What are Buy Nothing Groups? The future of gift economies and trading

It came to my attention this week (while writing this) that there are still people wandering around this earth with no idea what a Buy Nothing Group is! So, let’s fix that. Let’s talk all things Buy Nothing Groups/No Buy Groups (NBGs from here on out) from what they are to how they are saving the planet and everyone's money. Let’s go!

The perfect place to get rid of cardboard boxes!

What is a No Buy Group?

Well, it’s in the name! The aim of these groups is to buy nothing but also to send nothing to the landfills. It started with the Buy Nothing Project and their goal has always been to foster a gift economy, a system designed to help neighbors and the planet. From their website, they say “Buy Nothing communities are already a global reuse economy with immense social and environmental impact. Our future development will also empower each of us to keep even more items in use, while we build strong communities and sustainable livelihoods for the makers, fixers, and others who transform old into new, over and over again.”

They are the KEY to living a zero-waste life. Have something that you probably can’t sell but don’t want it to go to the landfill? NBG. Need something weird but don’t know where to find it? NBG. When we were moving from Las Vegas into the RV and on to Washington, we had some odds and ends we wanted to keep out of the landfill but figured no one would buy them. I was right, but I did still manage to get rid of them sustainably through my local NBG. Things like our RV fold-out couch with no base, wobbly cabinets, half-bags of flour, and more. Check out the videos here and here.

They really emphasize that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. For example, my mom likes to eco-brick at her school to reduce thin plastics from going to the landfill, but she doesn’t drink a lot of stuff in plastic bottles, so she gets her juice bottles to eco-brick with on her NBG!

How do I find one?

Chances are, you probably already have one in your area, they’ve been around for a few years and have really started to gain popularity as more awareness of the climate crisis increases and inflation drives prices up. It’s most likely going to be a Facebook group. So, try searching “Buy Nothing” or “No Buy” plus your city. When I moved to Vegas, I searched “Buy Nothing Las Vegas” and sure enough I found one!

Alternatively, you can head to their website/download their app, and find your local community that way.

What if I don’t have one?

Maybe you live in a rural area or just in an area where one hasn’t been started yet, you can start one yourself! They have a full guide on their website, but basically, you will need to download their app, create a profile, optionally take their free course on setting up a successful NBG, get your community builder badge, and boom your community will be set up! Now you just have to spread the word to your neighbors and get to trading.

How do they work?

Every NBG is going to be a little different, but for the most part, you make listings either in the app or in the FB group. Standardly, you start your post with GIVE or NEED. That way it’s clear what you’re asking for. So, if my mom was looking for plastic bottles again, she might list “NEED: plastic #1 juice bottles.” If I was trying to get rid of my RV couch again, I might list “GIVE: RV pull-out couch on rails, no base.”

Other etiquettes might include listing your zip code or cross streets (i.e. Main and 2nd) that way people can gauge how far away you are from them and if it’s worth their time.

They are almost always first come, first served (abbreviated FCFS) but you can determine if you’re willing to hold items for people or not.

Another commonality is porch pick-up, sometimes abbreviated PPU but PPU also means pending pick-up so it may be best to spell those two out. This means you place it on your porch and message the person your address and they can pick it up at their convenience without worrying if you’re home or busy. If you prefer not to give out your address, you can pick a common location such as a local cafe, gas station, or bus stop for example.

You can even offer and trade services! For example, if you need your house cleaned or maybe you bake bread you can trade items as well.

What else does the Buy Nothing Project offer?

You can really dive deep and get involved in the BN community. They have other resources for updating your group, flyers, ways to help you promote your group, a library of resources, and guides. If you have any further questions, I’m sure they have your bases covered!

The importance of NBGs and shopping secondhand

I have a full post on the importance of shopping secondhand you can check it out here. But, in short, building circular economies is so much better for the planet than a linear one. A linear economy is designed to create stuff from new, use it, and throw it away. Meanwhile, a circular economy is designed to make stuff from new, use it, repair it, find ways to mend it and upcycle it, donate it or sell it, reuse it in new ways, recycle it, and so on and so forth keeping it out of the landfill forever or as long as possible. Our landfills only have so much space left in them so it’s of utmost importance to keep stuff out of the landfill as much as possible. Not to mention, reducing the number of brand-new resources that need to be extracted and refined and turned into new stuff is so much better for the planet.

NBGs do this while also doing it for free, fostering a gifting economy, and saving everyone money and the planet at the same time. It emphasizes a need for collective action and change and building community which is at an all-time high need. We can’t just sit around and wait for our governments and wasteful companies to take action and fix our systems, let’s do it ourselves through trading and gifting.

Let’s get to trading!

Now that you have all of this information, go find your group or start one yourself, and let’s get to trading and gifting to one another. Let’s build community, make friends, and take care of one another while also taking care of the earth.

NBGs are the hidden gem of the internet and a way we can all boycott capitalism and consumerism. Join one and let’s keep them alive and well in this type of overconsumption and inflation.

Thanks for reading along, I hope this leaves you inspired and maybe you learned something new today! I hope you enjoy your NBG and find some treasures. As always, remember that your small actions make a big difference in the long run :)

Emma