Freecycle

EstherH

Hi, I have seen freecycle mentioned on here and all over the place tbh, but have only just had a quick look at it online. All the items that seemed to be offered were big ones such as furniture and electrical goods. I was wondering if anyone knows, would it be possible to offer a box of bric a brac which would be suitable for someone who does carboot sales? Would this be fair to offer as I know that if you are going to receive something you should give first.

huston_kw

I have seen toys, one items etc on our freecycle. I would offer it someone will most likely want it, I normally get 20+ replies for stuff big or small

Patchwork_Quilt

People offer all sorts on ours, often from garage clear-outs. I got rid of an oak sapling on Freecyle, which I did not expect. Try it. Someone might be really grateful for your bits and bobs.

elsien

People stick car boot stuff on our freecycle - they tend to specify it all has to go as one lot to stop people from trying to sort it.

Olliebeak

EstherH wrote: »

Hi, I have seen freecycle mentioned on here and all over the place tbh, but have only just had a quick look at it online. All the items that seemed to be offered were big ones such as furniture and electrical goods. I was wondering if anyone knows, would it be possible to offer a box of bric a brac which would be suitable for someone who does carboot sales? Would this be fair to offer as I know that if you are going to receive something you should give first.

The phrase 'would suit carbooters and must go as a job-lot' is often seen on the Freecycle/Freegle that I use.

ChapelGirl

When we last moved house I had a really good clear-out.

All the stuff which I reckoned was worth passing on (as opposed to taking to the recycling centre) went into 2 categories: that which I could put into carrier bags and take to the charity shops and that which was too big, such as book shelves & chairs and planks of wood etc. from the shed.

With the charity shop stuff I filled in a gift-aid slip so they could get the tax back. Many charity shops can't take electrical items, but the British Heart Foundation near me can, so anything like that went to them. Please ask before you take stuff in.

The freecycle stuff went like hot cakes. The contents of the shed and garage went to people who were doing up a house or who had kids who were doing up a house. That included paint within its use-by date, odd lengths of plumbing pipe and all sorts. But like the other poster said, unless you want to be spending all your weekends in your shed trying to give stuff away you need to specfify "it's these items in ths box" and "it's all or nothing, not pick and choose".

The furniture went to people who needed shelves for their kids' rooms or who had children who were setting up their first home.

I am sure that there may well have been one or two who were taking stuff to sell on car boots or at the auction rooms and who were spinning me a line, but my objective was to clear my house and not to have it all end up in landfill, and I think I achieved that, so if someone made a few quid as well I don't begrudge it because they had time to invest in doing that, where I didn't.

If you don't want to use Freecycle you could try ringing the Salvation Army, as they sometimes take dining tables, 3 piece-suites etc. for needy families going into unfurnished social housing. But don't try and get anyone to take an old mattress which should be down the tip, because that isn't doing anyone any favours.

brightonman123

the freecycle phenonoma(sp?) has become a bit of a free for all locally, since the USA HQ pulled rights to use the name from yahoo groups, where most of the uK groups were operating, i beleive.. there are now grups called freegle, realcycle, greencycle, etc.. all claim to be doing something new, but keeping to most of the old (bad?) rules of FC..

offer / ask for what you like, just keep it legal! may have better response though, by using gumtree, or friday-ad.

Olliebeak

Many cities now have charitable organisations that renovate furniture and supply it to people in EMERGENCY situations - ie victims of flooding; young adults coming out of care for the first time; people coming out of prison and needing to set up home again; refugee families in need - they are always very grateful for decent furniture donations.

We use these in my sheltered scheme when families leave things in a property after taking what they can use themselves and tell us to just get rid of the remainder - can only do so AFTER they have handed in the keys and signed to vacate the property.

ceridwen

As far as I can make out British Freecycle groups have now virtually all been renamed "Freegle" - but are still Freecycle as was to all intents and purposes. Presumably some British Freecycle groups are still called "Freecycle".

I've tried checking out other sites that go in for recycling goods - but they tend to be tiny compared with the "official" site (our Freegle or the American-run "Freecycle").

Dont ask me the "ins and outs" of what The Big Bust-Up was about - summat to do with the originator of American Freecycle expecting "founders perks" from what I can make out. All well and good with "commercial" ideas obviously - but with a social idea whose time has come then the person who puts the idea out into the world is just the "conduit" that got used by the Universe to put that idea through for the benefit of humanity and shouldnt be trying to claim any "ownership" of that idea.

EstherH

Thanks everyone for your help. I will let you know how I get on.
Esther.

Agutka

Someone just posted 'marbles' on my freegle. That's the sort of goods we've come to expect. Anything and everything goes, no matter how trivial.