To think giving away things for free just isn't worth it?

[LarryForPrimeMinister]

Having a massive declutter.
Listed various different things online for free with collection only.

Had people asking if I can deliver, can I deliver a good 25 miles away, asking if I can hold things for a week, no shows.
Even someone having a go at me in the comments for giving away glucose lift shots (for diabetic hypos) saying I can't give prescription medication away despite the sticker being ripped off and it's just a glucose drink no actual prescription drugs in it? If I gave to the pharmacy they would just throw them away anyway!

Aibu to think its just not worth the hassle anymore?

Thanks all I took them to the local charity shop but will try olio next time. I'm done with Facebook idiots!

Yes, we did this, as we have a small front forecourt area. We collected some free 'banana boxes' from the supermarket, and put the items we were giving away in the boxes on top of our bins just inside the boundary wall (some of them were quite small, and I don't want them blowing onto the pavement). They were a really mixed and varied selection of objects and food items.

Anyway, someone kept taking the entire boxes full of stuff, box and all! Turned out it was the woman up the road who already had her house crammed with hoarded crap. So it doesn't seem really helpful for her, iykwim, for us to carry on.

I suppose we could chain the banana boxes to the wheelie bins?

I used to love where I lived in London because everyone would just leave things in front of their house with “free, please take sign on it.” I used to do that with outgrown toys, we’d also even put children’s clothes out in nice weather.

I live in a shithole now, it would be spread in the road and thrown everywhere, sadly.

yes people say FB is passe and rubbish but its still a useful tool

This makes sense

people do not respect what is free

so this is a good way to do it!

Tell me about it, had a boomerang I gave away to 5 different people yet the thing kept coming back

No one around here wants anything. Putting outside with a free sticker is definitely not done around here too. I’ve posted on all our groups too and it’s such a hassle. I’ve made a pile of perfectly fine items and sent it to the tip.

It’s incredibly challenging often to do anything other than bin perfectly good stuff. It’s so frustrating when you know good stuff that people in need would be able to use is just ending up in landfill.

As for delivery, I just say, yes my husband has a van so that will be £60.

List items on free sites saying something like 'please say why you want the item and when you can collect it. I won't respond if you just ask if item is still available.

I got hacked off by people just clicking the auto response of 'is this still available' - requires minimum effort on their part and got fed up of holding items for people who didn't respond.

Also works well to leave items on front drive for collection. Plus give a time limit to collect by or it goes to the next person.

Or find a bring and take near you and give everything away in one go! And charity shop smaller/more valuable items. I only freegle the bulky stuff.

Never had the patience for FB marketplace as even as a buyer I seemed to encounter nutters. But no issues with Olio - good communication, people turn up when they say, you can report 'no shows' etc.

This week got rid of a bread maker. BHF would understandably not come out for a small item, but gone within a couple of hours on Olio.

I sometimes use skips if we have a lot (Hipposkips are good - they come flat packed) and those companies are required to recycle what you put in. It's a good alternative if you're time poor, especially for electricals.

We have a street WhatsApp - it works well and stuff goes really quickly.

I once put a free fridge notice at our newsagents (back in the dark ages before widespread internet). It was one of those big American sized fridges and I gave the dimensions and stated over and over it was very large and to measure their doorway/space before enquiring. Of the ones who actually showed up, most said ‘oh it’s too big’. Duh. Utter waste of time. A bloke did decide to take it but I ran into him in the town afterwards and he said he took it to the dump as he knew it wouldn’t fit but felt bad that he said he’d have it (he was in the resale business so already had a truck).
I had some pallets out front and several people knocked asking if they could have them. In the end I said only if they took them there and then as I was tired of people saying they just needed to get their truck and then disappear. After that I stuck a few things at end of my drive with a ‘free’ sign and they were always gone within a few hours.

There’s an excellent local swap in Balham - rammed with kids clothes, all sorted by age, toys and adults’ and house stuff.

Free, useful given how pricy charity shops are.

Gets the odd hoarder but mostly lots of mums and kids picking up their wardrobe for the next growth stage.

Before anyone throws any more things away please try
Anglo Doorstep.
They are excellent.
I don't know anyone who would disagree.

Isn't this requirement to have the fire label still attached a bit out of date. How old would something have to be to have been made before the requirement for it to be fire retardant.

We just give unwanted things to the local jumble sale. They take any furniture/electricals too, so I just keep stuff in the garage until the scouts rock up with their trailer.