Text guides

Reuse and resale

Prepare clear descriptions and practical handoffs for items you no longer need. Check recall information and the recipient's current rules before arranging transfer.

12 practical tasks. Each guide includes a sample request and a way to check the answer.

Check whether a donation service accepts your itemsA charity's mission says little about what it takes at the door. Read the recipient's own acceptance rules, compare them item by item, and write down what the page leaves open. Ask those questions before you pack or travel.
Prepare for a confirmed donation pickupOnce a recipient confirms a pickup, make the handoff easy. Stage only the approved items in one spot, write down how the crew reaches them, and keep the confirmed window and contact where you can find them.
Inventory items before listing them for resaleWrite the inventory before the listings. Give each item an identifier, a condition note based on what you can see, a list of included parts and a photo reference. Listings then draw from one record instead of memory.
Ask a consignment shop about its processEvery consignment shop sets its own terms, and one shop's policy says nothing about another's. Prepare a short question list by item type, ask the shop directly, and record each answer with the date and who gave it.
Decide what to borrow for a one-time projectFor a project you will do once, start from how long you need each item. List the needs, name a possible source for each, note the condition you must return it in, and pick a backup so a missed loan does not stall the work.
Prepare a brief for a repair cafe visitA short, accurate brief helps a volunteer start in the right place. Describe the symptom in plain words, give the model and what you already tried, and check what the event accepts before you carry the item there.
Write a free-item listing that avoids repeat questionsA good free listing answers the first questions people ask: what the item is, what shape it is in, how big it is, what comes with it, and how it can be collected. Inspect and measure the item before you write.
Arrange an item collection with clear expectationsA collection message names the item, offers a specific time and meeting spot, says what the person needs to bring, and asks for a reply. Until they answer, the plan is a proposal, so word it that way.
Record clothing measurements consistently for resaleA label size tells a buyer little, because fit varies by brand and age. Measure each point the same way on every garment, write down the unit and method, and give the label size as a separate field.
Sort books for a specific donation recipientRecipients take different books, and their rules change. Get the current requirements from the recipient first, then sort your books into accepted, not accepted and unsure, with a plan for each pile.
Organize a small craft-supply swapA small swap works when supplies are grouped into useful bundles, each labeled with what is inside, and everyone knows the exchange rule in advance. Set the limits and the excluded items before you invite anyone.
Keep a simple record after transferring an itemAfter an item changes hands, record what it was, when it left, which parts went with it and anything you agreed to do afterward. Then update or close the listing so no one asks about an item that is gone.

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