Free

[disneysteve]

I use marketplace for bigger things of value that I want to sell. I use eBay for anything I want to sell and ship. I use Buy Nothing or Freebie Alerts for things I want to give away. Buy Nothing is nice because it’s not a bunch of rando flakes like marketplace but the group also has some rules that really annoy me.

 

[disneysteve]

No, you can see their profile. They are real.

Not necessarily. Sometimes all they have is a profile with zero posts. I also got tons of “is this available?” messages and then never hear from them again. It’s not unusual to get 50 of those before finding a person who actually follows through. Then of the ones who do reply, probably 30% don’t show up.

 

[COcheesehead]

I started this thread feeling good about how to get rid of stuff that has almost no value without the hassle of transporting it and it’s turned into a thread of negative comments that have not been my experience at all.
I love it when I am doing something that others say can’t be done.

 

[disneysteve]

I started this thread feeling good about how to get rid of stuff that has almost no value without the hassle of transporting it and it’s turned into a thread of negative comments that have not been my experience at all.
I love it when I am doing something that others say can’t be done.

We give stuff away all the time. We’ve also gotten many things from Buy Nothing and Marketplace. I also source a lot of free items from Marketplace that I then sell. It’s a great resource all around.

 

[NameTaken2]

Have posted free stuff many times on Craigslist.
Met several interesting characters, all very happy to take my stuff.
Posted lauan doors after I replaced them -the guy who came planned to peel off the lauan and use it to panel his van!
Posted approx 300 bricks removed during fireplace reno. Guy showed up in a borrowed midsize old SUV and helped him load every one -I kept asking if "that's enough". That SUV was squatting BAD, and he was going 30mi. Always wondered if he made it!
Posted a quality ash baby crib with nice spindles that I just couldn't discard after it became "illegal". Guy planned to integrate it into a deck he was building.
Posted bucked firewood from a tree I cut down. A big woman in a tiny old car showed up, wanted the wood for fires with her BF and stuffed her trunk full -another abused car, but very happy person.
More, but I'll spare you LOL.
True that for some free items your inbox gets flooded by "pros", but been able to filter them out.
It's gratifying seeing very happy people of modest means drive away with my stuff, and also been interesting!

 

[Spock]

Our town has an annual free bulk trash pickup. Pretty much whatever you set by the curb except construction debris and a few other prohibited items. It's become a tradition that people drive around town picking over everybody elses pile and taking what they want. The city comes around on the specified day with a payloader followed by a 2 dump trucks and a side dump semi.

 

[iloveyoga]

People love free stuff on Facebook marketplace! I have some ferns that I don't want to bring in the house during winter and I hate to throw them away. Last year I put up a free ad on FB and they were gone in minutes.

 

[RetiredHappy]

I have about $5K worth of Aerogarden stuff that were bought as my COVID hobby. My husband asked me to sell them and maybe get back a couple of thousand dollars. I just want to put them in my recycle bin. I know if I list them for free on Marketplace they will be gone within a day. My issue is that we live behind guarded gates and I am reluctant to have these people be added as my guests for the day so that they can pick up. It's taking up space in my casita and I cannot really put guests there. I have another ensuite bedroom in my main house which we use for guests. But it is nice to have a second guest room. I am leaning towards just putting them in my recycle bin. What would you do?

 

[disneysteve]

I have about $5K worth of Aerogarden stuff that were bought as my COVID hobby. My husband asked me to sell them and maybe get back a couple of thousand dollars. I just want to put them in my recycle bin. I know if I list them for free on Marketplace they will be gone within a day. My issue is that we live behind guarded gates and I am reluctant to have these people be added as my guests for the day so that they can pick up. It's taking up space in my casita and I cannot really put guests there. I have another ensuite bedroom in my main house which we use for guests. But it is nice to have a second guest room. I am leaning towards just putting them in my recycle bin. What would you do?

I would sell them.

 

[RetiredHappy]

I would sell them.

... for pick up or to mail them? My thinking is that if I get back $2K, it's alot of work and that money doesn't move the needle.

 

[Ronstar]

I would sell them. With free delivery. I would put all of the stuff in my truck, and deliver it to them. That way nobody comes to your place. I've done this several times.

And if you don't have a truck, you can rent one from Home Depot.

 

[imjustawarrior]

COcheesehead,
good for you. I think too many people are too fearful. We always give stuff away. I usually can put it out on the sidewalk with a free sign. It will be gone quickly.

I think the reselling business has picked up. My sister-in-law does that. She picks up free/low cost stuff and then resells it online. She enjoys it.

Resellers don't bother me. I'm happy just to get rid of the stuff. I would rather see it be reused instead of going to the landfill.

 

[disneysteve]

... for pick up or to mail them? My thinking is that if I get back $2K, it's alot of work and that money doesn't move the needle.

Depends on the item. If it’s relatively easy to ship I’d list on eBay and ship. If we’re talking about large items then I’d sell locally on marketplace.

 

[athena53]

Resellers don't bother me. I'm happy just to get rid of the stuff. I would rather see it be reused instead of going to the landfill.

That's my feeling, too. If they want to go to the effort to get money for something by listing on e-Bay, reselling at a flea market or elsewhere, etc. , they're welcome to it. I just hope they sell most of it and don't end up throwing out things that don't sell.

 

[Jerry1]

I just moved and did the same thing. I belong to a free site on FB. I posted pictures of items as I was clearing out and just said first come first serve. No appointments and no holds. Just come and get it. Most everything went very quick. They were happy to get it and I was happy to get rid of it. Win/win.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

I've been listing items as Free Stuff on Craigslist for years and my late husband used to joke that if we went to the weekend flea market at the old drive-in in town we'd probably see half our stuff. I did have one guy e-mail me a picture of the giant rug he'd hauled away- settled in his living room with his dog resting on it.

Like Calico, I'm female and live alone so I leave things at the end of my driveway or on my front porch.

I've given up on holding things aside for people- too many no-shows. I just say the first to arrive gets it and I'll delete the ad when it's gone. If it's a heavy item I also tell them I'm a lightweight and can't help them load it into their vehicle.

Finally- I discovered that when I carefully list the item in separate listings because they're in different categories, the first to arrive usually grabs them all- confirming the reseller hypothesis. I've since learned to add in small items that I haven't listed. They disappear, too!

Smart thinking. I've done that with the bulky 5 item pickup from our city as well since the stuff I put outside magically disappears overnight. Honestly sometimes it amazes me what people will take, they took a couch covered in dog hair and torn cushions that the dogs used.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

I don’t have a problem meeting people. On FB, you see their profile so you have an idea of who will show up, plus FB now has a rating system like eBay.
If you manage it right, it’s pretty easy. Some over think this stuff.

That was totally uncalled for comment, but as a female I'll proudly wear that badge. I know all about FB profiles, I've used Facebook for a couple of years now to get rid of my stuff so you haven't just invented the wheel here.
I do find it funny though that you're all butt hurt offended about other responses to your post.

 

[athena53]

There are angry people out there, especially when they don't get the freebies they wanted. I had a slightly used cane with the 4 prongs at the end that my late husband had used. Said it would be at the end of the driveway (with address) at 9 the next AM. (I have since learned to put items out as soon as I publish the ad.) I got a pleading note from someone who wanted me to hold it aside because he wanted it for his elderly father. I told him I'd put it out at 8 AM. Apparently someone else grabbed it first.

He sent me a blistering message through Craigslist: "Liar, liar, pants on fire. I hope lightning strikes your house and it burns to the ground". I did not reply- the guy knew where I lived.

Another time I had a couple of mirrors and some other items listed. Someone wanted the mirrors. I promised I'd hold them for her. Someone wanted the other items and I asked that they NOT take the mirrors. He agreed. Guy twice my size and a lot younger shows up and loads everything into his car. I e-mailed the guy and he apologized and said he'd sent "his buddy" and told him not to take the mirrors but he'd "make it right". I never saw them again.

Darn right I don't want to meet strangers face-to-face.

 

[aja8888]

I've been doing FB Free for over ten years! When I cleaned out a house of a relative, that was a great way to get rid of anything you didn't want to deal with but was in good condition.

 

[ivinsfan]

athena53..your story reminds me of back in the day when I had 2 teenage girls in my house. I'd get a box and when they either outgrew their stuff or it got out of style in the box it went. When the box was full I gave it to a young Mom at church who had a couple daughters. This family was always working but never had a lot of extra dough. Many years later some ahat who knew this lady told me, I bet you didn't know that a lot of that stuff you gave her got sold at her rummage sales. I replied.. I gave it willingly hoping that it would help out her family and the way she chose to do that is her business.

Some people are just nasty...

 

[Car-Guy]

Fortunately, the local rural radio station around here offers free air time, every Saturday morning, to anyone wanting to sell (or give away) just about anything. (Limit 5 items per call/week, IIRC) I often hear folks calling in with a list of free giveaways. It's must work since the next week I hear them calling back in with a new list of stuff.

 

[Pointby2]

I started this thread feeling good about how to get rid of stuff that has almost no value without the hassle of transporting it and it’s turned into a thread of negative comments that have not been my experience at all.
I love it when I am doing something that others say can’t be done.

We do it all the time through our local FB Buy Nothing group. Works great, very very few no shows. Our lime tree produces thousands of limes we can't use so I give away dozens and dozens of them and 99% of the people show up and send thanks!

 

[ncbill]

I haul most stuff that works but I no longer use down to the local Goodwill drop-off.

Some stuff gets given to the kid who will sell it on eBay.

Any electronic item actually broken gets taken to the county e-waste facility.

Once a year I can leave stuff at the curb for our city's "bulky item pickup."

 

[Midpack]

People are constantly giving away good stuff on our neighborhood private FB page. Some people reply ‘I want that, can you hold it for me until Tuesday’ or ‘can I come see it’ or ‘what are the measurements.’ Maybe fair questions, but when we give something away I say ‘it’s on our porch, first come first serve’ and don’t reply to messages. If I’m giving something away that is definitely worth selling, I don’t want to work at it…

 

[ransil]

Listing an item for free was the biggest mistake I ever made, they want delivery, to hold, don't show up, nit pick the item.
I list for $10 or $20 and if they show up give it to them.