It took ages to get rid of these. I thought I had some really nice bags, but there’s just no shortage of book bags or luggage, and they’re pretty cheap. What it took, for me, was patience, and finding the right mix of products. Maybe this story of failure will help.
Like many people, I’ve accumulated different nylon bags over the years. I had two very sturdy ones that refused to just rip apart, but I had no use for them. One was a laptop bag by “Chrome” that was getting frayed. Another was a messenger bag by Keen, with a repaired tear inside the bottom.
The third was a makeup/travel bag that I got in a bundle purchase from Ebay.
I tried selling them, but no luck. I tried giving them away, individually, on Facebook, but no luck. Same for Craigslist.
Finally, I found a group called “Buy Nothing Rosemead“, and another called “Buy Nothing Boyle Heights” that operate on Facebook. These are giveaway and ask groups, where people give things away. I posted the set there, and another member asked for the travel bag.
They came to get it on the weekend.
I know that the BN folks want us all to connect and build community, but the parking in Boyle Heights is so terrible, that it was just a drive-by-hand-off.
Then, I put the rest of the bags, and a pair of headphones, out on “the fence”. The fence is a wall where I give things away. People walk by and take it.
I put up ads on Facebook and Craigslist offering up all the things for free.
I made the ad a “curb alert” ad. Here’s the ad:
Two bags and a pair of headphones. One is a small laptop bag / book bag. The other is a big messenger bag. Come and get it. It's outside. --address--. Near the corner of --corner--, just east of --landmark--.
There was some interest, but people were slow to take it. Someone far away asked if it was there. I didn’t know.
I went back two days later, and the bags were still there. So I told the lone asker from Craigslist, “it’s still there.” They drove out and got it. Maybe they needed two bags.
My advice for people with spare bags: donate them to a charity shop or Goodwill. This was so much effort to get rid of these bags.
Don’t get me wrong. It felt great to save someone $50 on bags. Just saying, it was a lot of effort.