anything my children have finished with as I know she has a toddler. If she doesn't then I put on the street page first but then the local freebie sites.

I recently offered 2 second hand but decent sofas on my local Nextdoor site.
a fair bit of interest and one person wanted them and could I deliver?
Nope

Our street WhatsApp works quite well for sharing very local info but occasionally we get CF requests such as “We’re going camping this weekend. Does anyone have a tent I can borrow?

It’s for the people giving the items to decide. In the situation you described where someone else replied first and then backed down, I’d have given it to the first person.

Perhaps you could suggest that your group does this, @Grabbystreetbint?

No, not at all, I've given away loads of stuff and think I've only given to friends the times maybe

I offer the occasional item to members of my road’s Facebook community and fortunately, my neighbours seem pretty good about not being grabby. Mostly, I offer things on Freegle where you can just choose who you want to give your stuff to without any drama.

So why didn’t you pull him up on it with the dresses, and why didn’t you contact him the second time to tell him he forgot to pay you!?

I don’t understand how anyone can be such a doormat tbh.

I'd say something, but I'm not scared of confrontation. Possibly along the lines of-

Give someone else a chance now Janet, you're taking everything that's offered without giving others a turn and that's really not in the spirit of community is it?

There was someone on my local fb site who was taking everything that was offered for free and selling them at a car boot sale. I had loads of beautiful dresses from my kids that I could have sold myself but wanted to give away, and he turned up for them. I handed the bag over and asked how old his girls were, as I had some coats that I was going to offer, and he got really flustered and I realised something was odd. I still didn’t fully click until I was selling something and he came to collect it, and walked away without paying me. I was so confused that I may have actually said free when I was selling it, that I let him walk away and didn’t shout him back to pay.

My street WhatsApp group is quite big as we live on a long road. If we're giving things away, most people say "message me if interested" to keep traffic down on the main group. Put that at the end of your post and tell Grabby it's already gone to someone who messaged you. Even if she replies really fast just shrug and say "who knew it would be so popular? 🤷‍♂️"

I ALWAYS state, it’s not first come first served, if lots of interest I’ll pick out of a hat.

There's a woman on my local page, her dh was gifted at least 7 million, plus a house, by his df (i know this as i know his sister and they got the same), someone was giving away a little tykes house for free, she claimed it! Couldn't believe it, so embarrassed for her, just fucking buy one, you millionaire!

I give a lot away on FB but I ask for a PM to be sent.
I then pick the person who makes my life easier by saying eg "hey id love your lamp! I can come by anytime at all today or tomorrow after 6".

Can't stand the people who dont start arranging collection possibilities from their first message

More fool the person who backed down.

Some good ideas on here already.

Depending on what the next item you want to give away is, you could dm a few people you think might like it first before it goes on the group. So if it's a child's toy you could message a couple of people who have kids of the appropriate age to ask if they want it first.

Or do the dm if you are interested thing and then just pick someone from those who've messaged.
It doesn't have to be first come first served. You are giving it away so you can choose who gets it, just as if you wanted to give it to someone in your family and you asked a particular cousin first if they wanted it.

Ill admit I've got a nasty habit of secretly hoping my sister will give me her nice perfume bargains she finds (for example 1 of 3 bottles she got in a chloe gift set she found for £10, labeled £300)
Only because she gave me a bottle of jeans paul gaultier classique because her friend gave it her and she didn't like it...

So if you're new to town/the group you never get a look in?

Silly person for backing down, they should have remained silent.

Create another WhatsApp group without her.