Decluttering

[jack]

I cleared out all the old clothes that don't fit or I don't wear, threw out the ones that have fallen to bits and took all the ones I can't wear to charity recycling. And I cleared out my spare room of books, ruthlessly consigning over half to boxes destined inexorably to Oxfam.

(Has anyone donated a big pile of books (~250) before? I plan to ring the store and ask how (if) they want them, but I don't know if there's a central depot anywhere not on the highstreet large collections can go, or if you're supposed to just lug them into a store. I'm pretty sure there's none I'd really recommend, but you're welcome to come and take some if you think you'd like some :))

Comments

[seryn]

Good luck. I find it incredibly difficult to donate gently used items anywhere. I did find one non-religious organization taking donated household items and clothing, but they insist they can only take donations in one location and it's somewhere no woman would feel safe going.

[jack]

Ouch. Sympathy. Unfortunately, if nowhere does want them, I think I'll to literally throw them away. I mean, it seems like an awful waste, but if the charity shop don't think they'll be able to give them to anyone, I don't think I'll be able to do any better, and there's no point keeping them if I really don't want them.

[seryn]

My library takes used books. They have a used book store but most of the libraries also have a bookcase near the entry and you put $1 in the box (honor system) if you take a book.

[jack]

Well, that's worth trying too, although I wouldn't expect the library to be particularly more likely to want them than the charity shop.

[fractal_angel]

I imagine Oxfam will take them. The library is trying to get rid of excess books so I doubt you'll have much luck there. Me? They're going to the man on the market, and then I'll buy for Kindle instead!

[kerrypolka]

Have you tried Freecycle? That's how I got rid of about 150 books when I moved in with Ewan. A man drove to my house and picked them up, so all I had to do was put them in boxes.

[woodpijn.livejournal.com]

I used to volunteer in the Amnesty bookshop. They'd often get large donations of books, e.g. the entire book collection of someone who had died.
There was a computer in the back room where we'd check the prices books were selling online, mainly as a guide for how to price them in the shop, but sometimes also to sell them online on behalf of Amnesty ourselves.
They were a bit fussier than I'd like - some of the books donated got simply thrown away, when I'd have thought they could have been sold.