Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 21:55     Subject: What's the craziest thing you've seen offered for free in your Buy Nothing group?

Anonymous wrote:Food, except some people in our group really need it. I'm more surprised by the folks who try to grab everything and its clear they are resellers or if they cannot sell it they regift it. Its frusterating to see them get so much all the time. They rarely give their own stuff. Also, really dirty stuff. Clean it first. Also, the background - some of houses are gross (not expecting perfect but they are really gross).


Anytime I donate stuff I run it through the wash if clothes or linens, run a lint roller over if needed, wipe down books with a slightly damp cloth to get any fingerprints off the cover, scrub out counter appliances, toys, etc. I have a velvet blazer hanging in my bathroom right now. It's been in a box of plan to give away for awhile so I want to steam it and get the wrinkles out a bit first.

I love thrift stores but I hate finding clothes that reek perfume. I used to know someone whose husband worked in a for-profit store that takes donations, sells some stuff and then donates the rest that doesn't get thrown out, they always used gloves to pull stuff out of bags and there could be some really, really nasty stuff in those bags.

I gave through a free-cycle group they used to have some years ago, a relative had died and he was a really, really big guy, and it was all his clothes, got snapped up instantly. After that I discovered how unreliable people were about pickup so just take to the thrift store.
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 21:46     Subject: What's the craziest thing you've seen offered for free in your Buy Nothing group?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Expired, open, food bank food.

Broken things.

Dirty things.



I’ve volunteered in a local food pantry for years; nothing shocks me anymore. We’re still talking g about the time that a huge pickup truck filled with boxes of expired food was unceremoniously dumped at our back door overnight (well before ring cameras). We had to pay hundreds of dollars to have it all hauled away. Nothing was salvageable.

People continue to donate decades old (unopened products) like Rice a Roni from 1972, spices from the 1960s, opened boxes of cereal, etc.


I think they get donated, people get them and don't want them and donate them, and so on. Like if it was a library book in the 60s and you saw everyone who had checked the book out.



Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 20:12     Subject: What's the craziest thing you've seen offered for free in your Buy Nothing group?

I once offered ham fat and got three takers. As in, we had a large ham steak, there was a lot of fat on it, I cut it off and offered it up. I think one person was thinking it could be used for a candle (?!?) and the other two wanted it for their dogs. My husband is still a mix of astonished and appalled.
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 20:12     Subject: What's the craziest thing you've seen offered for free in your Buy Nothing group?

Bras
Leggings
Shoes
Bed sheets
Open food
Expired food
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 20:11     Subject: Re:What's the craziest thing you've seen offered for free in your Buy Nothing group?

Anonymous wrote:A single dad asked for meat. He said he had tons of rice and pasta but needed meat.


TBH this one actually seems sensible (maybe a bit sad). I have things in the freezer that I know we will have trouble using up (my DH gets a little too shop happy when some things are on sale in the meat dept) and could see myself responding and offering something. Trusting frozen meat from a stranger, on the other hand, on his end…..IDK?
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 20:07     Subject: What's the craziest thing you've seen offered for free in your Buy Nothing group?

Someone posted their kids used period underwear. OMG.
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 20:06     Subject: Re:What's the craziest thing you've seen offered for free in your Buy Nothing group?

I am so grossed out by all of the opened/half eaten or perishable food posts. (unopened pantry goods - totally fine)

I’ve seen: a ham bone (thinking someone might want to use it for soup), a half gallon of milk- opened with half of the gallon remaining, a half eaten take out pizza, a 1/2 gallon of ice cream that had already been scooped from, leftover party trays of various sorts, etc. Always with TONS of eager responses. I find this all so incredibly disgusting, and sometimes it doesn’t even make financial sense IMO (wasting gas to drive to someone’s house for $2 worth of a opened store brand milk…really?)

Also a lot of the bra and underwear posts gross me out (unless new with tags). Just yuck.
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 20:05     Subject: Re:What's the craziest thing you've seen offered for free in your Buy Nothing group?

Lots of people clamored for my scotts toilet paper i had left over from Covid... I went to a thrift store recently for the first time (and last... ) someone had donated maxi pads that from the faded packaging looked to be a few decades old and they weren't free!
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 19:54     Subject: What's the craziest thing you've seen offered for free in your Buy Nothing group?

Anonymous wrote:See I much prefer this, because in my neighborhood we have some people trying to SELL used crap. Like their kids’ old underwear, broken household items, etc. It boggles my mind that some people are so cheap to demand money for worn out stuff, particularly used baby stuff. I gave away all of our stuff for free— I was just happy to get it out of the house!


Yes, gross
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 19:49     Subject: What's the craziest thing you've seen offered for free in your Buy Nothing group?

I imagine quite a few hoarders patrol the buy nothing groups.
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 19:38     Subject: What's the craziest thing you've seen offered for free in your Buy Nothing group?

This lady in mine buys the jumbo bag of mixed nuts at Costco and picks out every single pistachio. “No one in my family eats them” She’s done it multiple times and several people always want it. I find that so GROSS. She’s touched every single piece.

People were wearing gloves and masks and Clorox-ing everything for years over Covid yet they’ll run to someone’s house to get a giant bag of pistachios all touched by a strangers hand. I don’t understand.
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 19:25     Subject: What's the craziest thing you've seen offered for free in your Buy Nothing group?

Leftover medicine!
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 19:21     Subject: What's the craziest thing you've seen offered for free in your Buy Nothing group?

See I much prefer this, because in my neighborhood we have some people trying to SELL used crap. Like their kids’ old underwear, broken household items, etc. It boggles my mind that some people are so cheap to demand money for worn out stuff, particularly used baby stuff. I gave away all of our stuff for free— I was just happy to get it out of the house!
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 18:36     Subject: What's the craziest thing you've seen offered for free in your Buy Nothing group?

Anonymous wrote:Used meat brine. Like brining liquid someone used to brine their meat.


Still available?
Anonymous
Post 07/16/2025 18:32     Subject: What's the craziest thing you've seen offered for free in your Buy Nothing group?

Anonymous wrote:French maid costume where someone had cut it in such a way that one’s buttocks would stick out.
I was coming here to post the same thing. It’s a red and black lingerie with the butt cut out. Posted last week in the North Arlington by nothing group. The poster said please don’t ask questions about why I have this. it was a man who posted. A woman actually responded that she wanted it to give her husband/boyfriend , a good time!