City

Free Stuff in Edinburgh

Free stuff in Edinburgh, all year round.

Givore is an app for giving things away. Nothing on it has a price. People search Freecycle Edinburgh, Freegle and the Gumtree free listings for the same reason, and all of those work perfectly well. Edinburgh has its own timing, though, and it is worth knowing.

The Edinburgh year, month by month

September

Students arrive and shared flats fill up again. This is the month to ask for a desk, a lamp or a set of pans, when other people are sorting out what they do not need.

Winter

A quieter month, and the things people have spare are smaller. Books, kitchen gear, warm bedding and the odd bike. Easier to carry home in the dark.

May and June

Leases end. Whole flats empty at once, so this is when bigger furniture is most likely to be going spare. If you want a wardrobe or a sofa, this is the time to ask.

August

The Fringe takes over. If you have a folding chair, an airbed or a spare fan gathering dust, August is a good month to offer it to somebody.

Three ways to post.

Give Away

Photograph the thing, add a line about its size and condition, and let people ask for it. About half a minute of work.

Looking For

Say what you need instead of waiting for it to turn up. Handy in the week before term, when everybody wants the same desk.

Found It

If you see something usable left out on a pavement, pin it, and whoever is nearest can go and get it.

Where to look.

Marchmont

Student flats, and lots of them. The calendar above applies here more strongly than anywhere else in the city.

Newington

Flats above shops on busy roads, so most collections are quick ones on foot.

Leith

Old flats next to new blocks. People move in and out at every time of year, not only in summer.

Stockbridge

More families and longer stays. Good for children's things and for furniture that has been looked after.

Gorgie and Dalry

Shared flats with tight rooms. Small storage, folding tables and anything that stacks are the things worth posting here.

Get Givore.

Set your location to Edinburgh and see what neighbours are giving away near you.

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Givore cat mascot with a free desk for an Edinburgh student flat Givore cat mascot handing free stuff to an Edinburgh neighbour

Other places, other guides.

Asked and answered

Freecycle Edinburgh and Freegle both run on group posts, and people have used them happily for years. Givore is an app instead, so items sit on a map and you can hold one rather than racing for it.
Late spring and early autumn, when leases end and start. That is when whole flats get emptied and refilled, so desks, drawers and drying racks are the things most likely to be going spare.
Yes. Post a Looking For with what you need. Neighbours who have one spare can offer it, which beats refreshing a list every evening.
Yes. There is no price on anything, because there is nowhere to put one. Nobody can ask you for money, a delivery fee or a deposit.
Post it again with a clearer photo taken in daylight, and put the size in the title. An item that sits unclaimed is usually hard to picture rather than unwanted.