Every job ends the same way. The work's done, the client's happy, and there's a pile in the corner.. half a pack of plasterboard, a few lengths of good pine, a box of fittings that never got used. Too good to bin. Too annoying to store. So it rides around in the ute for a fortnight and then, one busy Friday, it goes in the skip.
I've heard that story at my own dinner table for years, because my husband's a tradie. It's the reason Overrun exists. But before I get to that, here's an honest run-through of every option you've actually got, because some of them are fine and some of them quietly cost you money.
Option 1: the tip
Fast, final, and you pay for the privilege. Tip fees vary by council and by load, but you're paying to throw away something you already paid for once. That's the same material costing you money twice. It's the default because it's easy, not because it's smart.
Option 2: store it "for the next job"
Every tradie has a garage bay or a corner of the yard that proves how this one ends. The next job needs a different size, a different profile, a different colour. Two years later it all goes to the tip anyway, except now it's water-stained.
Option 3: give it away
Better than landfill, and sometimes the right call for small offcuts. Community workshops, men's sheds and schools will often take clean timber. But giving away a full pack of insulation or a pallet of pavers is giving away real money, and organising the handover usually takes longer than selling it.
Option 4: Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree
This works, sort of. The problem is your materials sit between used couches and someone's old Commodore, half the messages are "is this available" at midnight from people who never reply, and nobody is running the place. Plenty of tradies do a deal here eventually. Most give up before the deal happens.
Option 5: sell it where the buyers are actually looking
This is the bit where I tell you about the thing I built, so take it with whatever salt you like. Overrun is an Australian marketplace just for building materials. Nothing else is on it. That means everyone browsing is a tradie, builder or renovator looking for exactly what you're holding.
You photograph the pile, list it in under a minute, and someone nearby comes and picks it up. Payment happens directly between you.. cash or transfer in the driveway, the way it's always been done. We don't take a commission on the sale. Not a percentage, not a fee, nothing clipped. The plan is flat, and right now the first 3 months are free with the code 3FREETRADIE, no card required.
The honest summary
If it's genuinely scrap, the tip is the tip. If it's small clean offcuts, a local workshop or school will love you. But if it's real material with real value.. packs, pallets, lengths, fittings.. someone two suburbs over is about to buy that exact thing brand new. The only thing missing was an easy way for them to find yours.
That's the gap we're filling. List what's in your ute at overrunau.com.au.
Quick answers
Is it free to list leftover materials on Overrun? The first 3 months are free with code 3FREETRADIE. After that it's a flat monthly plan, and we never take a cut of your sales.
What materials can I list? Timber, tiles, plasterboard, bricks, fittings, fixtures, decking, insulation.. if it was headed for the skip and someone could still build with it, list it.
Do buyers pay through the platform? No. You deal with the buyer directly, however suits you both. We don't sit in the middle of your money.