Post ApzMRM89QR5aKmPtey by futurebird@sauropods.win
(DIR) More posts by futurebird@sauropods.win
(DIR) Post #ApzMRM89QR5aKmPtey by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-01-12T00:08:42Z
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NYC could use something like "free stores" a place where one could take useable junk, or grab useable junk that's less fussy than thrift shops tend to be here (they have little space and want only new high-end things, it's understandable)There is so much stuff in NYC apartments and little in they way of systems to moving it around to make people happier, even though I think there *are* people who would be delighted with this random music box, and if you have an old computer I want it.
(DIR) Post #ApzMbBtiKFzZUeLyqW by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-01-12T00:10:28Z
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If you can drive a van you could probably make good money running some kind of "The Gift of Minimalism" cleaning service in cities with small apartments like NYC. But, you'd need to have some enthusiasm for sorting junk. People would totally pay to have things taken away that have value (but not much) on ebay.
(DIR) Post #ApzMij976inGde9NBY by kechpaja@social.kechpaja.com
2025-01-12T00:11:48Z
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@futurebird in Europe (or in Finland and two-decades-ago Switzerland at least), it's common to just leave a box of stuff out on the sidewalk with a sign saying "free". The stuff is rarely of particularly high quality, but sometimes you encounter usable things or i.e. books you might read even if their original owners don't want them anymore.
(DIR) Post #ApzMjtNoX1Kkg5a85w by susankayequinn@wandering.shop
2025-01-12T00:11:51Z
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@futurebird you're describing a Buy Nothing (or Gifting with Integrity) group — I'm sure there's one (or many) in NYC
(DIR) Post #ApzMxhybjnNxM5NbHs by susankayequinn@wandering.shop
2025-01-12T00:13:51Z
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@futurebird My city (Pittsburgh) *also* has various free stores but they're more like charities, donate your stuff and the disadvantaged come "shop". But Buy Nothing is hyper-local — it's just your suburb or neighborhood — and people post (either the app or FB group) their thing to gift, people say they're interested, you pick the person and then they come pick it up (because local). I'm amazed at the stuff that gets gifted: everything from pianos to potato chips.
(DIR) Post #ApzMyoQHFvvHdaqerA by jmax@mastodon.social
2025-01-12T00:14:36Z
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@futurebird - I have considered opening "The Lobotomized Appliance Shop."Bring us your dishwasher, and we'll treat it like HAL-9000.
(DIR) Post #ApzN8gVPXxfXyjxOpE by BrambleBearGrrrauwling@mastodon.social
2025-01-12T00:16:28Z
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@futurebird Freecycle isa thing sround here. Might be something you search there?#freecycle should be a thing.
(DIR) Post #ApzNAgzqgzhA539SU4 by susankayequinn@wandering.shop
2025-01-12T00:14:50Z
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@futurebird I've seen clothing swaps at all scales having a similar vibe only restricted to clothes
(DIR) Post #ApzNAi4qftHxQqUxuq by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-01-12T00:16:39Z
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@susankayequinn We do a pretty good clothing swap at our school. It's the more random stuff that vexes me. And if I could find an interesting gadget no one wanted to play with every other month I might buy fewer gadgets (unlikely I love gadgets)
(DIR) Post #ApzNJAlrsL3Gk0eiie by MisuseCase@twit.social
2025-01-12T00:18:12Z
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@futurebird I think a lot of professional organizers will sell any stuff of yours that has value to consignment stores, jewelers, etc. It’s either a service that’s part of their hourly rate or something they take a percentage on.
(DIR) Post #ApzNKdKjAQPdcBepY8 by anubis2814@friendica.myportal.social
2025-01-12T00:15:32Z
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@futurebird I've thought about this concept a lot. We need a distribution system for unwanted goods that are still good to people who need them to reduce waste.I made this video inspired by the concept of library socialism. youtu.be/jNTDQyWbc4E?si=2G6JZZ…However to do this requires understanding how to build sustainable community which I discuss on my solarpunkusa channel. Its possible to do as a non-profit, but better if its community owned and driven.
(DIR) Post #ApzNPHUbnVRPKEUmw4 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-01-12T00:18:08Z
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@anubis2814 The thing people can miss about this... is that it *is* work. It's free but not labor free. But it's worth it. Just a matter of investing in getting things to the person who needs them more.
(DIR) Post #ApzU4Yv8VOOmyUyH9E by Rycaut@mastodon.social
2025-01-12T01:34:10Z
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@futurebird I’ve semi regularly considered a business where I ran kinda a consignment shop - sold things on eBay, on specialized sites better than eBay for some niches and perhaps in a retail space - but instead of either relying on donations/yard sales/buying collections offered to do this on behalf of people and share the proceeds (if they want - offering to donate their share if they don’t want to bother) with likely a large free component for items that can’t sell online.
(DIR) Post #ApzYmDrUYv5ODjLCW8 by KaKetelmug@mstdn.social
2025-01-12T02:26:51Z
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@futurebird I volunteer in such a free shop In Berlin which exists about 15-20 years now, rent is paid by donations. People bring stuff, others pick it up. We actually have a huge turnaround: if something is in the shop >3 weeks, it's usually out of season (xmas decoration!). Especially household items & books go quickly. But I do wonder about the huge mass of clothing that passes our shop: books you read and pass on, until they really fall apart, but the amount of clothing is truly crazy..
(DIR) Post #Aq03O4y14uyeGMMOSe by melis@mastodon.social
2025-01-12T08:09:53Z
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@futurebird Where I used to live there are;- Charitably organizations that will come to your place to pick up everything that you wish to donate and that they think can be useful for someone, for free. - Converted phone booths chock full of books that you can take from or add to, for free.- Community repair shops- An online library for lending everything from tools to appliances.Amazingly I only ever used option 1. They took pretty much my entire apartment when we left.
(DIR) Post #Aq0aJ3i1cndLOv5uKW by sbourne@mastodon.social
2025-01-12T02:21:28Z
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@susankayequinn @futurebird Out in the suburbs we just put stuff at the end of the driveway. 99% is taken almost immediately; the 1% gets picked up on trash day. We've had things scooped up before we even got back up the driveway! The latest was a box of well-worn odds and ends of cookware. Somebody snagged the whole box within an hour.
(DIR) Post #Aq0aJ57EOZOFlNtYG0 by susankayequinn@wandering.shop
2025-01-12T13:36:02Z
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@sbourne I wonder how much of that just ends up in the trash tho? Sounds like you have second-hand-goods freelancers—who may dispose of stuff in ways you’d rather they didn’t. Buy Nothing is neighbor-to-neighbor so it puts the curation on you (plus there are nice human interactions) but you know the item is going to good use. If something can’t be repaired/reused, and it’s not suitable for Goodwill, I’ll try to make sure it gets disposed of properly. @futurebird
(DIR) Post #Aq0aJ63it6B6gnGGQa by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-01-12T14:18:44Z
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@susankayequinn @sbourne Yeah, I could put stuff on the corner, but my impression is people grab it quickly to determine if any of it is valuable then they throw most of it away in the nearest garbage can after picking out what they want. It takes time and effort to get things to people who want them rather than trash... and, by putting in on the sidewalk, it becomes "disgusting" to people who might otherwise have taken some interest in the item.
(DIR) Post #Aq0aOeZA1Dix9ucEBk by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-01-12T14:19:47Z
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@susankayequinn @sbourne My understanding is that the concept of virtual and physical "free stores" is to add a bit of value back to possible trash by taking better care of it and helping it find the right people.
(DIR) Post #Aq0b7buoik29y9BNNQ by slothrop@chaos.social
2025-01-12T14:27:52Z
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@futurebird In the German city where I went to uni, the system for disposing of furniture and other large items was that there’d be 3-4 pickup days per year and per district.So people would put their old stuff on the curb the night before. And people with less money - students and others - would comb the district, and take what they wanted.It worked great! We still have a few things from that time.
(DIR) Post #Aq0e0ERfsoIH0tiz32 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-01-12T14:59:59Z
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@alive I didn't know about this! I will check it out.
(DIR) Post #Aq0ezVVb3ZjLbBmG5w by CuriousMagpie@beige.party
2025-01-12T15:11:11Z
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@futurebird Freecycle has been around for years- here’s a link for the Bronx (I think that’s where you are? It’s where my dad grew up)https://www.freecycle.org/town/BronxNY
(DIR) Post #Aq0fDxyI1t4Nve5pDM by susankayequinn@wandering.shop
2025-01-12T15:13:45Z
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@futurebird also a good point about the "tainting" of something by the curbside (ie association with trash)One of the reasons I love Buy Nothing is precisely that it's *not* anonymous — we do have to take time and effort, to assess the time, photograph it, describe it, pick who gets it (often many people with stories how they'll use it), then the face-to-face (if you choose, I often do contactless). It's very *human* and that care ripples back into the attitude toward all our things.@sbourne
(DIR) Post #Aq0fQjkAEuMZZBZj9c by susankayequinn@wandering.shop
2025-01-12T15:16:02Z
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@futurebird I love that idea of a free store, and I think you could make something like that. But the ones I know that exist now are more like Goodwill but everything's free and it's meant to serve the most disadvantaged. Like giving some dignity to the experience of being unhoused or very financially distressed but in need of some stuff so you can go to the free store and "shop" for free. I donate but I don't shop. For Buy Nothing, I do both.@sbourne
(DIR) Post #Aq0ffscrUvSXSSNedc by afewbugs@social.coop
2025-01-12T15:18:52Z
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@futurebird does Olio exist where you are? https://olioapp.com/en/
(DIR) Post #Aq0g1YJrg2qQqjpSca by flyingsaceur@ioc.exchange
2025-01-12T15:22:49Z
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@futurebird in the Before Times that could have been Craigslist going bricks and mortar
(DIR) Post #Aq1IM8EFflxSGqRYu0 by dan613@ottawa.place
2025-01-12T14:29:45Z
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@KaKetelmug @futurebird I think clothing obtained this way actually reduces the clothing produced overall. I've certainly donated stuff because the hassle of returning and risk of it being trashed was too high. And it's a bit like Rent the Runway without the renting part. Or runway, usually.
(DIR) Post #Aq1IM98yGtKP6kyrJI by KaKetelmug@mstdn.social
2025-01-12T22:28:37Z
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@dan613 @futurebird I do hope so, still, even if you see it as a "clothing library" (yes. some stuff comes back multiple times), I'm pretty sure the amount of clothing that passes our small shop in a year could have clothed the whole of Berlin twice over. So.. where does it all end up?? We suspect some "hoarders" shop with us, but only a small percentage. I'm afraid free shops are only a very small, & temporary, "hold" on the clothing mill, and still a lot of stuff gets dumped when still good..
(DIR) Post #Aq1IM9yNBmRdgB1uQi by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-01-12T22:32:18Z
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@KaKetelmug @dan613 Addressing the clothing waste problem would require making systems that made higher quality clothing (clothing worth repairing) more available as well as encouraging tailoring, made to measure sizing, and repair. I don't know where to start with much of it, getting my own wardrobe under control was expensive and not intuitive. But now most of what I own can be fixed until worn out, and it all fits perfectly so I look gooooooood.
(DIR) Post #Aq1JWIDZULmo6KXBzM by KaKetelmug@mstdn.social
2025-01-12T22:45:21Z
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@futurebird @dan613 yep, that's a fundamental problem: in the free shop we notice the quality of clothing has gone down absurdly. The fabric of a T-shirt 20y old is better than of a new one still with label.. Repairing or making your own clothing is "out": It's cheaper to buy a sweater than to knit it yourself.I do some upcycling as one of the free shop side projects, but it is still a drop on the hot plate of overproduction. The "quality wardrobe" you describe is an exception unfortunately.
(DIR) Post #Aq1JrN4uc4SLFxXERs by CStamp@mastodon.social
2025-01-12T22:49:09Z
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@futurebird @KaKetelmug @dan613 Part of the repair situation is teaching people how to sew on buttons. I was visiting a friend, needed needle and thread, he looked at me, confused, as he had no need of such things. I asked what he did if he a button came off his shirt and he said he'd just throw it out and buy a new one. I always recommend folk shop during great sales, as you can buy higher quality for more affordable prices.
(DIR) Post #Aq1K2n5QFtXt6ZDdXU by magellano@mastodon.social
2025-01-12T22:51:14Z
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@futurebird when i was a kid, my mum made my clothing and it lasted until it couldn't fit. I tend to buy one expensive, good quality clothing rather than 4 poor quality at the same price. More sustainable and I'll wear it out
(DIR) Post #Aq1Kf824pKF14Ww1po by KimSJ@mastodon.social
2025-01-12T22:58:09Z
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@futurebird We had a booth like that at EMF Camp this year. It was vey popular, and a lot of donated ‘junk’ got snapped up by people who thought they could use it.#EMFCamp
(DIR) Post #Aq1Sfo1RVczQvzTL7o by triplenineteen@shakedown.social
2025-01-13T00:27:55Z
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@futurebird On my block in Brooklyn, there is an electrical box that everybody has collectively designated the free stuff drop off spot.On any given day, you might find random cables, pots and pans, or kids' shoes.The only bummer is that one day there was a note from a homeowner that they got a ticket from Sanitation when someone left books. So no more books.
(DIR) Post #Aq3P1HShEn9Qov7lbs by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-01-13T22:56:25Z
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@silverfish @KaKetelmug @dan613 My clothing is bespoke and custom tailored to fit me perfectly. It is very fancy. And frankly the kind of clothing that you get fixed (just took a jacket in for a new lining) is the very nicest kind of clothing. It need not be "struggle life" at all.Also, getting your clothes to fit correctly is the most bang for your buck way to make them look better.
(DIR) Post #Aq3WxxjWvkW0OjvWhE by jared@spookykitties.com
2025-01-14T00:25:21Z
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@futurebird amen to that. It took me years to find clothes that actually fit me properly, but damn does it look so much better. I don't even wear anything remotely fancy, just a regular t-shirt, but it doesn't try to poorly hide my body like most shirts do
(DIR) Post #Aq4BPmvegtgFACQBpA by thomas_decker@mastodon.online
2025-01-14T07:58:41Z
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@futurebird @silverfish @KaKetelmug @dan613 People notice immediately if you're wearing tailored clothes. Ever since I started wearing them, I get so many compliments! Slowly I am able to convince my significant other that fit and material makes you look better than fashion cycle or brands.