‘Tis the season for … curbside freebies

admiraljunk.jpg

That photo is from Eric Bell of fridgefoto.biz, who explains it so well we wouldn’t dare change a word:

The seasonal spirit of giving is alive and well in the Admiral District, not to mention that great American tradition of dumping your cr*p on a sidewalk and hoping someone will take it away. I spotted this bargain – in festive green – adjacent to the Crosswalk of Death (the intersection of Admiral and SW Waite St., near Alki Mail & Dispatch). Dog not included.

24 Replies to "'Tis the season for ... curbside freebies"

  • MargL November 24, 2007 (5:09 pm)

    Speaking of not included – saw an amusing ad in the McLendon’s flyer today for a children’s recliner with a small print disclaimer “Child not included”.

  • daPuffin November 24, 2007 (5:54 pm)

    Funny this should show up. I was on another blog and they mentioned this site:

    http://couches.wordpress.com/

    There’s something on the web for everyone. =)

  • Dan November 24, 2007 (5:56 pm)

    “crosswalk of death” very sad, but very true.

  • ABC November 24, 2007 (9:45 pm)

    Seriously, why do ppl do this?? Then it rains and who wants it then!? Craigs List has free ads for free stuff (have something on there now and received many replies in the few hours since it was posted) or there is also a site called freecycle.com. Come on people do it right and don’t litter the curb with your sh*t!

  • Jan November 25, 2007 (1:54 am)

    yes…it’s a Yahoo group called Freecycleseattle, and I’ve used them many times. I’ve scored a working cuisinart, a practically brand new Vita-Mix, a 37″ TV and stand, 4 years old, in perfect working order, crystal, a computer desk…want to know more? just contact me through my website…click on my name below…

  • grr November 25, 2007 (2:07 am)

    ABC…while I agree to some point, I simply don’t use Craigslist to SELL anything anymore. Too many ‘evil doers’ use CL to scam potential robbery sites, espcially if your selling something of real value… They call, ask to see the item..you say ‘I’ll be home after 5 on tuesday’…they come clean your place out. SPD says it’s become epidemic. I might BUY something off CL, but I NEVER NEVER NEVER bring cash with me.

  • carraignasplinkeen November 25, 2007 (7:47 am)

    Or call Sharehouse, very worthwhile organization:
    http://www.thesharehouse.org/index.htm

  • Todd in Westwood November 25, 2007 (8:08 am)

    I bought a Subaru wagon back in ’05 from Craigslist with good luck, but in the search, I had some dude with another wagon actually reply with ” yeah, I got a Subaru for sale, meet me next to the 7-11 ( somewhere in Kent )and bring cash”.
    yeah bro, sure.

  • Melissa November 25, 2007 (9:12 am)

    Why do people do this? Cuz it’s fun and efficient! If it works, great; if it doesn’t, you pick up your sofa or dresser or whatever, break it down or stick in a truck and take it to the dump.

  • WS November 25, 2007 (9:21 am)

    Saw some guys picking it up. They seemed very pleased indeed. Don’t know if they were aware of the dog.

  • Radley November 25, 2007 (3:31 pm)

    “Then it rains and who wants it then!?”

    I think that if you look closely at this picture, the couch was tarped.

  • Luckie November 25, 2007 (4:28 pm)

    I put the stuff on the curb, then post it on Craigslist’s free stuff list with my address: “Here’s what’s in front of my house–come get it!” The stuff’s always gone within a few hours. And no, I don’t do this if it’s about to rain.

  • ABC November 25, 2007 (5:42 pm)

    Grr.. too bad you’ve had bad experiences with CL. I’ve used it for years now with absolutely no problems. I guess you need to be a good judge of character. I’ve met many friendly people. And if you buy anything of mine on CL you’ll need cash. And Melissa – are you kidding me? Putting sh*t at the curb is DUMB! Tell me when you’ve actually seen someone bring it back in at the end of the day or take it to the dump. Never. It just sits there and collects rain and mold. Dumb people do dumb things.

  • grr November 25, 2007 (10:42 pm)

    My CL experiences haven’t been that good..and, at 48, I think I’m a great judge of character.

    as far as putting stuff at the curb.if it’s not CRAP, it usuallly goes pretty quickly.

  • Sue November 25, 2007 (11:21 pm)

    I was skeptical about Craigslist due to things I’d heard, but actually found the rental house I’m living in now listed on there. Fortunately it wasn’t another rental scam like I’d heard of and we got a great place.
    I appreciate the reminder about Freecycle. We had moving boxes to get rid of and I was going to put them on CL. I instead joined the Freecycle list and in 30 minutes I arranged to have 2 people come tomorrow to pick them up.

  • Rhonda Porter November 26, 2007 (12:28 pm)

    I recently posted on Craig’s list and put some bed frames/head boards out on the side walk with
    “free signs”. I don’t know if a drive by neighbor or Craigs list person wound up with our stuff… what was funny was some of the emails I received from Craigs list. I should have kept it…someone claiming to be a lady from Everett wanted to know if we would drive the bed frames to her and she would offer “her services in trade”. Yah.

  • Gina November 26, 2007 (12:34 pm)

    I save up all the stuff that Goodwill won’t take, and on a sunny weekend in the summer, put it all out on the curb with a “free” sign on it. The next day I plan to go to the dump.

    The curb is stripped bare by the evening every time. Helps to live on a popular side street, but not on a main drag, so people can slow down and look at it.

  • ABC November 26, 2007 (1:08 pm)

    Radley – not sure what picture you’re looking at but no tarp on the couch in the picture above. Know of a good eye dr. if you need a referral.

  • Melissa November 26, 2007 (3:22 pm)

    Ok. I’ve figured out where Jiggers went: he became ABC!

  • Aidan Hadley November 26, 2007 (4:49 pm)

    I’ve used Craigslist with some success to sell small electronics (an old stereo receiver and a high-end digital camera). But I recently put up a set of dining room chairs and I was deluged with fraudsters. They were mostly out of towners who wanted to send me a back money order and have me ship the chairs to them. I’m not talking about one or two either. I must have gotten ten or more e-mails over two weeks with people running the same scam. Just be careful and use your intuition.

  • Jan November 26, 2007 (5:22 pm)

    Aidan…you’re smart….but there are people who think that something like that is legit. Ship used chairs? Are they kidding? And scams work both ways…you could send someone money for something, and never get anything in return (happened to a client of mine who tried to buy 2 purebred puppies online, and was surprised when she ceased to hear from them after they had received her upfront money). Shop locally…even when it’s craigslist…and be very, very careful.

  • ratcityslim November 26, 2007 (8:49 pm)

    I wanted to pick up that couch. Now I see some dog has been on it.

  • GenHillOne November 27, 2007 (6:10 am)

    Nice work Eric (and furry sidekick), you’ve been linked!

    http://blogs.king5.com/citizenrain/2007/11/tis_the_season_for_curbside_fr.html

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