[cathgates]

I've been wandering around trade me, and I cannot believe the state of some of the beds people are trying to sell. I would have been embarrassed to put them out for the rubbish!!!!

Cath XX

[dusk]

my favourite things on trade me are the half started 'projects' ie knackered old bits of junk someone thought they could 'do up' and then gave up in despair and want some other sucker to take it off them :)

[Kanga]

HAha- my first trip to a NZ tip (sorry, I've forgotten the NZ term for them- something like recycling) had me slightly speechless (no mean feat). I arrived with a tatty old good for nothing clothes airer and a few other similar bits- a broken plastic linen basket if I recall correctly- and no sooner had I popped the boot (trunk) then I was surrounded by people clamouring for my junk as if I've rocked up with a car load of Ikea seconds. I had to lie down for a while afterwards and it became quite a (probably unacceptable) joke between my husband and I that we could put anything out on the kerb with a 'free' sign and it would be carted away befere we'd shut the front door.

Oh yes, the second hand market is alive and kicking in NZ.

[925dancer]

You want to see the streets swarming with trucks and vans and yutes when it's inorganic collection time! We had one recently and for about a week the traffic increase was phenomenal. As for some of the stuff people were picking up, it does make you wonder hwat their gardens and sheds and garages look like :laugh

[YouMeAndThree]

You want to see the streets swarming with trucks and vans and yutes when it's inorganic collection time! We had one recently and for about a week the traffic increase was phenomenal. As for some of the stuff people were picking up, it does make you wonder hwat their gardens and sheds and garages look like

At the time I couldn't help but wonder how much was going to end up on trademe - and from what Cath has posted I am probably not far of the mark. We had the same MPV's up and down the road a couple of times a day during inorganic week.......still, atleast it's less for the official crew to have to dispose of. I just wish the rummagers would leave the pile neat and tidy instead of looking like travellers had just moved on :no

Here's a current example: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Lounge-dining-hall/Lounge-suites/2-seater-couches/auction-231496443.htm

[cathgates]

That sofa is just too much, surely no one would pay to have that in their house? Even in their shed!!!

Cath XX

[Kanga]

At the time I couldn't help but wonder how much was going to end up on trademe - and from what Cath has posted I am probably not far of the mark. We had the same MPV's up and down the road a couple of times a day during inorganic week.......still, atleast it's less for the official crew to have to dispose of. I just wish the rummagers would leave the pile neat and tidy instead of looking like travellers had just moved on :no

Here's a current example: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Lounge-dining-hall/Lounge-suites/2-seater-couches/auction-231496443.htm

PMSL! I love that auction- especially how they use a sheet to illustrate how it can look fine covered but take care to make it clear the cover is not included. I wonder how much they get for it?

[YouMeAndThree]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Lounge-dining-hall/Lounge-suites/3-seater-couches/auction-231556119.htm Why even go to the bother of taking pictures, let alone spending time creating an ad........... I will stop now, because I'll just get sucked into finding the worst of the worst on trademe. :D

[Sam B]

Ha ha ha - I often browse through trade me sofas of an evening just for the entertainment value. That one's a classic.

[Kanga]

Haha- I can't rep you again YMAT, but wanted to thank you for making my husband and I laugh!

[Sam B]

"Will be going in the skip if not sold soon" - it's like a threat, it should be a promise

[MandC]

:laugh:laugh

Thanks, I can't stop laughing

'Suitable for student flat' :exit Doesn't furniture in a rental have to pass certain fire regulations?

That makes me think - maybe not??? In the UK the laws around renting a property are very strict - gas certificates are required, furniture has to be flame retardant etc etc (it's a bit of a mine field). Is there somewhere I can read about the laws and regulations that protect the person renting accommodation?

[JandM]

A friend of mine on another forum specializes in finding pictures of AWFUL s/h clothing on eBay. Some are things obviously only fit for the bin, or tearing up for polishing cloths, but people pay money for them! Then there are awful pictures, supposed to make you want the stuff, but which fail. (Bitch alert!) My favourite was, if you believed the description, 'a sophisticated evening dress which would happily take you to the most glamorous venues'. Right. Now, the picture showed a low-cut, short-skirted creation made entirely of blue sequinned material. I can't think of a better word to describe it than 'tarty', even if worn by the sweetest, prettiest deb. It was actually being worn in the picture by presumably the present owner, a heavily made up bottle-blonde, two sizes too big for the dress (expressed in lumps and bumps, and lots of visible cellulite). She was showing it off with a smile for the camera and a fashion-model pose, in front of the door of a bathroom, open to show a lavatory with the seat up, a wash-basin with the tap running, and an overturned waste-paper basket. :D

[chrissie]

I guess it must be just me....but I find it all incredibly depressing....

[BkyMonster]

HAha- my first trip to a NZ tip (sorry, I've forgotten the NZ term for them- something like recycling) had me slightly speechless (no mean feat). I arrived with a tatty old good for nothing clothes airer and a few other similar bits- a broken plastic linen basket if I recall correctly- and no sooner had I popped the boot (trunk) then I was surrounded by people clamouring for my junk as if I've rocked up with a car load of Ikea seconds. I had to lie down for a while afterwards and it became quite a (probably unacceptable) joke between my husband and I that we could put anything out on the kerb with a 'free' sign and it would be carted away befere we'd shut the front door.

Oh yes, the second hand market is alive and kicking in NZ.

Heh, my friend lives in Holland and her father (they are Kiwis) came to visit. She was totally embarrassed when he went picking through the neighbor's trash and hauling things inside as this is quite normal here apparently.
I see stuff out on the curb all the time here (and in the US we did too, but that was more because it was a college town and people would go cruising for old couches and things :D).

I bought a bed on TM, but managed to resell the mattress for $10. Not too bad and the people were happy to have it. I'm pretty pleased by the idea that someone might want my unwanted junk and it doesn't have to be thrown away just yet.

[Wooly_Cow]

All of the above is why;

a) Any advice to the much asked question "What should we bring to New Zealand?" is ....."Everything you can fit into a container"

b) Why I'm not worried about another 20 foot container full of European beds, sofas, etc.arriving in a few weeks, despite the fact our current house is full...

Anyone want to buy a bed ????;)

[dusk]

That makes me think - maybe not??? In the UK the laws around renting a property are very strict - gas certificates are required, furniture has to be flame retardant etc etc (it's a bit of a mine field). Is there somewhere I can read about the laws and regulations that protect the person renting accommodation?
http://www.dbh.govt.nz/landlords-index
should be a good place to start :)

[YouMeAndThree]

I guess it must be just me....but I find it all incredibly depressing....


In what way depressing Chrissie? The seller or the buyer?

[newarrival]

I don't know..., maybe we just lived in the wrong places all the time?
I have in all our almost 5 years here never seen anyone picking through rubbish on the kerbside, actually I haven't even seen any kerbside rubbish at all- apart from the "normal" gabs/ bins, that is!
In Dunedin we had a big recycling centre, with a small shop, where you could drop off everything which you wanted to get rid off but not throw into the rubbish- and I have seen some amazing things there, I have to say!

The situation some of you described, where cars drive up an down the streets looking for stuff at the kerbside, that is a normal situation in Germany as well, where you have the "extra" rubbish collection for all sorts of household goods from time to time. And you would be amazed how many people get rid of furniture and all sorts of things others are more than happy to take home, because there is nothing more wrong with them than that the things are older and not as flash any more!

Here in Blenheim there is something called "Blue Door", similar to the Dunedin shop they sell everything people want to get rid of, and I was quite happy to find heaps of empty glass jars there when I needed some for making jam! They regularly ask for donations, because there are a lot of people out there who apparently cannot afford to go and buy stuff new.

[JandM]

I heard that in Australia, a woman took her granddaughter out in the pushchair when the inorganic stuff was out, and she was on her way back home with a few useful things she'd spotted, including a really new-looking microwave, tucked in the tray underneath, when a police car stopped alongside her, and the officer told her she'd have to give them their radar speed gun back.:exit

[KelvinAng]

'Suitable for student flat'

While looking for flats I had come across some really err... interesting... student flats. I thought I was in the wrong place and that the building was a movie set for a war film. Those couches on auction are considered "decent" by student flat standards in my opinion!

[chrissie]

In what way depressing Chrissie? The seller or the buyer?

Just that I find it sad to think that people can be so hard up that they need to sell even the cr*ppiest stuff to make a few pennies....just makes me feel that we are living with so much poverty amongst us...perhaps me just being too sensitive...

[BkyMonster]

I don't think it's so much that people are selling the stuff because they are hard up, but more that people mind secondhand (and tatty) old things less.
The people who bought my kind of yucky mattress seemed well enough off and they were happy to have the mattress. I have no idea what they did with it. I just wanted rid of it and TradeMe is a decent enough place to unload things. For the TradeMe selling fee I made a few bucks and had someone haul away something I didn't want versus paying a disposal fee.
We bought a lot of older/ugly things off trademe because we simply don't mind if some of the handles are missing on our drawers, or the desk was scratched etc.

[tea drinker]

JandM :D :D :D

[JandM]

I think it's good that everyone has an easy way of selling to get themselves extra cash, and those with not much money have somewhere they can find reasonably cheaply whatever they need. It's a good sign if they're being realistic, not e.g. buying at top rates on credit.

[JandM]

JandM :D :D :D
Glad you liked it :nice1 - the memory kept me chuckling for days!

[bobo]

All of the above is why;

a) Any advice to the much asked question "What should we bring to New Zealand?" is ....."Everything you can fit into a container"


Spot on advice:nice1

The one thing I would never buy 2nd hand is a bed

[Duncan74]

Spot on advice:nice1

The one thing I would never buy 2nd hand is a bed

I'll give you the heads up in a couple of weeks, few pairs of pants that are reashing the end of their life so will be going on flea-bay ;)

[YouMeAndThree]

I'll give you the heads up in a couple of weeks, few pairs of pants that are reashing the end of their life so will be going on flea-bay ;)


Hmmm, UK pants (ewww, and you can't sell those 2nd hand anyway ;) ) or NZ pants? :laugh

[JandM]

Hmmm, UK pants (ewww, and you can't sell those 2nd hand anyway ;) ) or NZ pants? :laughI saw a thing on TV just recently about people sorting out what gets handed in to be sold in a charity shop. They unpack the bags wearing rubber gloves and masks because of the filthy state of a lot of it, and it DID include, yes, you've guessed it... :uhoh

[925dancer]

I have to say, I am completely obsesses with trademe. I have little no spare cash after rent and bills so buying anything is a challenge, let alone furniture and trademe is a god send.

Anyway, I would much prefer a solidly built, stylish 40's dresser, chest of drawers, set of shelves to any overpriced plywood and mdf creation you can buy in the so called affordable furniture stores.

I am also fond of a charity shop, Savemart here is particularly good if you don't mind spending a bit of time rummaging but the satisfaction of getting something that is often pretty much new for not very much money is very satisfying.

[dilanium]

I too am addicted to trademe. It's rather funny because right now I'm actually bidding on a bed on trade me. I need one for our guest bedroom. :)

[Ngeru]

It is unbelievable the things that get bought and sold on Trademe, it's like nobody will ever let go of anything for free, you know like give it away to someone who is desperate.

NZ is not very charitable in that respect, especially if there's chance of a dollar in it. We gave away a sofa in the UK to a charity that helped refugees furnish a home and even they would not have taken anything in the condition we see some articles get sold here.

The bathroom clearout sales get me, who wants to buy half a bottle of shampoo, half a bottle of Listerine or a used lipstick. Ewww, fetch me a bucket!

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Health-beauty/Other/auction-231698643.htm

[dilanium]

LOL. I would not buy the used bathroom products. I find once you get to know people they're more than willing to help you out.

I also know that the local Salvation army is pretty well stocked. I think people try to sell things first though and then donate (which is what I did when moving here from the states coincidentally).

[925dancer]

It is unbelievable the things that get bought and sold on Trademe, it's like nobody will ever let go of anything for free, you know like give it away to someone who is desperate.

NZ is not very charitable in that respect, especially if there's chance of a dollar in it. We gave away a sofa in the UK to a charity that helped refugees furnish a home and even they would not have taken anything in the condition we see some articles get sold here.

The bathroom clearout sales get me, who wants to buy half a bottle of shampoo, half a bottle of Listerine or a used lipstick. Ewww, fetch me a bucket!

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Health-beauty/Other/auction-231698643.htm

Haha, I never go into that section, I agree who would want to buy it but somebody does, in fact two people do as they've bid on it!

[dilanium]

Well it's official, I just won a bed on trademe. :)

[willsken]

Just that I find it sad to think that people can be so hard up that they need to sell even the cr*ppiest stuff to make a few pennies....just makes me feel that we are living with so much poverty amongst us...perhaps me just being too sensitive...

Try looking at it another way. These people probably have loads of money... the reason why? Because they don't waste what they have on new things. Think about all the youngsters in the UK that bought all their stuff on HP and by the time they made the monthly payments for all their flash stuff, they could hardly afford to eat. :)

[Sam B]

I just see it as cheery Kiwi optimism. I would never believe that something so completely knackered would sell, but they clearly do, and even give suggestions for where it may fit 'great for the bach'.

[YouMeAndThree]

Well it's official, I just won a bed on trademe.:clap :D:bluebanana:raebanana

[chocolate cake]

Try looking at it another way. These people probably have loads of money... the reason why? Because they don't waste what they have on new things. Think about all the youngsters in the UK that bought all their stuff on HP and by the time they made the monthly payments for all their flash stuff, they could hardly afford to eat. :)


I'm sure you'll find that %wise the amount owed on HP is prob little different NZ to UK.

[JandM]

Congratulations on the bed - looking forward to the report once you've 'met' it in person!

[dilanium]

yea- we'll see about that. It's just a little single for my guest room though, so it doesn't have to be flash.

[Duncan74]

yea- we'll see about that. It's just a little single for my guest room though, so it doesn't have to be flash.

Just to include the mimimum flesh.

[JandM]

:laugh

[dilanium]

It's a nice little bed. Just what I needed. And it just fits where I needed to. I'm pretty happy with that.

[cathgates]

I'm sorry but this really does take the P...
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Kitchen/Storage-containers/Glass/auction-234652660.htm

Cath XX

[Duncan74]

PMSL. What a pity I can't register from the UK. However, I'm stopping recycling them as of tonight and will be adding the backlog to the container next easter when we head over ;-)

[dilanium]

hahaa.

[Parsley]

I'm sorry but this really does take the P...
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Kitchen/Storage-containers/Glass/auction-234652660.htm

Cath XX

:eek: OMG. Wierdos. Or very eco-conscious capitalists :D

[Duncan74]

I hope he/she does force you to listen to their music when you go to pick up the jars!

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Music-instruments/Vinyl/LPs-33-RPM/Other/auction-235196606.htm

[Duncan74]

Oh this is too funny.

Same seller

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Office-equipment-supplies/Stationery-supplies/Pencils-sharpeners/auction-235196617.htm - 30 pencils, some used, some new. Only $20. Bargain.

[dusk]

hehe I did exactly the same thing and went to look at their other listings - the pencils auction is a blast :D

[Ngeru]

I'm sorry but this really does take the P...
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Kitchen/Storage-containers/Glass/auction-234652660.htm

Cath XX

Thirty buxs? FFS!! I'll empty out my recycling bin for much less. :wah

[Gran]

I had to laugh at all your stories, when we had a collection around here, I saw a nearly new office chair with a broken wheel, I was walking at the time, rushed home to hubby and we drove down, picked it up in a hurry, took it home, but it was not good with a wheel missing, so we went to Warehouse Stationery and asked if they had a wheel for sale, they must have thought "poor old couple" and gave us a wheel free, at the same time showing us how to use it. I am now sitting on my free chair, very nice!!!
Gran