Author Topic: anyone started a "Buy Nothing" group?  (Read 2878 times)

living small

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anyone started a "Buy Nothing" group?
« on: April 08, 2018, 08:52:42 AM »
I noticed that there are no "Buy Nothing" groups locally. I am thinking of starting one, but would love to know of others who have had success with it.

Anyone out there done this? words of wisdom appreciated.  Everything I hear about it is so positive ( and mustachian!). Like the ability to meet new people and the obvious financial and environmental impact that it could have.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: anyone started a "Buy Nothing" group?
« Reply #1 on: April 08, 2018, 08:58:20 AM »
Sending you a PM =)

living small

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Re: anyone started a "Buy Nothing" group?
« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2018, 11:24:02 AM »
thank you!

Meowmalade

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Re: anyone started a "Buy Nothing" group?
« Reply #3 on: April 08, 2018, 12:33:53 PM »
I wanted to join the neighboring group but they were really strict about map boundaries.  Turns out that there was a hole in my area and they convinced me to admin a new group in the hole.  I did that for over a year until someone was willing to take over and now we're up to 200 members!  It took a bit to get started but got some momentum and we got many new members after we posted on NextDoor.  There was citywide and statewide admins who helped to set everything up and were there to guide.  There's a huge community of other admins who will help you!

solon

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Re: anyone started a "Buy Nothing" group?
« Reply #4 on: April 08, 2018, 12:43:06 PM »
Hey, what's a buy nothing group? Serious question!

Do you just sit around and not buy anything?

Bracken_Joy

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Re: anyone started a "Buy Nothing" group?
« Reply #5 on: April 08, 2018, 12:59:59 PM »
Hey, what's a buy nothing group? Serious question!

Do you just sit around and not buy anything?

https://buynothingproject.org/about/

Igelfreundin

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Re: anyone started a "Buy Nothing" group?
« Reply #6 on: April 08, 2018, 01:17:31 PM »
I started one (with BN) support. After a year I had about 50-75 members. I underestimated how much effort it would take to recruit members and post stuff to seed the giving, so the group never was very active.

They have a lot of strict rules (membership boundaries, can't post info about free community events, etc.) I'm sure they have good reasons for all the rules, but it felt like I spent most of my time telling people "no." I stepped away after a year as an admin, and it doesn't look like my group is active anymore.

I'd join an existing group, but I would not be an admin again. YMMV, though, because I may just be too much of an introvert to enjoy the interactions needed.

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living small

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Re: anyone started a "Buy Nothing" group?
« Reply #7 on: April 08, 2018, 03:21:42 PM »
All good info!

I am sort of anticipating what I might do as I dial down my working life.  I imagine that this sort of thing does take up a bit of time.

and good point about the introversion thing...that may be important for me!

I'm a red panda

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Re: anyone started a "Buy Nothing" group?
« Reply #8 on: April 08, 2018, 05:15:58 PM »
I started one (with BN) support. After a year I had about 50-75 members. I underestimated how much effort it would take to recruit members and post stuff to seed the giving, so the group never was very active.

They have a lot of strict rules (membership boundaries, can't post info about free community events, etc.) I'm sure they have good reasons for all the rules, but it felt like I spent most of my time telling people "no." I stepped away after a year as an admin, and it doesn't look like my group is active anymore.

I'd join an existing group, but I would not be an admin again. YMMV, though, because I may just be too much of an introvert to enjoy the interactions needed.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

The rules are tough- people really want to give referrals to free services, and I get that seems reasonable (it drives me crazy when people post "Ask: Lularoe distributor".  Don't ask for referrals to buy stuff.  I also really hate "Ask: Prayers" because I'm cynical and I think it is ridiculous attention seeking.)

The hardest rule we've dealt with is the hyper-local focus. I've been through two sprouts and both times there have been incredible hissy fits. The first sprout our 5 town group got seperated into two- one with 3 towns, and mine with 2 towns.  Now my "smaller" group grew to 1,500 people so it sprouted into 4 groups; one with the small town, and my town with 3 groups.  People BLEW UP.  We only had about half of the 1,500 rejoin, and the "no rules 'purchase nothing'" group has 800 members.  We'll see how either group lasts.  I assume BNP has strict rules for a reason, and honestly, the super large group I was tired of driving so far away, and people would get mad when you'd say never mind on a $3 thing that would be a 40 minute drive...

For the most part, I love BNP though.  I admin our new sprout group.  But it is a lot of "you can't do that". 

Meowmalade

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Re: anyone started a "Buy Nothing" group?
« Reply #9 on: April 09, 2018, 12:11:10 PM »
I had a few issues being an admin, because the rules are focused on "community and meeting your neighbors" while I'm more interested in the environmental aspect and making sure that unwanted things find a new life.  But there have been a couple of great moments in my group!  One member had an Afghan refugee moving into their spare apartment who needed furniture, and I coordinated a hand-off with a friend who happened to be moving and giving away her bed.  Though my friend wasn't in my group, I was there helping to move so it was within the rules.

And this happened just a few days ago:
Wow, an amazing Buy Nothing moment in my group.  Someone posted that he’s in desperate need of a microwave because he has a chronic illness and subsists mostly on frozen food, and his microwave broke.  One of our members responded that she’d like to give him the money to buy a new one.  She’s the daughter of the inventor of the microwave oven.  The technology was originally invented for radar to help planes land, and her dad died later from exposure to microwaves and never knew how people used his oven.

PoutineLover

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Re: anyone started a "Buy Nothing" group?
« Reply #10 on: April 09, 2018, 12:27:40 PM »
I'm not in the "buy nothing" group, but I am in several trading groups that are kinda similar. People do give stuff away for free and there is no exchange of money allowed but it is mostly trades. I looked into buy nothing for my area and it looks like I'm in a space between some groups, but I will be moving soon so maybe I'll be able to join one then. I really like the recycling aspect of it, and there are a lot of curb alerts too so I think it diverts lots of stuff from landfills.

BuildingmyFIRE

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Re: anyone started a "Buy Nothing" group?
« Reply #11 on: April 09, 2018, 12:53:22 PM »
I co-admin'ed a similar type of group for a while.  I loved facilitating positive giving experiences.  It made me truly happy.  There are lots of people, though, who have no scruples about lying about where they live and are just looking for free stuff  (we had affiliates in other towns and could see if they were part of the other groups -- sooo easy to catch people lying.  So hard to get them to admit it.). 

For those who get hung up on the strict residency requirement, I think that problem informs the rule -- when its community base, you get the same people both giving AND receiving, and it really becomes a cycle and fosters a positive community experience.  When it gets too big, and there are too many people in the group, you get a lot of grabby-hands who don't ever offer back into the community.  I think that dynamic actually deters the givers.

If anyone knows of a Buy Nothing that's off FB, I would love to hear it.  I deactivated my profile after the latest scandal and therefore no longer admin or have access to the group.   

I'm a red panda

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Re: anyone started a "Buy Nothing" group?
« Reply #12 on: April 09, 2018, 12:55:05 PM »

If anyone knows of a Buy Nothing that's off FB, I would love to hear it.  I deactivated my profile after the latest scandal and therefore no longer admin or have access to the group.

Freecycle?

The "Buy Nothing Project" officially is on facebook, you won't find an affiliated group outside of it.