Boston has 23 official neighborhoods, and Beacon Hill is where the Massachusetts State House stands. When Zelbi opens in Boston, one photo lists a bookcase, and the claimer collects it on the day and time you pick.
Skip the donation drop-off in Boston
People in the Boston metro search for "donation centers near me" 1K-10K times a month.
Once Zelbi opens in Boston, one photo of the item starts the listing. You pick the day and time, then meet the claimer or leave the item outside for them.
Free furniture pickup in Boston
Boston tried a version of this in 2025. A city pilot with the furniture bank Household Goods accepted couches, dressers and kitchen tables in designated Brighton zones, but only from households that had sent in a request.
Logan Airport's 1991-2020 normals give 43.59 inches of precipitation a year. The Boston Basin is low and rolling, and its highest point is Bellevue Hill, at 330 feet. With curbside pickup, the giver sets when the item goes out and the claimer confirms it in the app.
Free stuff near you in Boston
People in the Boston metro search for "free things near me" and "freecycle", each 1K-10K times a month. A Buy Nothing group covering Boston counts tens of thousands of members, and a Boston group for selling, swapping and free stuff does too. Once Zelbi opens in Boston, each listing shows a neighborhood area rather than an address.
When Zelbi opens in Boston, a listing could come from Allston or Brighton, which are populated heavily by students and recent graduates, or from Charlestown, where the Bunker Hill Monument stands.
Items on Zelbi are free. The only charge is a $2 platform fee, paid by the person who claims an item; giving something away costs nothing.
A simpler alternative to Craigslist free, Freecycle, Buy Nothing and Trash Nothing
Free-stuff groups are already big in Boston. A Buy Nothing group covering the city and a Boston group for selling, swapping and free stuff each count tens of thousands of members. On Zelbi, a claimer can cancel for free until two hours before pickup, and a later cancellation still pays the $2 fee.
Photo first, words later
The app turns that picture into a listing, so you skip the typing for a bookcase.
Accounts behind every claim
Each claim runs through a Zelbi account and an authorized payment before an address is shared.
Times you set
You choose the day and time, and the handoff is arranged in the app, which keeps back-and-forth messages to a minimum.
Zelbi is an independent app. It is not affiliated with Craigslist, The Freecycle Network, the Buy Nothing Project or Trash Nothing. Their names belong to their owners.
Moving or decluttering in Boston?
In 2025, Boston University's memos set noon on Saturday, May 10, as the move-out deadline for students not graduating. Northeastern University's housing page sets 7 p.m. on May 1, 2027, for students in classes, and 9 p.m. for co-op students.
Bring Zelbi to Boston
From Dorchester to Beacon Hill, what you're finished with can find a new home nearby once Zelbi opens in Boston.
Join the waitlist