When my daughter was in Chicago, she and her friends learned if you listed things for free, you would get inundated with replies of people wanting things and then there were frequent no-shows. Putting a little price on things,like even $20 for a table was more successful.
When we cleared parents’ homes we also had better follow-up to pick up, if there was a $price. We offered for those who came, when they were there, it was buy one get one and offered for them to choose something else for free. We donated all the money to a very local and favorite charity. It was all about finding good homes for things, avoiding dumpsters, and a small charitable donation. All the pick-ups were on 3 or 4 specific days.
We are clearing out an apartment of a relative who passed away. God bless the intake crew at the local thrift shop - they have taken so many loads of stuff! Many bags of the copious amounts of clothing have gone to charity bins around town. But the thrift shop has taken a lot too, and based on a walk around the inside of the store yesterday (only small amount of men’s clothing) they have some alternate non-store ways to get rid of it. Maybe some even goes in the dumpster, but at least there is somebody else making some of the go/no-go decisions.
When I give away for free - really even if selling for a small price - I always list “first come, first served” and no holds. I make them give me a soon timeframe and if not, I will go to the next person.
I got two car booster seats once because the 1st person ghosted the lister. The guy was really nice and just wanted to help someone so listed two boosters with time left on the expiration date. I had sent in a reply and said I wanted them for kids I was mentoring though a CASA program (and yes, I could have gotten seats through the program but these were nice and small and not like something used in a NASA program). I said ‘oh, well thanks. Maybe next time I’ll be first.” He emailed me a few days later that the ‘winner’ had gone no contact and I got them. Used them for several years and recently had to trash because they had expired by then.
Always a good idea to continue a post, tell people they are “Backup” (or sometimes even “Backup1 & 2”. I am just disappointed and annoyed by how many people give a pickup time and just don’t show up. Had a fabulous 1970s freebie wool coat, and eventually it went to backup #3. But it was much more painful than my initial joy at getting an immediate response from “first taker” who commited to pickup the next day.
My BN group is generally good about picking up. But if certain people want my item I have been known to choose them because I know that they are reliable. This group includes several of the friends I have from various groups (strength class, Book club, Mahjong, etc), a few neighbors, a guy on the next block who walks down and picks up, etc.
I just sent this link to DH and told him I’d like to listen to it with him. (He’d never listen to it if I just “assigned” it to him.) (He might never listen anyway, but at least I will have tried.)
I had a big big week. My daughter is visiting and she helped my clean the garage at my mother’s house - much stuff from my storage, much stuff from my mother’s lifetime. We set out many rugs, skis, poles,shoes, chairs for large item pick up. Oh, and an old but still working treadmill that weighed 10000 pounds (or it seemed that way) for large item pick up. My brother, who lives across the street, reported the skis and treadmill were taken by people who drive around the night before large item pick up. I’m glad.
Then we took 3 carloads of things to Goodwill/ARC donation places. Books, clothes, DVDs.
This weekend is supposed to be almost 90 degrees so I think I’m going to set out a table with a lot of appliances and kitchen things for neighbors to just take if they want them.
A year ago (!!!) I finally started sorting my stuff to see what I could donate. I’ve given a few things via buy-nothing (booster seat left by Israeli friends, unassembled purchases I never assembled, etc.) and have filled many giant garbage bags with clothing and small objects.
On Good Friday I am renting a car that I will drive to MA on Saturday for my family’s Passover celebration. I will be able to drive to a charity store I love and appreciate for their good deeds rather than taking it one granny cart at a time on the bus. Finally my second bedroom won’t be half filled with stuff.
I have a lot (a LOT) of fabric. I wanted to get rid of the fleece and I did make blankets for immigrants a few years ago but still had enough to make another big batch. I talked a group I’m a member of into doing tied blankets for Children’s Hosp and we got together to do them. Sadly, too much talking and not enough cutting and tying, so still have about 10 to make on my own. But when I finish and deliver, I’ll be happy to have the space!
I’ve found I enjoy looking at the stuff, much of it has been packed away for years and much from my kids’ grade school days, but I’m ready to throw it out. My daughter who is visiting is still holding onto some stuff and I told her to make a pile in a corner and then we’ll somehow get it to her in Texas this summer. She’ll say ‘You can’t get rid of that!’ and I’ll say “Yes I can” and then I’ll say something like “Oh, that’s your Dorothy dress!” and she’ll say ‘toss it.’ No way! We have to keep the Dorothy dress forever!
Today I went to a Savers store for the first time. I was amazed at all the stuff they sell, and therefore will take. You can probably do many bags a week and take them to your local Savers. You could clean out all the small items from a house easily.
All our thrift stores will take most stuff. We took two carloads to ARC and the guy said they were actually out of stuff after some big sale days so were happy to have it.
The only things they won’t take are mattresses, bed pillows (they can’t resell), car seats and other items like that that may have been recalled, tv’s, old cell phones. They really will take most everything else.
In the olden days, they used to do pick ups about every 6-8 weeks and they’d call you up to see if you have anything. Now, the Disabled Vets will do pick ups but Goodwill and ARC will not.
After this week, I’m about 10 weeks ahead on my ‘bag a week’ goal. Next Big Item Pickup is in 9 weeks!
I saw things at Savers that I have never seen at any other thrift type store. Old cassette tapes, old purses, etc. - stuff which I would have chucked, because I thought nobody would take them.
Salvation army and Goodwill did not have the range of stuff (at least not the ones near me in NJ).
We used to have a Savers here (maybe they still exist but the one that was close to me is long gone). It was in an old Safeway so pretty large. Lots of stuff but more expensive than the other thrifts stores. My understanding is it is a business and while they give some of the money to non-profits, not all of it.
Most of the ARC stores are also in old grocery/similar stores, so also quite large. All kinds of stuff - old cameras, games, puzzles, furniture, records, DVDs, CDs, books, wedding dresses, suitcases, crappola. They have also raised their prices a LOT
When emptying a relative’s apartment recently, we were blessed to find a thrift shop that seemed to talk almost anything, including cassettes and CDs. Perhaps they trashed some of it, fine by me. They did reject a bolster/reading pillow (understandable, and phew - turns out another relative wanted it). And hangers. I know for sure they were collecting clothing in bulk for other charities, and I am so appreciative since we were already tossing many bags of clothes (and shoes) into various collection bins when thrift shop intake was closed.
One relative who helped us took vintage leather coat and Tshirts and some almost new shoes - that warmed our hearts.
This is the store where I donate. They have ESL and citizenship test classes and when a friend was helping newly arrived Afghan refugee families, they gave her the run of the store.
I was very lucky to sell my old fox jacket at a consignment store. The advice I have received is that theaters will often take donations of these and use them as costumes.
