Making donating a regular hobby

This post talks about why and how I’ve made donating a regular hobby—a fulfilling way to declutter material possessions while ensuring items find their way to people who need them most.

My first memory of donating goes back to 2004, when the people of Aceh were severely hit by the Tsunami. At that time, our family gathered clothes, packed them into a box, and sent them to a donation center. I was just 10 years old and didn't fully understand the purpose of donating so many clothes to the victims. All I knew was that, as fellow citizens, we should come together to help those in need. Giving our good-conditioned but unused clothes felt like the least we could do to support those affected by the terrifying natural disaster.

Fast forward to today, I’ve come to realize that helping people by giving them what they need is what truly makes us human.

I started donating regularly at the beginning of my career. It all began when I moved from the place where I used to live during my university days to a new place after starting my full-time job.

The whys

Over 4.5 years at university, I accumulated a lot of stuff—books, furniture, tables, drawings, clothes, accessories, and more. Since I didn’t want to spend extra money to move everything while transitioning to a new place, I decided to leave some of the items that were still "usable" where they were, especially bulky furniture that took up too much space and could be easily replaced. I gave those items to the landlord, hoping they’d be useful for the next person who would rent the place.

To be honest, it wasn’t hard to do. Letting go was relatively easy because these were just things—stuff I could always buy again. Plus, I didn’t have any strong "emotional" attachment, unlike what some people experience when struggling to let go of their belongings.

During that time, I was also listening to a lot of episodes from The Minimalists, especially on the topic of "letting go". One line, in particular, resonated with me:

Not everything that adds value today will add value tomorrow.

On the practical side, The Minimalists taught me a simple method to evaluate unused material possessions:

• Try to sell it within a set amount of time at a fair, reasonable price
• If it doesn't sell, donate it

It’s that simple. Of course, the assumption is that the item is still in usable condition—and I’ve followed this rule ever since.

I apply this approach to all my material possessions: electronics, clothes, shoes, books—practically anything that fits the "sell-if-possible, donate-if-not" principle.

I've come to fully understand the reasons behind these actions:

• To reduce material possessions I no longer need
• To ensure these items become more useful to someone else

The first reason is the most obvious: as we keep adding new things to our lives, older items naturally get less use. The signs are everywhere—my old clothes sit like benchwarmers in the wardrobe, my shoes wait patiently in the corner, and my books have started to gather dust.

Those examples were a wake-up call for me.

"Hey dude, you've got a lot of stuff. Do you still need it? If not, I bet someone out there would thankful if you pass it along."

Words I imagine my kind-hearted, imaginary angel whispering to me.

And they were indeed true. I saw this reflected in the feedback I received—about 50% of the reviews came from people who bought my unused items at slightly lower prices than the market value (since I wasn’t trying to make a profit). The deeper goal behind this was to extend the life of these items, especially books, which hold valuable knowledge. It’s incredibly fulfilling to know that items that once sat unused in my home are now in the hands of people who (hopefully) use them every day.

Preloved

It’s been more than six months since my last post. Since then, I have had a lot to write about but minimal discipline to actually do the writing. This time, though, I really want to share a life update, particularly about my latest hobby that I find very satisfying: selling

Wildan's BlogWildan S. Nahar

A culture of donating

According to the World Giving Index (WGI) 2024, Indonesia is ranked as the most generous country in the world. While there are certainly nuances and criteria that could be debated to justify this statement, it's arguably a known fact among citizens of the world that Indonesians have a strong culture of donating or giving. The report's foreword highlights this:

... The report showed that people have not only maintained the time they spend volunteering, but also that increasing numbers are
donating money and providing help to strangers.

This suggests that, by nature, we are kind and caring toward one another—even when we don’t personally know the people we help. In the Indonesian context, I believe the next step is to make this generosity more persistent, structured, and effective.

I won't go into the details of what needs to be done to make our donating society a more effective force in helping others escape poverty, but I do want to share some of my thoughts as an individual who regularly donates and hope others will follow suit.

The hows

As I mentioned earlier, I began regularly donating my possessions whenever I felt they were no longer in use. My process starts by separating items into two categories: "regularly used" and "occasionally used." This initial sorting helps me quickly identify which items I truly rely on and which ones just take up space.

For the items in the "occasionally used" category, I monitor them closely over the next 2-3 months. During this time, I assess whether they are still useful or if they are "just-in-case" items. Some items eventually move to the "regularly used" category if they become more relevant or needed in my daily life. Occasionally, a few items are "upgraded" to a more useful status, while most of them remain in the "occasionally used" box.

After this evaluation period, I categorize the "unused items" to see if they are "sellable." If they are, I try to sell them at a price slightly below the market rate, usually by comparing 2-3 e-commerce platforms. I then observe the items for 2-3 months to see if they attract interest. If, after that time, no one has shown interest, I tag them as "to donate next" and repeat the process.

I hope that the above simple strategies will turn anyone from saying "Oh, I might have some unused but still usable items" to "I will donate my items so others can make better use of them".