Got lots of things to give away? You can now list them all in one batch. Take a photo of each item and Olio writes the listings for you. Review them, change anything you need to, and post them all in one go.
📝 What do I need to fill in, and what does Olio do for me?
What | Who does it |
Photos | You take them, one item (or one set of identical items) per listing |
Title | Olio drafts it from your photos |
Description | Olio writes it from your photos. Please read it through and add anything a requester needs to know that the photos don't show, such as a size, a missing part or a small mark. Any information you want to apply to the whole batch goes in the pick-up instructions field. |
Quantity | You set it, for each listing |
Pick-up times | You type it once, and it applies to every listing in the batch. We fill it in from your last non-food listing, so you may only need to check it |
Pick-up instructions | You type it once, and it applies to every listing in the batch. We fill these in from your last non-food listing, so you may only need to check them |
"List for" | You set the number of days you want your listings to show on the app once for the batch, and you can change it on an individual listing if you need to |
📱 Step by step
Before you start
Make sure you're on the most updated app version
The usual rules on what can and can't be shared on Olio apply to every item in your batch
Gather everything you want to give away in one place, so you can photograph it item by item. Each separate thing gets its own listing, so give yourself room to photograph them one at a time. If you have a set of identical items, like three of the same mug, those can share one listing with a quantity
Steps
Open the + menu, tap "Free", then "Non-food"
Choose "Several"
Add the details that apply to every listing: Pick-up times, your Pick-up instructions, the location, and how long to list everything for ("List for")
Photograph your first item, adding up to 10 photos if you need different angles or to show any details
Set the quantity there, on the camera screen, before you move on. It saves you editing later. Use + and − for small numbers, or tap the number itself to type in a bigger one
Tap "Next listing" to move on to the next one. You can add up to 50 listings in one batch
Tap "Finish" and review your listings together. Olio writes a title and description for each one from your photos. Nothing is live yet, so this is your chance to go back and change anything: edit titles, descriptions and quantities, add more photos, change an individual "List for" duration, or remove any listing you don't want
Tap "Post [number] listings" to make everything live at once 🎉
❗Your batch saves automatically as you go, so you can step away and pick up right where you left off.
📸 Taking photos that work
Olio writes each listing from your photos, so a clear photo gives you a better draft and less editing at the end.
The camera focuses automatically, so there's no tap to focus. If a label or detail looks blurry, hold your phone a little further back and let it settle before you take the shot
Take a photo of the whole item first, then close-ups of anything a requester would want to see, like a brand or size label, or any wear and tear
Add up to 10 photos per listing, and Olio will read all of them
🔄 Do I have to add my items this way?
It's completely optional. Adding several items at once sits alongside the way you list today, it doesn't replace it. Choosing "Just one" and adding your listings one at a time works exactly as it always has, and you're free to use whichever suits what you're giving away 😊
✅ Who can use it, and for what listings?
Adding several items at once is for free non-food listings. It can't be used for food (other than Food Waste Hero food), or for items you're selling, lending or asking for. For food, list each item on its own in the usual way (or, if you're a Food Waste Hero, use Add Collection for your collections).
🔢 How many listings, photos and items can I add?
Up to 50 listings per batch, with up to 10 photos per listing, and a quantity of up to 100 items on a single listing.
✍️ Will Olio write the descriptions for me?
Yes. Olio drafts a title and a description for each listing from your photos, and you can review and edit all of it before anything goes live.
Olio can only describe what it can see, so read each description through and add anything else a requester needs to know. For example, tap the listing on the review screen and add something like "Lid is missing" or "Fits ages 3 to 4". For anything that applies to your whole batch, like when and where to collect, please use the Pick-up instructions field instead.
🔍 What if Olio gets a listing wrong?
Nothing goes live until you tap Post, and the review screen is there for exactly this. Olio drafts each listing for you, but you're the one who checks it, so please read through your drafts before you post, the same way you'd check a listing you'd written yourself. You are responsible for making sure your listings are correct.
Pay particular attention to anything that matters to a requester, like size, condition and whether anything's missing. If a draft has it wrong, tap the listing on the review screen and correct it before posting.
If something does slip through after you've posted, you can edit the listing in the usual way from My Listings in the main menu.
📆 How does "List for" work across a batch?
You set "List for" once, on the pick-up details screen, and it applies to every listing in that batch. However, if one listing needs a different time, tap it on the review screen and change "List for" there.
💾 Can I edit or save a batch?
Yes to both. Everything is editable on the review screen at the end, so if you miss a quantity or spot a typo while you're photographing, keep going and fix it there. You can change the title, description, quantity or "List for" duration, add more photos, or remove any listing you don't want.
If you need to edit your pickup details, you can navigate back to the pickup details screen at any point and make the changes you require, which will apply to all articles in the batch.
Your batch saves automatically as you go, so you can step away and pick up right where you left off, or discard it and start fresh. After posting, you can still edit your listings in the usual way from My Listings in the main menu.
📦 Can I have more than one batch on the go?
You can have one non-food batch saved at a time. If you choose "Several" again while a batch is saved, you can pick up where you left off or discard it and start fresh. If you're a Food Waste Hero, a saved Add Collection batch is kept separately and isn't affected by this.
🔁 What if a photo or description doesn't load?
No problem, you'll see a prompt to retry on that listing. Everything needs to be ready before you can post, so nothing ever goes live half finished.
If one listing still won't load after a retry, delete it on the review screen and post the others, then add that one on its own in the usual way.
📤 What happens if some listings don't post?
When you tap Post, Olio shares all your ready listings at once. If any don't go through, you'll see how many failed, with a Retry option to try the failed ones again, so there's no need to redo the whole batch.