Share on the BuyNothing app a picture of what your front door giving space looks like, and ask others to share photos of theirs, too. It’s a fun game, and helps to inspire people to create special “BN bins” so pickup is easy. Some of us have porches with baskets on them that hold our BuyNothing gifts, others have apartment buildings with a doorman who might hold a gift or two to give to your neighbors or perhaps you have to meet up at a public place to give items away. Talk about it, photograph it, share what your giving transaction space looks like, and encourage others to share theirs. It’s fun to make the sharing culture feel ‘normal’ all across your neighborhood so we can see the diversity of giving spaces we have around us. One porch pickup location may have steps up to it (so those who need assistance getting around may want to know), and another may be in a basement apartment. All are ok, just be sure to tell people about them so they know what to expect.

It’s important to share information about how to make one’s pickup area super accessible and safe for all neighbors. First, let the recipients of your gifts know if you have steps up or down to your front door. If your walkway can get slippery, be sure to inform everyone.

Be sure to let your nearby neighbors know that your home is a BuyNothing home, so immediate neighbors should expect to see ‘strangers’ come to your door and take things away (that’s normal BuyNothing behavior). This letter to neighbors by Buy Nothing participant, Laurel Lea is a powerful example of why we want to do this. Marking boxes and bags with people’s names on them can help to avoid confusion, too. And, be sure to check out our Buy Nothing printable gift tags to help you with that! We also have flyers you're welcome to download and print out to post in nearby cafes, grocery stores, and libraries (any community bulletin board will do) so neighbors can download the app from our QR code and start sharing with you, too.