Freecycle - Please posts all freecycle stuff here (merged)

Hoopylass

Freecycle is great, so far i have acquire an exercise bike, a cycle, a sewing machine and a baby car seat! Top marks in my book!

hannah2082_2

Freecycle is very good - I've 'swapped' a lot of plants and pots on it!! Good for gardeners

shays_mum

I thought the whole point of freecycle was that it was free, my local group (Lambeth) don't even let you join unless you make an offering first! what then is the point of being called FREEcycle?. If you have ppl being too autocratic when starting groups, no wonder ppl just dump stuff on the streets.
Has anyone else come across this, or am i just unlucky?

Hoopylass

shays_mum wrote:

I thought the whole point of freecycle was that it was free, my local group (Lambeth) don't even let you join unless you make an offering first! what then is the point of being called FREEcycle?

I actually think that its a good idea, it stops people just joining and posting wanted ads all over the place, it ensures that there is a bit of give and take.

Floss

I'm a member of Warrington Freecycle, and have got rid of a few things up to now. Haven't taken anything yet, as am shortly moving into my boyfriends house (which is full of his stuff) with all my & 2xDS's stuff, so need to get rid of, not accumulate things!

People are very grateful, but am i being picky in hoping for a "thanks" mail?

shays_mum

Hoopylass, my point being that they should not try to enforce things that none of the other freecycle groups do. Imagine being on a v.low income who is trying to make ends meet. You see something in your local freecycle & are told that in order to join you must give something, how? when you can barely make ends meet?

crutches

so far this yr i've had a bath,cooker,hanging rail,tv and got rid of loads of things i didnt need.
we have had problems in our group with people joining purely to get stuff for ebay but that was dealt with by the mods.
I love BANGOR/ANGLESEY/CONWY/CAERNARFON andPORTHMADOG freecycle groups.

rackstar

My group asks that you offer something before you put a wanted ad up. I think that is fair. Some people ask for things on behalf of their friends if they have nothing to offer. It doesn't stop you answering someone's offered ad though. Any member can do that whether they have posted something or not.

I've given away some stuff (TV, video, camera equipment, map, mugs, videos etc) and have had some amazing stuff. A cafetiere, two CD racks, two cushions, a moses basket and a mountain bike for my mum.

It's brilliant! It is so true that someone's junk is another person's treasure.

SusanCarter

Should this be a sticky?

lynneinjapan

shays_mum wrote:

I thought the whole point of freecycle was that it was free, my local group (Lambeth) don't even let you join unless you make an offering first! what then is the point of being called FREEcycle?. If you have ppl being too autocratic when starting groups, no wonder ppl just dump stuff on the streets.
Has anyone else come across this, or am i just unlucky?

My two local groups are the same: Your first post to the group has to be an OFFER. I think this is fairly universal, and a good idea. As someone else said, there's nothing to prevent you from responding to an offer that someone else has made, even if you haven't yet offered anything yourself.