No good deed goes unpunished. I could see where if they failed or even if he used them incorrectly and the car fell on him, he could blame you. A shady lawyer would take a case like that in a heartbeat.
Giving away free stuff
- Thread starter The Critic
- Start date
There's a Marina not that far from where I live that has a unique way of getting rid of things. They put a giant Free sign on the side of their building. I've driven past and seen stereo stuff, tools like shovels and rakes, some boat stuff ect. If I go by a few days later the stuffs usually gone, or replaced with different stuff. One mans junk can be another mans treasure.,,,
Depends on the item.
Goodwill as we itemize, so we take a deduction on such donations.
We've also left stuff out with the "Free" sign on it.
Occasionally, like an old light Christmas tree that was good, just no longer met oilBabe's design requirements, I put it on the front porch, plugged it in and put a notice in FB Marketplace. Finally had one knucklehead take it after asking for my address that I said I wouldn't give. Just the subdivision with the guidance that we are the only house with a lit Christmas tree on the porch.
Eventually she came for it.
Not exactly free, but sold when we upgraded appliances, my electric dryer sale and a cautionary tale about using Meth.
Pretty sure the two guys who offered to buy my 11 year old dryer for $150, again, still working, but oilBabe wanted stackables...
They came for it and looked like they were from central casting as methheads. They were getting their mom a new dryer.
Apparently, they got it to her house and said it wouldn't produce heat and wanted their money back. I was at the gym, so I had to leave and meet them at my home. Said if it didn't work, I'd give their money back, but if it did, it was their dryer. They started to take it down from the truck. I told them to leave it on the truck and I cabled it to and started my generator. It started and was both tumbling and producing heat.
I asked to see the cord and it looked like an AC cord. Certainly not a 50A dryer cord. They did complain about no cord even though the ad clearly said NO CORD.
Anyway, they asked how this could be. I asked if they checked the fuse/breaker for the circuit? Uhhh, no was the reply. I said perhaps you have a bad breaker where only one leg of the circuit, the one that drives the motor for the tumble had power, but you didn't have the 220v needed for the heat. Or perhaps some other wiring issue...
I suggested if the problem was the circuit, they could sell the dryer they didn't use. They indicated they already disposed of the "bad" dryer.
Now I don't know if the "bad" dryer was really bad or if it was a circuit issue. But I do know I would have tested the outlet before I went looking for a new dryer. But meth (or whatever drugs they might have used periodically) wasn't helping with their diagnostic skills.
Anyway, the dryer stayed on the truck and the money stayed in my pocket.
So don't do whatever drugs these two gentlemen were doing.
Goodwill as we itemize, so we take a deduction on such donations.
We've also left stuff out with the "Free" sign on it.
Occasionally, like an old light Christmas tree that was good, just no longer met oilBabe's design requirements, I put it on the front porch, plugged it in and put a notice in FB Marketplace. Finally had one knucklehead take it after asking for my address that I said I wouldn't give. Just the subdivision with the guidance that we are the only house with a lit Christmas tree on the porch.
Eventually she came for it.
Not exactly free, but sold when we upgraded appliances, my electric dryer sale and a cautionary tale about using Meth.
Pretty sure the two guys who offered to buy my 11 year old dryer for $150, again, still working, but oilBabe wanted stackables...
They came for it and looked like they were from central casting as methheads. They were getting their mom a new dryer.
Apparently, they got it to her house and said it wouldn't produce heat and wanted their money back. I was at the gym, so I had to leave and meet them at my home. Said if it didn't work, I'd give their money back, but if it did, it was their dryer. They started to take it down from the truck. I told them to leave it on the truck and I cabled it to and started my generator. It started and was both tumbling and producing heat.
I asked to see the cord and it looked like an AC cord. Certainly not a 50A dryer cord. They did complain about no cord even though the ad clearly said NO CORD.
Anyway, they asked how this could be. I asked if they checked the fuse/breaker for the circuit? Uhhh, no was the reply. I said perhaps you have a bad breaker where only one leg of the circuit, the one that drives the motor for the tumble had power, but you didn't have the 220v needed for the heat. Or perhaps some other wiring issue...
I suggested if the problem was the circuit, they could sell the dryer they didn't use. They indicated they already disposed of the "bad" dryer.
Now I don't know if the "bad" dryer was really bad or if it was a circuit issue. But I do know I would have tested the outlet before I went looking for a new dryer. But meth (or whatever drugs they might have used periodically) wasn't helping with their diagnostic skills.
Anyway, the dryer stayed on the truck and the money stayed in my pocket.
So don't do whatever drugs these two gentlemen were doing.
An excellent example of why I don't sell things or even try to give them away.
I put in a local FB community(upper middle class town) and people pick up items. My involvement is taking a picture and using FB messages with person who picks up item. I do check out if they are sketchy by looking at there FB profile.
Kestas
Staff member
Same here. At work I give priority to techs who don't make a lot of money.
nope , not harbor freight
I prefer to give stuff to friends or family, but have given things away or sold them on FB market place. I leave it on the front porch for pickup and if I'm not there, I tell them to leave the cash under the doormat. Someone is usually home anyway.
High dollar items I hate to sell myself. I've had problems selling my late model vehicles, personal water craft, snow mobiles, etc.. Wayyyy too many D-bagzz out there.
Years ago I sold my wife's 2000 Nissan Sentra. This was 2003. Guy bought it for his daughter. I told him outright that it had been in 2 mild fender benders. Showed him the receipts for that and it was priced accordingly. Cash deal with an as-is, where is, no warranties, expressed or implied receipt.
About 6-12 months later the guy calls me questioning me about work that had been done to the rear bumper cover. Apparently the daughter had gotten into a wreck with it and insurance was pushing back on some of the repairs. I politely expressed my condolences to the daughter and reminded him the car is his.
Another aye whole who bought my 1998 Chevy K1500 W/T came back with his cash and his 2 large sons (whom I haven't met) to pick up the truck. They tried nit-picking some items after what we agreed upon. Seemingly trying to intimidate me. I told him don't buy the truck if you don't want it and headed back towards my house. "No.. No.. It's all good" he said.
High dollar items I hate to sell myself. I've had problems selling my late model vehicles, personal water craft, snow mobiles, etc.. Wayyyy too many D-bagzz out there.
Years ago I sold my wife's 2000 Nissan Sentra. This was 2003. Guy bought it for his daughter. I told him outright that it had been in 2 mild fender benders. Showed him the receipts for that and it was priced accordingly. Cash deal with an as-is, where is, no warranties, expressed or implied receipt.
About 6-12 months later the guy calls me questioning me about work that had been done to the rear bumper cover. Apparently the daughter had gotten into a wreck with it and insurance was pushing back on some of the repairs. I politely expressed my condolences to the daughter and reminded him the car is his.
Another aye whole who bought my 1998 Chevy K1500 W/T came back with his cash and his 2 large sons (whom I haven't met) to pick up the truck. They tried nit-picking some items after what we agreed upon. Seemingly trying to intimidate me. I told him don't buy the truck if you don't want it and headed back towards my house. "No.. No.. It's all good" he said.
Last edited:
I do that the first few times on the RTV. Then the final use is a cut down the center of the tube so I can be sure to make a huge mess saving every last bit.I keep them around as extras or throw them in my road box to have. I’m not one to part with tools. And I learned something new that RTV expires. Funny you mention RTV I use those Orange handle picks to take off the hardened part of the RTV at the top of the tube so I can use it again. That’s about all they are good for since they are like butter.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
I’m glad I know it goes bad. I threw away my tube from 2018 when I needed to use it on the valve cover gaskets of the Escape because it had hardened inside the tube so I had to go out and buy another so I hope that won’t happen with this one. I’ve got to find something to use it on so I don’t throw $8 away because at work it’s provided for us.
So, as a bit of a fun tale about giving stuff away...
I've posted elsewhere about collecting older Macintosh computers, and one of my areas of interest is G4 CPU powered systems. These date roughly to the early to mid 90s.
One of the models that kind of holds very little interest to me is one called the "eMac." The "e" is for education, and they were primarily an EDU market item. They were inexpensive and still had CRTs when Apple had otherwise completely gone to LCDs, and were meant to be difficult to steal so-combined with the CRT-they're a massive tapered unit of slick plastic and no good hand-holds that weighs about 50lbs. I have two in my collection-a first generation one, and the last and best 1.42ghz one.
Somewhere along the way, I'd acquired two surplus ones-a 1ghz one that was part of a larger lot I bought, and a 1.25ghz that came with the 1.42ghz(the guy selling wanted them both gone, and took my offer based only on what I was willing to pay for the 1.42).
I see somewhere in one of the vintage computing groups I'm part of that someone about an hour and a half away from me is looking for an eMac in any configuration. I contact him and say "I have two, this is what they are, come get them and they're yours." Just to be sure, I power both up, play with them a bit, confirm them both working, and say "tell me when you're coming."
The following weekend, I go to a Starbucks up the road and a high school kid is there with his dad to get these computers from me. I load them in his car(of course he wasn't going to help me) and off he goes.
A few hours later, he discovers that one of them won't run the operating system that he wanted it to run on. He never asked me about that but just assumed-I'd have told him, but also gave him model identifiers and a 5 second Google search would have also told that. He badmouths me from one end to another because he'd made this trip for "a computer that can't even run OS 9" and then has the gall to text me and say that I should pay for his gas to drive down and back because it wasn't what he wanted. I tell him to give it away or sell it or do whatever-I don't care. He had never said that was what he wanted to do with it, but if he'd even indicated any interest I'd have told him or that he could have easily found it out with what I'd told him.
Fortunately everyone else put him in his place.
He then gloats about how "good" some of the parts are in it and how happy he is to have them, but still thinks I should pay his gas money.
That was my last dealing with giving away on that group.
I've posted elsewhere about collecting older Macintosh computers, and one of my areas of interest is G4 CPU powered systems. These date roughly to the early to mid 90s.
One of the models that kind of holds very little interest to me is one called the "eMac." The "e" is for education, and they were primarily an EDU market item. They were inexpensive and still had CRTs when Apple had otherwise completely gone to LCDs, and were meant to be difficult to steal so-combined with the CRT-they're a massive tapered unit of slick plastic and no good hand-holds that weighs about 50lbs. I have two in my collection-a first generation one, and the last and best 1.42ghz one.
Somewhere along the way, I'd acquired two surplus ones-a 1ghz one that was part of a larger lot I bought, and a 1.25ghz that came with the 1.42ghz(the guy selling wanted them both gone, and took my offer based only on what I was willing to pay for the 1.42).
I see somewhere in one of the vintage computing groups I'm part of that someone about an hour and a half away from me is looking for an eMac in any configuration. I contact him and say "I have two, this is what they are, come get them and they're yours." Just to be sure, I power both up, play with them a bit, confirm them both working, and say "tell me when you're coming."
The following weekend, I go to a Starbucks up the road and a high school kid is there with his dad to get these computers from me. I load them in his car(of course he wasn't going to help me) and off he goes.
A few hours later, he discovers that one of them won't run the operating system that he wanted it to run on. He never asked me about that but just assumed-I'd have told him, but also gave him model identifiers and a 5 second Google search would have also told that. He badmouths me from one end to another because he'd made this trip for "a computer that can't even run OS 9" and then has the gall to text me and say that I should pay for his gas to drive down and back because it wasn't what he wanted. I tell him to give it away or sell it or do whatever-I don't care. He had never said that was what he wanted to do with it, but if he'd even indicated any interest I'd have told him or that he could have easily found it out with what I'd told him.
Fortunately everyone else put him in his place.
He then gloats about how "good" some of the parts are in it and how happy he is to have them, but still thinks I should pay his gas money.
That was my last dealing with giving away on that group.
JTK. I get it. But living in New Jersey has beaten the last vestiges of trust out of any of us. Central air on, Generac whole house generators armed and ready. If you’re family you’re good, otherwise you could need an extension cord to keep your oxygen supply running and you’d be outta luck. It’s a big country 
You should keep your meter though, it is handy around the house.
I typically put stuff with photo on FB ads and then make a time, we then leave them on the driveway when the guy is about to arrive and pick it up off the street.
I typically put stuff with photo on FB ads and then make a time, we then leave them on the driveway when the guy is about to arrive and pick it up off the street.
Nice
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
bought a 5’x10’ utility trailer in 1993. Paid $400.
Gave it away today.
Gave it away today.
I've been on the other side of the equation as well. Someone in the subdivision was giving away a power washer, indicating he couldn't start it. I figured what the heck. Took it home, cleaned the carb and fixed the cracked tube on the frame.
I've been using it for the past year. It burns a bit of oil, but it works and the price was right. I probably have less then $10 in it. It owes me nothing.
I've been using it for the past year. It burns a bit of oil, but it works and the price was right. I probably have less then $10 in it. It owes me nothing.
