Then there's always the method of putting it out on the curb with a big "FREE" sign on it, and wait for someone to come by and scoop it up. I got rid of a couch, stove, credenza, dishwasher, sewing machine, and a whole bunch of other stuff that way.
There's also freecycle. Intent is to get goods you don't want into the hands of people who do. You Offer. They e-mail to get it and arrange a time to pick it up. No money changes hands, and you arrange who gets it and agree to when. freecycle is free also, and all over the country. You can also list wanted items. Just go to freecycle@yahoo groups. com and signup for the freecycle group in your area.
Items can be anything/everything---appliances, clothes, furniture, toys, books, pets, vehicles, craft items and supplies......
I can get rid of most anything be the road. This time I took b trunk load of books and videos to our local library. They take all donations. This week I am taking clothes and bedspreads to Goodwill. Going to take a box of nick nacks to a friends primative shop and trade her for some other things. Then I will regroup.
The curbside FREE sign worked for me when, on the last morning of a garage sale, no one had showed up. We put out the sign, went out to breakfast, and when we returned a couple of hours later, almost all the stuff had gone.
I've used the curbside FREE sign when a charity would not take two large and heavy couches the day before I moved from California. It worked.
Here I know of a church charity that will take certain items. In their case baby stuff which they hand off to families in need they are placing in their own apartment. They watch over the families for a while to make sure they are OK and have made the transition from living in hotels to their own place. They take general household goods as well, but I haven't had much for them yet.
I am still working on cleaning out my mother's house. Goodwill and the people who work there are wonderful (I have been using 2 different ones depending on which way I am traveling). It is absolutely amazing what they accept. I walk in with stuff and often ask if they can take something else and so far the answer has always been yes. I've even been inspired to get rid of some of stuff that was hanging around my home.