The numbers on free stuff are wild - 85% of people never post after claiming

I was just reading through some old posts on a national Buy Nothing group's survey results (they shared it on their official site last year). Apparently only 15% of people who take items ever come back to give something away. That surprised me because our local Portland group feels pretty balanced. I figured the ratio would be closer to 50/50. It makes me wonder if people just feel awkward about posting or if they forget the group exists after they get what they wanted. Anyone else notice their local group feeling lopsided one way or the other?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona_lane19d ago

Guilty as charged, I'm probably one of those 85% people - took a bread maker three years ago and still haven't posted a single thing.

butler.abby19d ago

Understand why you're disappointed, but I actually think the 15% figure might be too generous. Most people treat these groups like free Craigslist, not community sharing spaces. They grab what they need and disappear because they see it as a transaction, not a relationship. Besides, if everyone who took something felt pressured to give back, you'd end up with a lot of junk nobody wants being posted just to clear a guilt balance. The system works fine with a small core of givers and lots of takers, as long as people are actually using the stuff.