To think a skip is easier than the general fucking public

[bussteward]

I’m on a major declutter and obviously can give bags of things to charities – but the ones near me are small and can’t accept limitless donations or certain items, eg opened bags of nappies, boring baby things like mountains of vests, or “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” type stuff. Fine.

But JFC trying to give stuff away via Olio/Freecycle/Marketplace etc is a full-time job dealing with the hard of thinking. No matter how clear the ad stating the pick-up times available – and Olio even has a rule you’re supposed to mention a time in your first message – you get conversations that go:

Available?
Yes, until 1pm today or I can be around any time tomorrow if you let me know when so I don’t have to wait in all day.
OK, this afternoon.
As the ad states, I can’t do after 1pm today. Please let me know a time that suits you tomorrow.
Tomorrow afternoon.
OK, I’m not going to wait in all afternoon: so let’s say 3pm.
::tumbleweed silence::

It’s like pulling teeth.

Then there was the woman who did specify a time, forgot to come, rearranged, messaged once she was an hour late to say her car had broken down, never confirmed a new time then turned up randomly three weeks later when the item had long gone trying to give me a box of cat food. I do not have a cat.

Every pick up time comes and goes without a ring on the doorbell, then the message comes: just waiting for my partner to come home with the car then I’ll set off. OK?! But you said 9am and it’s now 9.30 and you’ve not set off, so that’s an entirely different time and I have plans.

Obviously I am not going to throw everything in a skip or set fire to it all but it would be easier. Can’t put it all out the front with a sign saying “free” because it’s constantly pouring down. Can’t specify “no fucking idiots, what’s wrong with you people” on the ad. I don’t have an AIBU because I’m NOT unreasonable: it is the people who are unreasonable, aren’t they?

Yes, in my experience, people that you deal with on these sites - and yes Facebook Marketplace, I’m looking at you - are very trying indeed.

if you’d done an AIBU I’d have voted a big “hell no!”

Absolutely, a complete nightmare. We are rural so I tend to just bag things up and leave them by the gate if someone has scheduled to collect that way I am nor waiting around for them.

Just put it in the skip. It needs to leave your house and it's better than fucking around like that.

I find offering things for free is the worst. I always charge even £3-5 now. You get far fewer replies and people are more likely to turn up. I don’t even take the money.

I am having a sort out and the good stuff that may be of use to someone else, we leave outside the house. It's usually taken in a couple of hours, particularly baby items, kids toys and generally good quality stuff. Clothes go to Icollect whom are very reliable. Otherwise it's recycled or tip.

Get a skip, put stuff in the skip, people take stuff out of the skip in the middle of the night - recycling.

Freecycle people are usually pretty good.

I make a shortlist of requesters, and quickly move on to the next one when one seems like a bit of a plonker.

I can't be bothered with FB and Olio either. So much back and forth. It's a real insight into how some people live their lives - I would go insane with the levels of inability to turn up that some people display. I wait for a fine day then put it on my driveway for people to take. Or if you have it in your area, the British Heart Foundation will collect furniture.

I find Facebook marketplace a bloody nightmare for this. I especially hate it when, after a long winded back and forth for hours, they announce that they don't have transport and can I deliver the item I am giving away for free. To an address half an hour away. Then they get all arsey when I point out that it would actually cost me money to give the thing away.

I feel your pain OP!! I’ve seen various skits online about this from different countries so it’s a universal problem clearly!

Even vinted has become a nightmare. People offering £1 less just for the sake of it. I could understand £5 or more. Although I don’t think the cost of postage helps on there.

I'm sure you already know this, but just in case anyone else doesn't, if you ever get a message like that, it's a scam.

https://www.pcnetsolutions.co.uk/latest-news/fake-chronopost-scam-targets-facebook-users/

Once someone has asked to collect something, just give them the address. Then wrap the item in a bin bag, leave it on the front step, send them a photo of the location and go about your day. Worst that happens is it gets stolen. Which is presumably fine by you?

I've never had this issue with Olio 🤷‍♀️

I'm very glad that next to my local tip is a second hand shop that will often take most good donations. If they don't want it I tip it. If I want something for props or if I'm making some meals for friends I'll go there and buy pretty good stuff too. It's so useful a shame that it's not more the norm

I decluttered just before moving and ended up doing exactly that. Everything went to the tip. So much less stress and dealing with idiots.

What gets my goat is I put the collection postcode in the listing, check with them in my first reply that they know where it is, then after loads of back and forth about collection, they come back with "just checked where you are and it's too far, sorry" Gaaarghhh!

You are very lucky. To be fair I’ve had some lovely people – the woman who clapped when she saw the curtains I was giving away and tried to insist she give me money (they belonged to the previous owner of the house and were the ugliest things I’ve ever seen), and someone else who practically danced a jig at my old wheelbarrow (new house garden sadly paved). So it’s not all bad. But “tried to give me cat food” lady was Olio, as was the timewaster who inspired this thread.

I just don’t understand WHY people are so difficult!

Facebook Marketplace + Free = Lunatics

Really stresses your commitment to reduce, reuse, recycle!

It is hard work but it’s really irresponsible to put stuff in a skip that could be used by other people

I feel your pain, OP.

So many thick, disorganised and just plain weird people around. I do kind of love the lady that showed up three weeks late bearing gifts of cat food. I feel like she could have her own TV show 🤗

I don't use FB Marketplace because the only people on there seem to have four brain cells between them, and they're on the bloody blink.

I used Freecycle but I only consider people who are polite with good spelling and grammar in their messages. I know this is horribly snobby but I've found it a pretty good formula.

I use Nextdoor quite a lot too because I find that not being anonymous helps with people's reliability.

As PP said, charging a nominal amount also helps sift out the time-wasters a little. If I've advertised something for a few quid, people show up on time and are nice, I usually just waive the cost and let them have it for free.

I'm a big believer in the path of least resistance... whatever makes things easier for me. So in that vein, I'd dump it all in a skip without a backwards glance!
Yanbu, I can't be dealing with stupid, unreliable people!

Yes, it’s less “circular economy” with these people and more “going round in circles then throwing it in the bin economy”.

I’ve had equally hard times buying things on fb marketplace. My daughter wanted a very specific toy. Found a few locally. Messaged one. Yes it’s available. Then asked for address no reply. Asked again sorry she’s been busy. Sent address asked when I could collect. No reply. I gave up. Next one messaged no reply at all and the last one replied immediately saying it was available. Sent address then I gave all the times I could pick up over the next week. Mostly after 5pm and all weekend and they couldn’t do any of them so I gave up

Or in our case when we were clearing out DM's house get a skip, people take stuff out of the skip which is fine, thieving bastards come into the garden and try to take the plant pots and gates that aren't near the skip! Luckily we saw them but had to move everything into the back garden out of sight of the arseholes!