# Functional things you can't even give away **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 8, 2013, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504 "2013-01-08T17:43:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/1 "2013-01-08T17:43:23Z")
A neighbor has a huge barn where she holds monthly garage sales monthly during warm weather. Proceeds benefit a local animal shelter. We donate things to the sale rather than bothering with Craigslist, etc. People buy _anything_ as long as the price is right. Chipped dishes, old furniture, ashtrays, broken lawnmowers, stained doilies, you name it. Except for TVs. We finally upgraded to a flat-screen, and automatically hauled the 450 pound old TV (fully functional) to the sale site where we found a “No TVs” policy. Seems she cannot give them away. What else doesn’t anyone want, even if it is free? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/2 "2013-01-08T17:45:51Z")
I bet used underwear wouldn’t go over too well. I’ve never tried it, tho 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/3 "2013-01-08T17:47:54Z")
Used underwear might be quite popular with some guys, if they are ladies undies! 😃 But otherwise that’s a pretty good nomination. How about used toilets that are still functional? I never heard of a market for those! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/4 "2013-01-08T17:51:19Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > How about used toilets that are still functional? I never heard of a market for those! I’ve seen them used as yard decorations with plants in the tank and/or bowl. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/5 "2013-01-08T17:54:38Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I bet used underwear wouldn’t go over too well. I’ve never tried it, tho 🙂 Most of the charities that accept used clothing accept used underwear. > [@drewtwo99](#): > > Used underwear might be quite popular with some guys, if they are ladies undies! 😃 > > But otherwise that’s a pretty good nomination. > > How about used toilets that are still functional? I never heard of a market for those! Many big cities have salvage companies where you can buy used radiators, sinks, toilets, et cetera. ---
**Author:** ![steviep24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@steviep24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steviep24)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/6 "2013-01-08T18:00:02Z")
I think old land line phones and answering machines may qualify. And nobody wants an old computer from before the Windows XP era. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/7 "2013-01-08T18:01:10Z")
Related story from my childhood. Stray momma manx cat shows up very pregnant. Manx kittehs ensue shortly thereafter. Ran several newpaper ads. Free manx kittens to good homes! Crickets. New ad in same paper, same section. Rare manx kittens. Only 50 dollars each. All gone in a day. We still gave them away though. Moral? People give away crap. GOOOOOD shit gets sold cheap and somebody “thinks” they got a steal. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/8 "2013-01-08T18:04:49Z")
Things That Never Sell: Treadmills or exercise bikes Get-Rich-Quick real estate courses on tape stained tupperwear religious books and music Plastic plants Tube TVs and monitors Those cheap glass vases that come free with flowers ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/9 "2013-01-08T18:07:35Z")
It’s difficult to give away a sofa. A lot of charities won’t take them because they require two people to pick up, and the charities only send one person in the truck. It’s getting damn hard to give away anything but a top of the line piano. Keyboards have pretty much destroyed the market for anything less than a baby grand. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/10 "2013-01-08T18:45:13Z")
Hm. I’ve seen working TVs selling around here as recently as three years ago; we picked up a couple for our spare bedrooms for $10-$20 each. That seemed to be about the going rate. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/11 "2013-01-08T18:52:03Z")
Encyclopedia Britannica…all 30 volumes. They wouldn’t even take it at the public library. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/12 "2013-01-08T18:57:24Z")
> [@steviep24](#): > > I think old land line phones and answering machines may qualify. And nobody wants an old computer from before the Windows XP era. The local charity driven thrift shops won’t even accept xp era computers anymore, because they don’t sell. If it doesn’t have vista,win 7 on it, they send you on your way. Same goes for CRT monitors, analog TVs, VCRs, and game systems older than a PS2. ---
**Author:** ![jacobsta811](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jacobsta811/32/2893_2.png) [@jacobsta811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacobsta811)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/13 "2013-01-08T19:10:23Z")
> [@campp](#): > > Things That Never Sell: > > Treadmills or exercise bikes > … Given the number of garage sales I go to the rest of your list is spot on. These first two actually depend on the quality. Higher end exercise equipment actually sells very quickly, especially treadmills. I see that stuff going at 8, 9 am and missing from sales I hit later (when I know at all, because it was listed in the ad). What doesn’t sell is the $150 walmart treadmills that are barely large enough to stand on, and can’t be run on, and the weird fad exercise equipment that you don’t find in a gym. Edit to add, used underwear for very small children sells pretty well, actually, and I see people trying to sell bras all the time, although rarely see buyers. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/14 "2013-01-08T19:33:22Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Related story from my childhood. Stray momma manx cat shows up very pregnant. Manx kittehs ensue shortly thereafter. > > Ran several newpaper ads. Free manx kittens to good homes! Crickets. > > New ad in same paper, same section. Rare manx kittens. Only 50 dollars each. All gone in a day. We still gave them away though. > > Moral? People give away crap. GOOOOOD shit gets sold cheap and somebody “thinks” they got a steal. We’ve noticed the same thing on Craigslist. We never advertise in the Free section-- too many “No Shows” and very little interest. Our strategy now is “$20 or free if you pick up this afternoon”. We have usually 20 hits in 10 minutes and can usually get rid of it within an hour. Much better way to get rid of things! ---
**Author:** ![Noelq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noelq/32/16438_2.png) [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/15 "2013-01-08T19:40:31Z")
I work in IT. When we have too many old (4 to 5 years) computers sitting in the back, we let our employees know. We usually have 70 to 80 requests for 4 or 5 machines. Same goes for monitors, cases, etc. We can’t GIVE AWAY the 2 and 3 year old printers. Big HP deskjets and Officejets, and fax/scan combos. Nobody want them - because the cost for the toners is the same cost as buying a new machine. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/16 "2013-01-08T20:02:35Z")
> [@jacobsta811](#): > > What doesn’t sell is the $150 walmart treadmills that are barely large enough to stand on, and can’t be run on, and the weird fad exercise equipment that you don’t find in a gym. You can “give” them away around here though. By which I mean “set it on the curb and a truck will show up three minutes later to grab it for scrap metal content.” We benefit from a pretty lenient pick-up policy with our trash collection so I can afford to take chances but I’ve noticed many thing disappear if left on the curb. TVs, couches, love seats, small appliances, exercise equipment, etc. The only thing I ever saw stay until collection was a heavy-as-hell wooden “lawyer’s desk” that needed pretty significant reconditioning to be useful as furniture. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/17 "2013-01-08T20:12:36Z")
Here’s a list of shit that’s in my house that, so far, I haven’t been able to give away. Holler if anyone wants any of this crap: •Old car stereo speakers • AM/FM/Cassette receiver/head unit for a car •100 watt pre amp for a car stereo system • An ancient HP PC that runs Windows 95 IIRC. • Old boom box unit that has a double cassette and CD player. • Mismatched used socks (I keep 'em for dusting) • An old radar detector from the early 90s. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/18 "2013-01-08T20:14:16Z")
Steel desks. There’s one where I work. It sits in a small room that used to be the office, and now is a storeroom. Awhile back a junk man/scrap dealer came and picked up a bunch of stuff, but he said that desk will be here until a tornado takes it. How about ironing boards? You can still buy new ones, but they never wear out and the style doesn’t change. So anyone who wants one will already have one. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/19 "2013-01-08T20:15:55Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > Here’s a list of shit that’s in my house that, so far, I haven’t been able to give away. Holler if anyone wants any of this crap: > > •Old car stereo speakers > • AM/FM/Cassette receiver/head unit for a car > •100 watt pre amp for a car stereo system > • An ancient HP PC that runs Windows 95 IIRC. > • Old boom box unit that has a double cassette and CD player. > • Mismatched used socks (I keep 'em for dusting) > • An old radar detector from the early 90s. All of this stuff (excepting the socks) can be recycled at Best Buy for free. Just need to take the hard drive out of the PC. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504/20 "2013-01-08T20:28:23Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > All of this stuff (excepting the socks) can be recycled at Best Buy for free. Just need to take the hard drive out of the PC. No shit! I am dumping that crap off with them the first chance I get. Thanks! Ironic: I bought that PC from Best Buy. Worst purchase decision I’ve made in a good long while. And I think it was a Packard Bell, not an HP. Whatever, it was damn near worthless when I got it. :smack: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/functional-things-you-cant-even-give-away/646504.md?page=2)