I agree. But I would suggest there are more and more con artists simply because the Internet keeps growing and growing. That means more con artists and more inexperienced users to con.
And of course, there's always the recent, highly overused, catch-all, universal excuse we keep hearing these days to explain everything bad; COVID-19.
I'm old time Bay user of 18 years. I've watched how the world connected over the years, and with that people's attitudes changed.
Once a safe place to do buisiness and chat with people about anything, now turned into another faceless machine.
Then we have all the economic woes, people out of work, professional con artists that no longer have to kick your door in or climb through your window to steal your possesions etc etc..
I agree Covid-19 has been over used, it slowed the globe down to a point, not the Corps but the consumer. I guess many of us are missing those 12+ months that seemed to vanish as we sat indoor wondering when the hell it would all end.
That's a big blanket statement that I am pretty sure, like all blanket statements, is not accurate.
I wish that was the case. Covid rules have kept people from gathering, no concerts, stores closed, restaurants and bars closed. The list is endless.
The UK is a big place. I lived in East Anglia for quite a few years.
I've been in and around various East Anglian towns. Cambridge for one, nice place. Pub ceiling were too low for this giant though
I am NOT talking about swap meets, boot sales, computer/consumer electronics shows and fairs, etc. I am talking about where the individual seller and individual buyer have already arranged the sale and have agreed to meet some place to complete the transaction. This place is used so neither party has to reveal their home address. Often church or store parking lots, fire or police stations are used - some public, well lit, exposed place where a buyer won't bop the seller with a bat and steal the goods, or where the seller won't bop the buyer and steal his or her cash.
No system like that here. Covid strikes again.
The safe places I am talking about are established by local towns and communities. While there may not be anything like that in your community, pretty sure you cannot speak for every city, town and village in the UK.
No such luck again. We've had lock down and people from different households and counties were not allowed to meet.
This is were nextdoor.com comes in. You join the group for your local area. So only people who live in your neighborhood and surrounding area are in that group. I am not saying nextdoor.com operates in the UK. But hopefully there is something similar.
The only place you can either ask for or give away is Freecycle. No exchange of monies allowed.
I looked at Nextdoor.com on Trustpilot, it doesn't look good. Many complained about privacy and security issues.
If you have no luck finding a buyer, I would urge you to search out an electronics recycling center [hopefully] near you. These facilities properly recycle and dispose of these materials in an environmentally safe manner - keeping the abundant hazardous waste found in electronics out of landfills and our water supplies.
The recycling center in my area actually pays us for the aluminum, steel, and recoverable precious materials found in electronics. Of course it is pennies on the dollar (or pound in your case) but better than nothing. I cleaned out a basement storeroom and was paid $80. Now I have a nice guest bedroom.
The hard part was simply parting with all that stuff I was saving because I knew I might need it someday. So far, no regrets.
Recycling took a hit as prices dropped. And with other countries refusing to take our junk it went to designated centres that are closed from the public.
At one time the Bay would be full of recycle centres selling off what companies had disposed of, not so much any longer. Nearly all of them have gone.
They'll take scrap metal here but only cars and metal household goods.
The Council are all for taking batteries large and small off our hands-----for free of course.
It's the same with cell phones and any device containing precious minerals. They don't miss a trick where money is concerned and won't give you a penny for it.
Perhaps
@qubit has a different experience although we are probably at different ends of the country.
