Safe sharing

Olio is a community based on trust. Following these guidelines to ensure you're sharing safely.

Choose who you share with

Most listings on Olio receive multiple requests! However it’s up to you to decide who you want to share with – we recommend checking out another user’s profile (by tapping on their photo), as well as taking into consideration how they messaged you, and the pickup times they can make. Anyone you don’t want to, or aren’t able to share with, please make sure to let them know politely that you’re giving the item(s) to someone else, so you don’t leave them waiting.

Check out the item

People share some awesome stuff on Olio but make sure to look at the photo and description. Remember that everything on Olio should be free. Be wary of stock photos of food or non-food items - if something seems too good to be true, it might well be, so please exercise extra caution!

Check their rating and find out more about them

You can check out a user's rating on their profile – this is displayed once three or more other users give them a rating after sharing an item. Also, check out the ‘About’ section in their user profile to understand more about them, including their likes and dislikes.

As part of the sign-up process, you will be asked to verify your phone number as a safety measure.

Assess the communication

Were they friendly and polite in their messaging? Remember that one of our guidelines is “Courtesy rules"

Meet in a safe place

Most of our exchanges happen on the doorstep of the person listing the item(s). However, you can always set the pickup location as a public place if you prefer! If you’re picking up from another Olioer, you might want to check out the address and ensure that you’re  comfortable with the area and time of day/night.

You can even leave the item(s) in a safe space outside your house for someone to pick up. This does not apply to Food Waste Hero volunteers.