Trying to sell anything is impossible

[Lifeofthepartay]

I am doing a big clear out that includes clothes, furniture, all in great condition. Clothes and trainers barely worn, asking very little (around £1 per item) on Facebook marketplace and local pages, no one is interested....piece of furniture, a few years old but absolutely solid, no rips , tears or stains. It would be around £2k new, asking for a little over £100 , no one is interested and only person commenting is saying she knows of a place that MIGHT take it if I don't find a buyer, they'd want it delivered too as I know for a fact they don't collect because I have donated stuff to them before. I've seen other people doing this to countless other sellers, trying to get some money for their items but instead they get asked to donate to this or that. We KNOW that there are tons of places asking stuff for free. There are also tons of people asking things for free and even those waste your time as no shows. Is it too hard to understand that if I am listing for sale is because I want some.mo eye for it? Rant over 😂 at this point I would honestly rather taking it to the skip than suffer more time wasters.

Try olio? Ive had some success there we had the whole being sneered at after my nan died they said it was hard to shift the furniture but the prices in the shop! I'm not surprised it was so hard I went to bhf recently they had a battered dining room chair for £35 just one on its own a few months later it's sold at a fiver "shock" (all four legs didn't touch the floor maybe they mistook it for a rare style rocking chair 😁) I think unrealistic pricing really holds stock in the shops years ago the priced fairly low and cleared fast they always had stock now it's always the same stock high prices no movement

Giving it away but getting a tax credit: If you donate to charity that you're registered with, you will get a tax credit worth 30% when its sold ( if not stolen which is what seems to happen too often with my stuff). www.google.com/search?q=charity+donations+tax+credit

It depends on where you live. I sell loads on my local Facebook page but my friend can’t sell anything on hers. I’d look at your prices. Selling stuff for £2 is very low… people can’t be bothered to travel to pick up a £2 item. Have you tried making up £10 bundles and offering delivery? I sell stuff in the week and offer free local delivery on a Saturday morning and go around and drop everything off. No waiting in for people! If it doesn’t sell within a 2-week window I just take it to the charity shop.

We bought a sofa for 1.50 on eBay. It cost us £70 to hire a van and took DH and DS both to carry it through her garden. It was that cheap because we were the only bidders! (She just wanted rid of it, it was in perfect nick)

A man with van would have made it too expensive to risk “sight unseen” vs going to the local BHF shop and looking at stock (which they would then deliver for only £30)

I'm not in the UK but find the same thing here. People want things for next to nothing, and don't get me started on the timewasters on Marketplace. It does my head in.

Me too, but furniture is tricky.

Down our way, stuff gets redistributed for free via the street WhatsApp. Nobody bothers to sell anything.

Sounds like you’ve been unlucky but also this is a product of commercialism. The world we live in now means we have almost unlimited options for unlimited stuff. Go back a couple of generations and people just didn’t have so much ‘stuff’. So there’s loads of people trying to offload nearly new stuff unsuccessfully.

Absolutely, and you're right to point out that this commercialism often includes the people doing the offloading as well.

I think part of the issue is that for a while, people got quite used to charity shops, freecyle and the like salving their consciences about getting rid of things they could still use, didn't want but that had plenty of life in them. It not only saved them the trouble of disposal but meant not having to engage with the reality of the commercialism, and also made people feel good about doing something for others too. Almost like trickle down sofas!

Now that element is breaking down, but there's still a residual idea that someone should want and get use out of these things, even though it's not me. Hence there are quite regular threads on here from people about how they can't get a charity shop to take the things they want to donate.

This.

Also, if you’re getting rid of stuff there is usually a reason why.. it’s tatty, doesn’t QUITE work, is incompatible (see my post about cigarette lighter socket chargers). Doesn’t share the appeal of something shiny and new.

I’m a fan of natural fabrics and materials, as they tend to acquire a patina rather than just damage. Eg a plastic ie fake leather handbag or shoe gets a chunk out of it - it looks awful. A laminate floor or MDF table chips - similar. Can’t be mended. Compare wood or leather.

Yes they cost more brand new but I pick up wooden stuff at auction for far less than many new items cost. It’s my wooden floor I’m delighted with though - twenty five years and it’s scratched and dented but looks lived in . And I don’t have the cost and hassle of ripping out and installing new. Was pricey but ultimately, wood is renewable in a way laminate isn’t so in the very very long term I can see a forced return to such natural materials.

Regarding charity shops and house clearances etc.. it feels like there’s the assumption they should be grateful for what they get offered but the reality is, in many situations them taking the stuff off your hands is as beneficial to the ‘donor’ as it much as it is to the charity. If not more so beneficial to the donor because they need it gone and how can they do that without hiring a van etc… would cost more to take it to the skip in time and money.

The time and effort it would take to sell a deceased relatives stuff would take up a lot of time and resources too and as we can see from this thread, there are a lot of time wasters.

They shouldn’t be snidey of course and they should be courteous and remember the items were someone life, but really you need them as much as they need you often.

Are DFS sofas substandard?

Definitely, though I do have more sympathy for people who struggle when offloading due to bereavement.

It's a tough time anyway, and people don't necessarily have the bandwidth to accept that their beloved relative's often cherished possessions are worth nothing, or not enough to justify any effort. And charities are on the frontline of that.

It's a very new thing for humans to die having amassed lots of stuff that nobody wants and that has to be disposed of. We don't have a rulebook or social norms for this state of affairs.

@daleylama - there is no need to quote the opening post before adding your reply. It is assumed by all that you are responding to the OP. Imagine how long the thread would be if everyone responding did it?! Hopefully this is helpful.

British Heat Foundation pick up furniture if it has all the relevant fire safety labels

I use Gumtree for furniture.

Vinted for clothes.

Try vinted or ebay

For furniture you get a quote for moving within ten miles and jack up the price to include delivery. £250 becomes £350.

I've found eBay is too much trouble for the money. I give all but the most valuable items away on Freecycle. I've met lots of lovely, grateful people ❤️

Sigh, so many people keep saying BHF will collect - obviously not reading the whole thread. They are VERY picky, they will NOT just happily come & collect everything that you don't want!!

I deleted my Gumtree ads and reposted with some fresh photos.. Still zero interest but lots of people clicking on the posts.

The furniture I’m trying to sell is practically brand new and very cheaply priced.

It’s getting to the point where I would rather take it to the tip as need the stuff gone. I know I could list it for free but I’m sick of people expecting the world to be given to them for nothing.

You can recycle old clothes at Dunelm Mill
They get turned Into something else

People just won't venture out to buy something for a £1.. will cost them more in petrol.
I was giving loads of stuff away after a good clear out.. one woman wanted some Tupper wear l was giving away.. 6 lunch boxes with seperate compartments and lids.. when she came to collect l handed them over and she looked at then and said " oh they looked bigger on line.. do you have any bigger ones.. my husband is a big eater.. l was going to use one a day but these are far too small". I said I'm not IKEA... these are free and all l have" . She took them but was tutting walking away. 🤷‍♀️. For clothes sell on vinted.. l sell cheap.. because of the fees and postage.. some people want nearly as much as they paid new. You can now sell some electrical stuff on there. I've sold pictures and ornaments too. Big items like furniture I've donated to charity shops.

How do you get paid? Bank transfer/PayPal? And what do you do if they are not in?

I’m sick of people expecting the world to be given to them for nothing.

Well, maybe people don’t want the furniture after they have clicked on the photos - it won’t fit into their space or whatever. And if they don’t have a big enough vehicle, it’s van hire and time, not “nothing”.

Take it to the tip if you don’t want it (some tips have “recycling areas” where they will check if it’s good enough to try and pass on/sell on) but don’t be pissed off with the world for not wanting things that you don’t want any more anyway!