Geev

Alternative to throwing away furniture, clothes and toys, or buying them new

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Description

Geev is an app and website for giving things away between neighbours: furniture, clothes, toys, appliances and food that would otherwise be thrown away. Givers post an ad with a photo, and the pick-up is arranged in the app; nothing is sent by post. By its own count, it has more than 6 million users and 800,000 new items a month.

Hakim Baka and Florian Blanc founded the company in Bordeaux in 2016 and launched the app in 2017. It is a start-up backed by investment funds and, since 2023, by small investors through crowdfunding. It lives on advertising, subscriptions and services for businesses (Geev Pro), and made a loss of €644,000 in 2023.

Contacting a giver about a recent ad costs a “banana”: ten are free at sign-up, each completed gift earns two more, and ads older than 48 hours cost nothing. Without a subscription, users can take five non-food items a month; food is unlimited. The Geev Plus subscription (€9.99 a month) removes the ads, gives early access to some ads and lifts the monthly limit. The free version shows ads and, with consent, uses precise location for targeted advertising.

Strengths

  • Free on both sides, with no commission or postage.
  • Ten free contacts to start, two more for each gift, and older ads free to contact.
  • Food that private people can’t eat in time, with no monthly limit.

Weaknesses

  • Subscribers see some ads first, and non-subscribers can take only five non-food items a month.
  • The free version shows ads and, with consent, uses your precise location for advertising.
  • You collect the object yourself, which can mean a car for furniture.

Who it is for

People furnishing a first flat or dressing fast-growing children, who can move quickly when something is given near them.

Sources

  • Donnons.org

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  • Olio

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  • foodsharing.de

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  • Oxfam shops

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  • Ressourceries network

    Ressourceries and recycleries are local second-hand shops, most often run by associations, that collect objects people no longer want, check, clean and repair them, then sell them at low prices or…