What can / can’t be listed on Olio

What you can list on Olio:

🥦 Free food & drink

No matter if it's loose, raw, cooked, opened, unopened, or past its best-before date (but never past its use-by date). For more guidance on safe sharing of food click here but, generally speaking, if it’s food you would eat, then it’s okay to share on Olio. 

• Alcohol - It’s your responsibility to check requesters' ID
• Baby formula
• Supplements & vitamins

NOTE: while alcohol, baby formulas, and supplements/vitamins are perfectly fine to be shared as personal items on Olio, we do not have permission to collect and share these items from businesses with the Food Waste Hero Programme.

🛼 Free Non Food

You can give, lend or sell your stuff but, please, put it in the correct section (don’t sell stuff in the free part 🤬). There are guidelines but, generally speaking, if you think someone can put it to good use then it’s okay to list on Olio.

• Kitchen knives (not designed as weapons) - It’s your responsibility to ID check requesters
• Used cosmetics - Within date, go for it
• Pet food - Lucky pup
• Tobacco - It’s your responsibility to ID check requesters - never for sale!
• Non-drug medical items, new/sealed (face masks, lancets, pregnancy tests, first aid kits)

What you cannot list on Olio

All sections

💊 All medicines including “over-the-counter”, prescription or pharmacy-approved medication, expired non-drug medical items

💰 Stolen items 

🧺 Items that other people left on the street (Unless you take them home and coordinate their collection)

📫 Anything requiring postage

📅 Food that is past its use-by date

👓 Prescription glasses or contact lenses

🔮 Services (tutor, dog walker, hairdresser, etc.)

🪙 Money

©️ Fake or counterfeit goods

📢 Recalled products

💸 Coupons, vouchers, discount codes

🎟️ Tickets and experiences 

🚓 Illegal drugs (see here)

☢️ Weapons & controlled items (including, but not limited to knives, solvents, weapons or fireworks)

💽 Digital content (PDF files, music, games, videos, etc.)

📅 Subscriptions

💄 Homemade cosmetics

🧪️ Homemade detergents and chemicals

🦌 Animals, pets or animal parts (leather is OK) 

🔞 Violent or graphic content, sexually explicit content (nude and graphic pictures are not allowed but it's fine to share condoms, sex toys, art, etc.)

🚫 Banned literature/ artefacts (ivory items, nazi memorabilia, etc.)

Buy section: 

There are some things you can give for free but can’t sell. This often relates to local licensing requirements, including:

🏬 You cannot sell as a business - only individuals can sell on Olio

♻️ Items must be second hand - it can still be new, but no job lots

👨🔧Homemade products

🍾 Alcohol

🥦 Food, drink or anything edible

🐶 Pet food

🚬 Tobacco/ Vape/Vape liquid/ Nicotine products

💱 Items labeled “not for resale”

🔢 Items listed for “£123” or speculative pricing

Wanted

🤔 Non-specific requests (e.g. “I need clothes” or “Help needed”)

🥦 Food

Borrow

🎥 Only lend low value, non-sentimental items

Forum

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