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?

😂 😂

Yanbu. Facebook in particular is full of time wasting idiots.

I absolutely hear you and had a very similar conversation with my husband a few days ago!! It's v frustrating!

I agree! We cleared our garage out a few weeks ago, wanted to give it all away. Nice stuff - Ikea furniture in perfect 'used' condition etc. Put photos of it all, wrote 'no holding' on the post and.... then had a full time job dealing with eejits over the next 24 hours.

@hamsterchump

This thread is going a bit Lord and Lady Bountiful now.

I don't know why but this made me chuckle.

Put the goods on FB Market place. Offer at very low prices that aren't round so for example 3 vases for £8. Someone will offer you a fiver...yes for quick sale. Stool - £12, bundle of baby grows £6...at least you know the person wants it. I've sold something for £2. I let them have it (no change from the fiver they offered) but grey were round like a shot.

Yeah people are a pita. I just wrap a plastic bag around the item to keep it dry, stick a label on it with the persons name and tell them "it will be outside my house from 9am this morning, just grab it."

Ive found its unlikely that anyone else will be bothered to nick a random carrier bag (but my street is quite quiet and house set back from the road a little so appreciate it could differ elsewhere) but even if they did I couldn't care less -I wanted it gone and its gone.

You seem to have The British Heart Foundation confused with a waste recycling company. However lovely your furniture is, it's no use to them unless they can shift it and in the meantime it will require storage space. So obviously they aren't going to take it without some thought. Most people wanting second hand buy off Facebook marketplace, they don't trawl charity shop stores.

Can be a nightmare!

I took advice from here that you should charge something but price to sell, and it seems to be working.

I only sell one thing at a time to avoid confusion.

Have not truck with any kind of agent, bank transfer or similar, it’s just cash on collection with me.

BHF never even got back to me re my item - a cabin bed - so I just sold it instead.

We have advertised on Freecyle and given stuff away successfully. But we've had others who've asked if we can drop an item off who live 30 miles away. Er, no.

We have a village WhatsApp selling group and even then, despite the fact most people know each other, people still take the proverbial. They ask for something, then go silent when you ask when they want to pick it up.

I tried to give away some curtains on Facebook and had someone message me with simply “I need these, address?” (the postcode & village were in the ad), when I responded they said “what are you selling again?” (clearly listed at the top of the private message). At this point I said they were no longer available as generally, conversations like this usually don’t have a reliable collection at the end.

This set off paragraphs of begging and pleading that they needed them, they’d moved into an empty flat, photos of said flat… no.

@bussteward the box of cat food made me laugh though 😆 how random

This is such a shitty and stupid attitude!

See if there's somewhere you can donate to like a baby bank or clothes bank. A few weeks before Christmas we had a toy swap where anyone could bring toy's and take any. Also had a popup free toyshop. So that those getting rid of toys no longer wanted but in good condition could be dropped off and anyone who's children weren't getting a lot could have for free. Someone got a bike someone else got a full size keyboard.

It was just a couple of local parents that were chatting at work and decided to do it. They got an empty shop unit for drop off and collection so no expectation of having it delivered or having to wait in all day. If you have older children they could sell some of they're toys out the front of your house for some pocket money. I used to love doing this. Have a few things you want to offer for free as well.

I sold an item on FB marketplace for a tenner, collection only. Someone contacted me requesting I parcel it up & arrange a courier, decided that was too expensive when I said it would cost more than the item, asked if I’d drop it off to her directly THEN, unbeknownst to me, when I said I don’t have the car as DH takes it to work, tracked him down on social media and told him I’d offered his services to drop it off to her!

I've had mostly good experiences with our subdivisions recycling Facebook page but 2 were odd. One bloke got angry because I had already given a TV away to the first person who wanted it because it wasn't fair? Another said she would collect some bits for 2 days on the trot but didn't show up.

Some people lead very chaotic lives and I cannot be bothered with them.

Haven’t read the whole thread so sorry if this has been mentioned already. We use anglodoorstepcollections.co.uk
You put your postcode in, they say which day they’re coming. You box/bag everything up and leave it outside your front door, friendly guy with van takes it all away. They give you a choice of charity for the money to go to. We’ve used them several times now.

When I moved, I just took it all to nearest tidy tip, apart from a literal handful of stuff

will that double wardrobe fit on my moped ?

Sorry but I did genuine laugh out loud at that !

God I feel your pain OP. Had similar a few years ago giving away really good condition leather sofa, a couple of bed frames (not mattresses coz that would be gross) and few other bits for FREE. Spent a week dealing with idiots and waiting in for people who never turned up. Eventually gave up and contacted British Heart Foundation who had a 3 week wait list for collecting stuff so ended up paying someone £200 to take it all away. I was crestfallen to say the least.

We had the same experience when trying to give a desk away with BHF. They never ever responded.

Sadly, no helpful advice only commiserations.

(my dining room is currently stuffed full of too-good-to-skip but I-want-rid-of-it items!)

No. No confusion here.
And I bought furniture from BHF when I had my first place so no, not everyone buys from marketplace when furnishing their first homes.

Well apopros of @PigletJohn 's post . When we were clearing out my late FIL's house , we tried charity shops ( they are often full ) a friend of my SIL does boot sales - so she took a whole load of stuff , whilst waiting for the house clearance people to come DH suggested putting some items on the drive with a notice saying "awaiting collection - do not steal " - we didn't but it made me laugh.

As a previous poster has said out local tip has - as well as the huge skips and area where they will take better items and take them away for sale. Worth checking but probably more for larger loads than a few bits and pieces.

I did free cycle and got two lovely young people trying to furnish their flats , all good. I also got a billionty people saying - I would like the item - it did become too hard - so I gave most stuff away to friends and neighbours when I chatted to them and said "would you like this "

It is ( my experience only ) unless friends / family / neighbours harder to give stuff away than you might think. All ( soft ) furniture needs an up to date fire warning / retardant label on it - any furniture you have painted yourself ( again my experience ) won't be taken as they are not sure of the fire hazard of the paint. I can understand this - they have to be very very careful.

House clearance people will sort things into different recycling - so eg cables / wires etc because they get a discount on going to the tip ( so you are paying less to them. )