[colanderman]

The ultimate solution is buying less shit

Unfortunately some of us have relatives who insist on gifting us shit, regardless of how tactfully we try to ask them not to. I'd love to join a club like this. (Right now Goodwill suffices, but there's definitely non-cheap stuff we give away just because we don't have time to deal with it.)

[kryten]

Small rant: I suffer from this affliction.

This year so far: broken iPhones, a no brand android tablet that sucks, a pile of PMRs that don't work, a portable digital tv that was missing a proprietary power supply, an old HP server, a netbook with a nasty case of the clap, a naff 1998 vintage HP Omnibook, clothes that are too small for our children, a car (which instantly cost me £550 in repairs), a crap desktop pc full of spiders. Ugh.

It wasn't stuff i needed or wanted. It was stuff they didn't want and couldn't be bothered to get rid of.

One day I will just say no. No to everything. No gifts, no charity etc.

Get rid of it all.

The only problem is that I've been there. For a while I didn't own much and people thought I was a charity case and gave me more things.

The cycle is impossible to break.

Perhaps I'm too polite.

The problem is that most people think that things are status and people think improving status is how to help a person. Status does not concern me so I'm doomed.

[toasterlovin]

Craigslist the non-cheap stuff. It only takes a few minutes to post something there (less time than going to Goodwill, probably), and you'll get some cash.

But yeah, the gifting culture drives me kind of bonkers too. I intend to establish Gift Truces with as many people in my life as possible come January 1st of 2014 (since, mathematically, I should be even with most people at that point). Or, if a person won't go for that, I'll ask them to donate to charity in my name instead of give me a gift.

[jack-r-abbit]

But Craigslist can be a huge pain some times. It doesn't matter how low you price something, 5 people will try to get it for half that. I've had people arrange a time to come by & buy... and then never show up or respond again. Some times people really suck. lol

[salgernon]

This came by a few weeks ago and it sounded like a brilliant idea.

http://www.nobenjam.in/ http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5849748

I imagine it could self fund through ads - if someone is on a waiting list but misses out, let them know with adword ads based on the product they failed to get for free.

[akristofcak]

"Gift Truces" is my new expression of the year. Love it.