9 Easy Ways to Get Rid of Your Craft Supplies

Get rid of your craft supplies with ease with these ideas for places and people that will accept them.

It can be hard — in lots of ways — to get rid of craft supplies, but it’s literally difficult sometimes because you just don’t know what to do with the supplies you don’t want anymore.

Will thrift stores take partial balls of yarn? How can you get your supplies to someone who will actually use them?

Here are some ideas I have used to get rid of craft supplies in the past that I hope will help you, too.

1. Take it to school. If you have school-aged kids or a school in your neighborhood, get in touch with the art teacher and see if they can use any of your supplies. Odds are good they’ll be excited, even (maybe especially) by the really random stuff. I do this all. the. time. and I love it when my daughter comes home and I recognize things I donated in her projects.
2. Ask on Facebook. Or your social network of choice. You never know who might be interested in starting a new hobby you just happen to be getting rid of a bunch of supplies for. Or who is a teacher who could use your items, or someone you’re not even thinking of. I gave a huge bag of yarn to a friend for her daycare kiddos to use for projects because she responded to a Facebook post.
3. Try a church or senior center. Anywhere people congregate there’s a possibility of crafts happening. Your church might have a prayer shawl ministry or take donations of supplies for refugees or others they are helping to settle in your area. Senior centers might have crafters who live or visit there who are short on supplies.
4. Have a craft swap. A friend of mine did this and I missed it, but I hope it will happen again. The idea is that everyone brings things they aren’t using and can take whatever they want from other people’s stashes. It’s a fun way to get rid of your craft supplies as long as you pledge not to bring much back home.
5. Find a thrift store. Some of the bigger thrift stores (Goodwill/Salvation Army) might not accept your random craft supplies, but there might be a local shop that does. If you’re in the store looking, see if they have supplies on the shelf, or call to ask before bringing them. Some cities even have shops devoted to craft supplies, which is amazing.
6. Freecycle. If your community has a Freecycle group or a swap page on Facebook, I have no doubt you’ll find someone who can take your supplies. I’ve done this several times, though it has been a few years (before I had a kid with a school to take them to).
7. Give to a charity. There are lots of different crafty charities that might accept supplies, such as groups that make blankets or hats for the homeless, or groups that provide supplies to schools. Also check in with your local scout troops (maybe offer to teach the kids how to use the stuff, too).
8. Teach a class. I got rid of a lot of yarn by teaching summer classes in knitting and fiber arts at my daughter’s school. Maybe you can offer to teach some friends to make mixed media collages and send them home with a bunch of supplies.
9. Gift it to friends. This is better for unopened items and for people who are already interested in a craft, but you can make your own craft kits for people from the supplies you wanted to get rid of. It’s a fun, personalized gift that helps you get some of your supplies off your shelf.

What would you add? How do you get rid of your craft supplies? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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