Curb alert! Two words that mean so much without having to say anything else. If you’ve ever found yourself driving down the road and noticed something amazing on the curb, you know exactly what that rush of finding a “treasure” feels like. Curb alerts aren’t always beautiful items. Sometimes they’re “trash” that just needs a little bit extra love (see my before and after transformations here)
If you’re intrigued and hoping to find more about curb alerts in your area, you’re not alone. This page will help you understand how to find those special treasures.
What is a curb alert?
It’s basically pretty much like it sounds. People discard their unwanted items on their curb and then post online for anyone and everyone to come get it. There’s no charge or cost, but most times there’s no help in loading it up or hauling it off, either.
Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are two really common places for people to list and post about a free curb alert. It usually turns into a first-come/first-serve scenario as well. No holds.
Have you ever wondered if there was a “curb alert near me”?
More than likely, there is. You just have to get online and search for it. Look for “free” items on Craigslist or even go to the garage sale section and see if people have posted things there.
Another way to find +out about a curbside alert is to really just “luck” upon it. If you’re out and about walking your dog or running, keep your eyes peeled for things that are sitting on the curb. People will often just put them out with a “free” sign on them to get them out of their homes and possession.
You can even Google up “curb alerts in my area” and see what you come up with. If you live in a decent-sized town or city, there are probably curb alerts in your area all the time.
Are there certain days that curb alerts are more popular than others?
While it’s really hard to say, I think that a safe bet would be for the trash day and the day before trash day. This is because people will then assume that if no one picks up their curbside alert before the trash man rolls through, it’ll be scooped up that way and gone forever. For them, it’s a win either way.
Is there a curbside alert app or apps available to use?
It seems like nowadays there is an app for everything. If you’re looking for an app that will notify about curb alerts in your area, there actually are a few that you should consider using.
Nextdoor
This app is all about staying in your local area so you can easily be notified of anything going on in your vicinity. Nextdoor is an easy way to use an app to find free furniture or other items that are just going to be given away or set out at the curb.
OfferUp
While this isn’t always about items being “out on the curb”, OfferUp lets you filter by free items and arrange to go and pick them up. To me, that’s a huge win and an easy way to find some great items that literally cost nothing.
What can you do with items found out on the curb?
There are so many things that you can do with your curbside alert treasures. As you can tell on my curb alert blog, I offer up a ton of great ways that you can re-purpose and reuse items.
But if you’re looking for a more lucrative cash-flow idea than that, you can easily flip items and turn around and sell them for a profit.
Any amount of money that you get for selling a curbside item is going to be more than what you paid for it, right?
Big-ticket items like dressers and desks can easily be cleaned up and painted to turn into a profit. Or, if you’re looking for a seriously simple way to update your home without breaking the bank, you can update furniture as well and give your home a new look easily.
Interested in learning more? Make certain to read all about how great curb alerts can be with this book from Amazon.
From Curb Alert to Cash: Flipping Free
FROM CURB ALERT to CASH:
Flipping Free Stuff for Profit
This book goes into detail about how the author flips “junk” to turn it into a profit. If you’re needing motivation and ideas, you’ll want to read this!
The next time that you’re wondering how everyone else is finding all these great free items, do your research and find local curb alerts in your town.
Once you get an address and location, hop in your car as quickly as possible and safely drive there. Curb alerts don’t last long and don’t wait on your schedule. When it comes to getting the “goods”, the early worm really does get the prize first in this case.
Have you ever scored a great curb alert find before?!