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?

I've got rid of a fucktonne of Kallax units recently leaving them on the drive with a "free" sign - we've had roadworks outside and had people stuck in the traffic jam popping out to liberate them, and I think the last one went off in the Amazon delivery driver's van.

How do they turn down the Earth?

Say they’ll come and collect the Earth at a vague time then ask if it can be delivered, they don’t drive.

A neighbour used to pay a man with a trailer to come every few months. He then carbooted it and disposed of unsellable.

Advertise on FMP that you are leaving it outside for first come first served.

I had a multitude of paint in all different Colours, the old kitchen and bathroom, blinds etc left in a place we are renovating

Funnily enough everything bar the Dulux Egyptian Cotton which I thought was the least offensive of all the random paint colours left over was the only thing left.
It did go a few days later
Put to post what they thought things were worth through the letter box

Made about £8. Didn’t have to hire a skip and fewer trips to the tip.

I can’t deal with flakey people

My local Freegle has a weekly stall in the local market. You can drop off anything portable, and pick up anything you fancy for free.

I feel your pain OP. I put a few bits on our local free FB page. People were fighting over each other for some of the things. I offered them fairly to a couple of people who seemed genuine and said they would pick up yesterday for one item and early this afternoon for the other. Have they? Have they fuck.

If they don't come by the end of today they are going back on for someone else to have. The free stuff defo seems to attract the flakiest of people.

@HugATwat

You certainly have ample opportunity to Hug A Twat!!

I’ve tend to arrange a ‘too big for the bin’ collection with the council. I leave the stuff outside in the front yard the night before and people basically help themselves. Even broken chairs/blinds etc. Noticed others in the street doing the same.

people are moronic. They don't read ads. They rarely say please or thank you. They ask if its available, you reply yes then never hear from them again.
I've put stuff outside, its gets left, good stuff as well. Seriously, you cant even give stuff away these days.

We have a particular person in our local group and when something is posted she responds 'I'll ave it', no please, no thank you, nothing. Even when you offer it she never comes!

Dogs are better than people - fact!

Drives me mad! I always put collect from x location, then get messages saying will you deliver to the nearest city, 40 mins away!!
Once had a children's chair for sale. Advertised it as a CHILDS chair. Had a man message me asking me to send him the measurements. I did, then he messaged me back to say it was no good as HE would not fit in it!
I honestly don't know how some people get through life.

I don't give away on facebook anymore due to the cheeky fuckery ("thanks, I'll take it!....By the way, I'm disabled/can't drive/have fibro/can't take the bus/insert excuse not previously mentioned here, so can you please drive it over to me? Thanks") , but luckily we have a few charities who will come to our doorstep to pick up donations so that's been really handy.

I am doing the same I think, too much hassle giving away a working chest freezer for free and fridge. It is a big environmental shame though which makes me feel guilty. One thing I am doing is bringing boxes of things to a local charity furniture project who set people up in housing - pots, pans etc. They will only take certain things. I prefer to bring things to places and people rather than the hassle of pick up. Although that is trouble too.

I've had lots of success on my local FB page. Everyone has turned up on time and I've had no issues at all.

To clarify - I mean local area FB page - not a marketplace one!

Do you have any locally based give-away Facebook groups? I have found them better as there's more sense of community / friends of friends etc. Also currently decluttering (with skip!) and have had three people turn up bang on time to collect items in the last 24 hours and no time-wasters!

Do you have a garden or a drive where you can put stuff out with a "help yourself" sign? That happens a lot round here.

If I use the local freecycle site, I just leave stuff outside for people to collect if they can't be specific about a time.

When I've had a skip people have knocked on the door and asked to go through it, they've taken all sorts of old tat.
It simple and green.

We’ve got a front garden that would be perfect for a giveaway spot – and even a rainproof gazebo to cover it (dating from ye old “no socialising indoors” days, and also destined to be decluttered). I might try it, as we’re on a school run route and a dog walkers rat run to the local park. I do fully expect the road monitor across the street to be up in arms about it: she came over daily during some renovation work to complain that our rubble was in our front garden (“unsightly”, apparently), or our builder had parked on her side of the road (a public road with no restrictions).

I should note that just now a man from FBM turned up on time, politely took the heavy things, was very grateful, paid in cash, AND was very handsome. I think – I might have just had “you’re actually here and decluttering” goggles on. The way you always fall in love with the paramedic when the ambulance comes.

I try using olio but the people drive me crazy.
I was giving away some food and one woman wanted everything and messaged saying she had no food and no money till the end of the month.
I bagged it up and put it outside and said it was ready to collect anytime.
3 days later I had to message her to see if she still wanted it! It was sat outside the whole time 🤦🏻‍♀️ she did eventually come over and collect but I was so annoyed with myself for believing her sob story as she couldn't have been that starving to wait 3 days!

I always give people one chance to collect, state this ahead of time, and state if they don't arrive at said time / place exactly as agreed the item will go to the next person who wants it (and that I have others interested).

COLLECTION ONLY in big letters in the ad.

In general I only reply to people who are polite in their responses or requests for items. If they are rude or short, they get ignored.

and in big words "NO TIME WASTERS" usually helps (a little).

Agree - I put a trampoline on our local FB page, free. Someone messaged and asked size (which to be honest i should have said but i did puta photo on and it was next to the fence so some context!) , I replied and they said " ah an 8 foot one, thanks for letting me know". Right so assume you don't want an 8 foot one but could you not have said and just closed the conversation.

On a good sunny weekend day, just put everything outside on the front lawn/driveway with a huge sign marked FREE. Then go out for the day

I got rid of loads of kids toys that way, lots of drivers stopping and passers by. Also i see this in the summer on my local FB groups, other people doing frontyard giveaways...

I was clearing a flat out for my son who didn’t want any of the furniture. Sold a bit on Marketplace and the rest I advertised as free. Two guys came in a car and to be fair they did manage to pack a lot of free stuff into it. He also wanted to take a sofa balancing free on the top of his car. When I said no that wouldn’t be safe he asked if he could cut the flex from my hoover to tie it on with