Facebook groups can hugely simplify one’s life. Here is a short review of the flea markets and giveaway facebook groups that will make your life in Turku easier.
A popular way of connecting buyers and sellers through social media, flea market and giveaway groups can be very useful. Finland has a strong culture of recycling, which means that flea markets and second-hand shops are flourishing, to the great pleasure of those patient enough to find the hidden gems that might surface every once in a while. To help you find yours, here are some flea market and giveaway groups in the Turku area.
However, just a warning first.
Warning!
Before getting to the topic of this post, it is essential to underline the necessity to observe the rules of the groups visited. Every group has rules, usually visible in the first post. Those are intended to provide a trouble-free, pleasant experience to everyone, so please follow them!
Good faith and politeness should always be part of one’s interactions on this type of forum. Noticing the way a group is operating can also help maintain a nice atmosphere and limit the risk of misunderstandings.
Last thing before we go further, the choice of groups in this blog is not in any way an advertisement or a promotion. I chose the groups featured here based on my personal experience and knowledge. As such, it is highly possible that I forgot or omitted interesting/relevant groups, please comment under to share your input.
International flea markets
Functioning in English, the following groups are mostly used by international students or residents of the Turku area.
Perhaps the most important group to know in Turku, especially when arriving or leaving the city, is Fleamarket Turku. You will find there anything you might need for you house, from curtains to a pizza slicer (and more). With slightly more than 10 000 members, Fleamarket Turku is a great platform to advertise your second-hand goods. As items come and go, however, there is not guarantee that you will find what you want immediately. Nevertheless, it does represent an excellent platform for buying-selling,and allows one to reach a good number of both Finnish and international residents of the Turku area.
Inspired by the Fleamarket Turku, Turku Fleamarket (friendly) has the same purpose but is intended to provide a better experience for those posting there. With more than 3000 members, it also represents an interesting forum for buyers/sellers.
Finally, the Clothing Fleamarket Turku group targets the exchange of items of clothing in Turku (footwear and accessories included). This group and it’s 1,800 members can help you find what you are looking for, or who is interested in what you want to sell.
Giveaway groups can be a great opportunity to give a second life to objects you don’t need but don’t want to take the time to sell. They also represent an environment-friendly option, postponing the release of greenhouse gas related to their disposal.
Giveaway groups
These groups are specifically intended for people looking to give away things. As opposed to Flea market groups, giveaway groups are not made to sell, but rather donate items (this can also be reflected in the quality/state of the goods). Although seemingly obvious, this distinction should not be overlooked.
Turku Giving Away represents the first option. Despite its young age, it already counts almost 300 members and is likely to keep growing.
Leftover Group – Student Village Turku is also a giveaway group, even though in this case it targets the sharing of food. This can be particularly interesting when leaving for a trip or noticing that a product will expire soon and that you won’t eat it.
Finnish-speaking groups (flea market & giveaway)
Finnish-speaking groups can also provide great opportunities for those looking to buy/sell second hand. Here is a short ”best of”:
- Turun alueen IKEA-kirppis 2: flea market specifically for IKEA items or furniture. (7,300 members)
- Turun alueen Facebook-kirpputori: flea market. (30, 100 members)
- Kirpputori TURKU: flea market. (14, 700 members)
- Roskalava TURKU: giveaway and recycling group. (16,600 members)
- ANNETAAN Turku & lähialueet: giveaway group. (11,000 members)
Other related groups
Turku New Students Accommodation & Orientation and its 3,700 members can be of great value to those planning to come, or even already in Turku. Whether it is simply to ask questions, or instead to look for a subtenant, this group is likely to have something to offer.
As for Turku-Helsinki-Turku kimppakyyti, it is a carpooling group, which targets the route Turku-Helsinki (both ways). It can provide cheap but also convenient options time-wise.
It should be noted that beyond social media, a number of online or physical platforms exist to sell/buy second hand items in Turku. Tori.fi (in Finnish) is a popular website for such listings, and Turun Ekotori will take your second-hand items for free and sell them in their shops (which are also definitely worth a visit).
Inside Turun Ekotori. Source: Turkulainen
Source: Turun Ekotori
Living in Finland for more than three years, Michel is a Canadian student who is now completing his master’s degree in ÅAU. His interests are quite diversified and include ice hockey, history, fishing, as well as many other things. He is also a member of the student ambassador network of South-West Finland.
