To think this woman can't possibly need EVERYTHING?

[ohskedaddle]

I'm having a clear out and listing stuff on Olio - both food items I won't eat and general household stuff.

The same woman has been jumping on everything from a tin of soup to some dog food to kitchenware and messaging within minutes to collect straight away.

I like the idea of giving stuff away to people who need it and I can't help thinking the same person can't possibly need everything.

Aibu? Should I just be thankful someone is taking it off my hands? What is she doing with it all?!

Not Olio but I was giving away loads of stuff on FB which I would have liked to have gone to people in need, one woman replied to every single thing simply saying "mine". She was blocked after a while but I've since found out she did this with many, many people and then sold the items on....which I suppose she can do but it left a bad taste

I'm wondering if she's a hoarder.

I’d imagine she’s resisting it and selling it on elsewhere. There are some people who will take everything and relist it and give you a % back- which you might want to consider if she is just profiting anyway???

You're having a clear out - this is stuff you don't want so I don't think theres any need to be al lady bountiful about it going to the truly needy.

If she's going to on free apps and selling on for profit she's probably not exactly minted herself.
I also know people who collect a lot of stuff but then use it for free food kitchens and community efforts or redistribute to people who cannot physically (or technologically) access olio etc.
I also now of a couple of hoarders who swoop up everything.

"Mine" 🤣
Does anybody actually give stuff to a muppet who declares it theirs?!

Olio is about reducing waste, not helping people in need.

If the woman was a good collector (polite in messages, always on time etc), I'd give her whatever she wanted tbh.

However, when I put stuff on there, if one person requests lots, but I get many requests for the item, I will share fairly.

Yeah I could understand that If it was just household items but a jar of jam that goes out of date next month?

She might be collecting for a local charity, worth asking.

Personally I wouldn't care if she's being entrepreneurial and making a few £, she's getting rid of things you don't want.

Doesn't Olio have 'champions' who pick stuff up to distribute to others who can't get them easily? Maybe it is something like that?

Not Olio, but I am in a group that gives away unwanted things.
Like Olio, it is about getting stuff THAT YOU DON'T WANT out of your house - it isn't about "being bountiful to the poor". There are plenty of ways to do that if that is what you want to do.

I'd be glad I only had to keep one pile sitting there in the hallway and arrange one time for collection.

In our group, it is noticeable that there are 2 or 3 people that request lots of and lots of things, but I happen to know that one of them runs a toddler group and also a holiday club, so it does kind of make sense she jumps in for most of the toys, books, dressing up clothes and things that can be used for crafts.

As long as they are polite in asking, I don't care, as I say - I put things on there when having a clear out.

Maybe.

Anyway it seems the general consensus is that as I'm getting rid, it doesn't matter who takes it. I just feel bad if there's other people who might need the stuff more aren't getting a look in.

I can think of lots of genuine reasons why somebody might need old kitchenware and food cupboard sundries. Perhaps she’s recently separated and moving into a new place. Perhaps she’s on a low income and can’t afford to buy everything she’d like for her kitchen at once, and would also be grateful for spare food. Perhaps she has an adult kid moving out or away at university who needs kitting out cheaply. I’d be more grateful that I only had to bag up and wait in for one person to collect rather than a load of different people.

I saw loads of items I'd given away from myself and family and Grandsons old toys.. woman saying nothing for her kids for Christmas .. We went to our first car boot of the year yesterday.. ( it was a good hour away) and yes l saw most of the stuff on a stall.. l recognised the woman but she jumped in her Van and hid.
I don't like confrontations so just didn't say anything.

That’d piss me off. I think these sites are plagued by people who are profiting, rather than those genuinely in need. I’d either send everything to the charity shop or bin it rather than give it to someone who’s not acting in the spirit in which this was intended.

What is she doing with it all?!

It doesn't take much imagination to think of someone on the bare bones of their arse, needing just about everything if she has no money and a family to look after, and she might've just fled an abusive husband.

Or she could be a piss taker, that's the chance you take 🤷‍♂️

I don't think it's completely out there for her to potentially find all of the items useful? Soup, jam, dog food and kitchen stuff.

She could also be intending to donate the food stuff to a food bank or her local community fridge. I wouldn't automatically assume that her motives are bad.

Binning things that could be used on the off chance that someone might be ‘profiting’ is incredibly petty and mean-spirited.

I always eye-roll to myself when people giving things away on Facebook write 'I want this to go to someone really in need' on their posts. I mean what is the criteria for that? How 'needy' does one need to be??

If I'm giving something away, it's because I don't need it anymore, need the space and hope someone else can get some use out of it rather than it being binned.

If someone collects it and wants to go to the effort of selling it on, that's fine by me!

Exactly! It's like they've got some sort of saviour complex or something.

I had a message from Olio recently to say they were changing the rules in some way to make it fairer to stop the same people taking everything - I can’t remember the details of how the rule change will work but clearly it’s not an isolated problem.

I will freely admit that the shoddy behaviour of people that I have encountered has made me petty and mean spirited. Every time I get treated badly (I’m not talking petty things, I’m taking serious wrongs such as burglary or lying about car accidents or stealing), my soul gets a little bit more bitter. And that’s just how it is.

This.

Could she be trying to make the most of one trip out so for one trip she has multiple items?
I don't use Olio because driving across town to get a single item at an inconvenient time seems less environmentally friendly than walking to the shop if I need it.

Me too.

I think 'Do you want to get rid, or not ?'

I also agree with the posters saying it is perfectly feasible you are likely to want a lot of things at the same time at different times of your life.
I've got adult children moving into their fist homes - every time they can pick up a kettle or some utensils or a clothes airer or a coffee table saves them £10 - £50 each collection. It makes sense that any person setting up a home (for whatever reason) is going to need everything all at once, if they can.

To be clear, I didn't write this on my FB post - it was just my preference