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!!

I totally agree with you.

when I was extremely poor I would not have taken second hand items free of charge. Not that I remember being offered anything but I know I would not have felt good about it.

now I see that wealthier people often have a very different attitude and do not feel that same stigma. I suppose it’s like the poorest people needing the brand name clothes.

and yes I never want to give anything with a message that I’m looking to bless the underprivileged. I just hope to find the right people and say look what I have spare is it any use to you because I can’t store it. That type of thing

All I do now is when people say thank you for the whatever I always make sure to say something like "No worries, please consider passing the item on to someone else if you find you no longer want or need it later on" just to try and plant the seed.

I still think offering items for free on facebook is better than giving them to charity as they are much more likely to find their way directly into the hands of someone who can use them and less likely to be binned which happens to many many usable charity donations sadly.

Kwym

There's a couple who reply on everything that's free

Then see it being sold next day

Yes I know once you have given it , it's not yours

But to get for free and make money from it seems wrong imo

Do you want the free stuff OP or are you just pissy because other people are getting free stuff and you don't think they're poor enough to be eligible ?

A few fb pages I'm on, explicitly say things are not to be sold on . Obviously there's no way of strictly policing this eg if they sell at a boot fair, but if they are known to be selling on other sites they are removed from the group.

We have someone like that on the street WhatsApp - she seems to be picking up absolutely everything, from gardening equipment to sports gear to toddler toys (her child is 6). I am not sure why, she's reasonably well off, certainly not in dire need of all this free stuff.
Another neighbour noticed this and we have a few competing hypothesis why she does this.

Yes happens in mine too. Whats worse is seeing the item youve given away for free advertised on marketplace a day or so later 🤬

Lol most people are not at home all day due to privilege... only the privileged would be blind enough to think that. If you can afford to go to a work that pays you enough to cover your costs you are privileged.

• disability
• illness
• children (and not being able to afford childcare)
• care responsibilities
• redundancy

And more.

It costs a lot of money to be able to go out and work (childcare, transport etc...) and many people who aren't privileged enough to have access to opportunities affording them entry to above minimum wage jobs (that don't cover the costs) cant afford it.

On top of this many long term unemployed are ill/disabled or caring for those that are because once again they don't have the financial means to outsource their responsibilities.

Many would love to go to work and socialize with other adults.

Jealousy is ugly OP

This is a good tactic. Otherwise it's painful. The same few here always say yes to anything free, regardless. If they think it has a resale value they will pick it up and sell it on. They aren't 'privileged' so much as spend all their time on Facebook.

Various people have called this out (especially people who collect and sell on) and more now do the names out of a hat or ask for a small amount. If I get someone asking for something for a community group or school, I will always give it to them.

Oh please.

There are a lot of mummies in my neighbourhood who spend their days having £20 poached eggs and "popping" over to collect free items they could perfectly well afford. Meanwhile people who are actually in need but not able to check their phones every 5 min miss out on stuff they actually can't afford to buy new

Maybe just put them on Faceache at the weekends so the yummy mummies don't get there first?

You're very bitter about this. Perhaps look at other outlets for your 2nd hand goods. Lots of refuges and women's shelters will take homeware and clothing, baby basics or similar for toys.

Your contempt for people you know nothing about is revolting though.

During lockdown, I was in a small studio flat with my baby. When he outgrew his stuff, I just wanted it gone as I was so depressed when things got cluttered. I often just done bundles of baby things for free to help other parents out during the hard time of the pandemic. This one lady came to collect a (free) Moses basket and she didn’t even say thank you; she literally knocked, took it and left without a single word - not even a smile. I really do expect that she was someone that got all the free things and sold them on for obviously a profit. Which is entirely scummy when people like me were doing it to help people in need.

Yeah I hear you OP, I went back to donating to the charity shop instead because our local site is just full of absolute grifters. Claiming anything within seconds of it being posted and then always doing car boot sales in the summer. Fuck that!!

I give away stuff so I don't have to deal with it, maybe I should send a questionnaire for people to fill out to see if they have entitlement to the items?

You do sound like you have issues you need to deal with

Give it to a charity shop instead OP.

This happens to me too. I live in a fairly affluent neighbourhood and every time I look at the free cycle FB page, it's ALWAYS the same three grabby women who get everything! 😡

A free fridge freezer - dh was second in line

Day later with same pics it was being sold for £80 by first in line

So wrong

That's life.

There's no rule that says only those who can't afford to purchase new can have free items, is there?

If people are running the group/their listings on a first come, first served basis-that is what you will get.

And how would you choose to police need? Would you request that the person shows their bank statements including any and all savings to show they are under an arbitrary threshold before they can be offered the item?

People post it up for free because they want rid and for their own convenience as much as anything else-saves them taking to tip, paying for a disposal van, or taking to charity/trying to sell on vinted/ebay etc. The simplest and quickest way is to do it on a first come, first served basis if the person can collect.