Always same people getting free shit from neighbourhood FB

[CoddlingMolly]

The rest of us are at work so it ends up always being the same (privileged) people responding to great offers of nice free stuff going in our neighbourhood. They reply like 2 min after a person posts.
It's like a double whammy, they're wealthy enough to not have to work and that also gets them free stuff or bargains...

It annoys the hell out of me!!

Sorry, sorry, sorry, misread.
(But that hat thing is the fairest if you are the one doing the giving.)

Could you suggest to the admins that they make it a rule to let posts stand for a day and allocate randomly?
Or start your own FB group with that rule.

Are you obligated to take the first request? Can you say checking interest in these items and see who responds and then select who you want to give it to? DD posts freebies and some people write an (brief) story about why they want something. Op i would have been 🤨if I had your same experience. I do like to think it’s someone who won’t immediately resale and does have a need and will
personally use it. Not hoard not sell and not just wanting it but using it.

I'm sure someone on our local page sells stuff on because I refuse to believe that she happens to need every item she gets.

Having said that. Its the best page for getting rid of stuff. People really will take anything if its free 😂

No it definitely wouldn’t go in a tip and I wasn’t getting rid of shit I don’t want.
I was giving away expensive new equipment to be generous.
I don’t offer out any shit I’m wanting rid of.

i know they’re wealthy because when I took the stuff I realised which family it was. Very wealthy. But either way nothing I could have done. And I was thanked and told the children enjoyed the items very much.

no I would never say I want things to go to people in need though. It’s a tricky one. Just in my heart I’d love to help people who needed it more. But can’t change that.

Whilst I can see this is frustrating, nobody is obliged to give you anything so it's all bonus stuff anyway. You could try Freecycle or Olio, where you message the giver rather than first come first served. If you're never in a position to be first, then those sites won't ever work for you, there is no point being annoyed about it.

I once offered school jumpers. They were collected by a lady whose kid went to the other school, not ours (and I doubt she sold them on—there’s zero market to buy them secondhand, as everyone gives them out for free on the FB local page)!

another option is when you post it you say 'oos' or 'on other sites', then if someone you don't want to have it asks for it you can say 'oops sorry already gone'

I’m just glad if it’s being reused and I don’t have to get rid of it. Also if the people bother to turn up when they say they will.

I know what you mean OP. I'm assuming people on our group must have an alert on the FB page as they're that fast asking for stuff as soon as the post is approved. I now only offer smaller, low value items as I was convinced (but couldn't prove) they were selling on. Which is against the rules of the group.

I am fairly wealthy and pick up stuff from free sites often - my main motivation is to reduce landfill, why buy new when someone is giving away? I also buy a lot of secondhand stuff.

I give away a lot on these sites too. My olio stats are 167 items given away, 23 picked up.

I usually give to the first requester unless they are rude.

You don't know their individual situation. We have a couple of people on our local freecycle page that get to a lot of items first. Found out that they work with a charity trying to help refugees locate clothes, household goods, furnish emergency accommodation etc so they always look out for things to help families in need.

They may not be able to work either. Count yourself lucky to be able to afford nice new things, some people don't have that luxury.

At the end of the day, begrudging others over second-hand items is not a good luck. Its first come first served.

I assume she got them for a friend whose child does go to the school?

One of my aunts is always doing this - she haunts Facebook give away pages, I am sure some people think she is selling on but she is just collecting stuff for her nieces and nephews. Ironically I end up giving some of the things she gives me away... On different sites!

You can change that. That was my point. If it’s expensive new equipment and you want it to do some good, you could have found an organisation to give it to. You could have gone on FB and asked for women’s shelters, after school clubs, refugee centres, stay and play at the church/village hall, a school. Then got a list of places who would have benefitted and had a greater need, then contacted them. Possibly contacted them again when your email was missed. Then dropped it round. Usually at a time that’s inconvenient to you, maybe somewhere that took quite a while to get there. It’s significantly more effort and not everyone can do that level of time input, which is fair enough but you can’t then say you want it to go to someone more worthy and there’s nothing more you can about it. FB is the easy and quick option but you have no control who you give it to.

If you genuinely want it to go to those in need, find the charities that distribute to them and make the effort to go and drop your things off at a mutually convenient time. If that is too much effort, then let others do what suits them.

We are generally well off and tend to pick up items second hand for environmental reasons (usually at cost, not free). We pay it forward by passing on our things second hand too and the nicest items go to a baby bank/charities who specifically provide to those who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it. This is at our inconvenience - put yourself at the same inconvenience rather than complaining

Most things that weve given away have been to families that need it. We've often dropped them off for people and have seen how little they have.

There's one woman in my area who pounces on everything going. I can't imagine she needs it all for herself so assume she's doing car boots or selling stuff online that she's had free.

Plenty of people will say it makes no odds to you if you're giving stuff away but it pisses me off that nobody else gets a look in so I've now blocked her 😂

There's a girl in my town who does this and she sells everything on. Shes banned from the groups and keeps making new accounts 😦

Snooze you lose/ nae fast yer last and a that min.

If ever I list anything free the same few women say yes to literally everything. (I've never thought of them as privileged tbh) but I feel sure they must be triggered by the word free because they say yes to everything....but then pm to say actually they don't want it....or simply don't collect it.
But then anyone else sees they've claimed it and assumes the item has gone.its really annoying!

My friend listed something for free and I said I bet <insert usual suspects name> comments...and sure enough thry fid!

I can see where you're coming from op. I make sure not to give stuff to the same people who reply first. Plus anyone that was rude beforehand or a no show is automatically disqualified!

But you can't dictate what other people do. If they're giving it for free then they probably need it gone out of their house and will prioritise that.

Mine wasn’t given on fb.
and yes I normally donate to a children’s centre.
this time I put it on a local group but this wasn’t really going to needy people. I realise that now.
I donate both my time and my money so no need to tell me how to inconvenience myself for others. I live to help others. Was merely telling my anecdote about what happened last week when I put a message on a local group. A very wealthy family got the goods. Now I know

Ironically and sadly often those most in need won't take stuff for free and would prefer to purchase. For poorer people taking charity is seen as a negative thing that reflects poorly on them and so they won't have free or used items. It's often more middle class people who can see the bargain in free items and for whom getting a bargain is a badge of honour and not a sign that they couldn't have afforded something. It's a shame as it's one of the insidious ways in which poorer people stay poor and actually avoid behaviours (like buying secondhand or collecting free items) that could help lift them out of poverty if they were normalised.

There's not much we can do about this on an individual level apart from always giving away and not binning or tipping any usable items (you'd be amazed what people will gladly collect and repair or repurpose if given the chance, it's amazing and really uplifting actually, I've had all sorts of stuff collected) and continuing to give away free items we've received and hoping the merits of a circular economy become normalised and filter down to everyone eventually.

I agree adding anything about worthiness is gross and always makes me think the giver fancies themselves as some kind of Lady Bountiful giving out faded babygros to the unwashed masses while holding her nose. We need to recognise that those collecting are doing us a favour as well by saving us the inconvenience of finding some other way of disposing of unwanted items and that few secondhand items have much monetary value especially for collection.

If something's being offered for free, what does it matter who takes it? It was an unwanted item.