Freecycle is it corrupt??

angelatgraceland

Ken68 wrote: »

I can see Freecycle branching out into Skills Exchange Trading System (SETS) eventually. After all once the group is up and running.
I'll do your garden if you cut my hair sort of thing.

Thats a different thing all together and is not saving anything from landfill. Yes its a good sceme but I cannot see how you could link it to Freecycle.

angelatgraceland

jstyles wrote: »

I tried to stick my settee on freecycle and posted a picture that was a link to Photobucket.

They refused to approve my listing citing that I wasn't allowed to host the pic anywhere else but on their site! Man - what a lost opportunity for someone: the settee's going on the tip now. Very sad indeed.

They said I'd agreed to host any pix with them when I signed up. Here's the 'understanding' reply I got from them when I queried why. A fair enough response, I guess, but it's not WHAT you say - it's the WAY you say it. Needless to say - I'll be avoiding their 'friendly' site from now on.

---

Original Message ----
From: wirralfreecycle <[EMAIL="adminwirralfreecyclegroup&#64;gmail.com"]adminwirralfreecyclegroup@gmail.com [/EMAIL]>
To: marlinjas
Sent: Saturday, 15 December,

Beecause you cant take the time to upload it to our site, ?? it is in our rules you agreed to when you joined this group,.
Admin


On Dec 15, 2007 6:05 AM, John Styles wrote:
Why not - what's the big deal? Saves you having to host it?

What a waste - it has to go to the tip now.

<img>

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Original Message ----
From: wirralfreecycle <[EMAIL="adminwirralfreecyclegroup&#64;gmail.com"]adminwirralfreecyclegroup@gmail.com [/EMAIL]>
To: marlinjas
Sent: Friday, 14 December, 2007 1:27:24 PM
Subject: Message not approved: OFFERED (from CH47)- Three-seater Settee/Couch : blue/grey patterned material.


no outside links we have our own photo section


> I'm offering this up to anyone who can make use of it. Our new couch
> is arriving soon and I need the space!
>
> It's a large three-seater in a bluey/grey patterned material. Very
> hard-wearing.
>
> We've had it for five years and my mom-in-law gave it to us after
> they'd had good use out of it - so it's not exactly brand new! It's
in
> reasonable nick - no tears or even too much wear, really (we've used
> it with a throw over it most of the time). The basic frame is very
solid.
>
> It needs to go by Sunday (16/12).
>
> Email me or give me a call on 999999999 if you'd like it. First
> come, first served!
>
> I have taken a picture of it and stuck it on photobucket - link was here

These are not rules of Freecycle.org but a rule that the owner of that individual group has made. Freecycle do not allow links to places who sell such as Ebay or shops but Freecycle actually use photobucket themselves for some of their logos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know-as Ive downloaded the logos from there to change my group homepage.
This group sounds over resrictive. Personally I encourage a photo-whether its on another site or not-because it means that the item is more likely to be collected and the person knows exactly what they are going to view.
As far as someone comment of it being unlikely to have been collected anyhow I think that is nonsense! There are many people who would have loved your sofa! Maybe you need to join another local Freecycle group which is nearby? Don't be put off by one jobsworth! Myself-if a member had a gripe like this and I had made such a rule I would actually be considering whether or not it was valid. This sounds petty to me-it should have been approved.

Ken68

The poor old shopkeeper is being hammered on all sides...from the supermarkets, charity shops, free ads in the paper, car boot sales, auctions and now Freecycle.
It aint a fair system.

furrybloke

I got a window from freecycle. Took it away, gave the guy a bottle of wine, got a mate to pick it up in the van. Got home to install it wrong size & builder wanted a fortune. Reoffered on there no takers so put it on ebay to try & get rid @ 99p & save me the cost of skipping or a van to the tip. It sold for £200 was that wrong??? Some people take stuff for a genuine reason & sell it to get rid, they are not all bad. As for traders I think it is wrong to try & blag something but at the end of the day you choose who you offer to, most of my stuff I have given away it is stuff you wouldn't sell on ebay but might at a car bootie but I need rid of quickly for space.

seven-day-weekend

I have never used freecycle as I now live in Spain, but have in the past put things outside with 'free to good home' on it so that people can take it away.

I really don't care if someone else sells it on. It's got it off my hands and it still stops it going into landfill.

scoggy

I've used Freecycle loads. I've given loads away, but have never managed to get anything I requested (given how many requests I get for things I've given away I can see the odds are against me!)

Apologies if this has been discussed in this thread already (I've not had time to read all 12 pages, but have read the first and the last few): wouldn't it be better if the groups used a more sophisticated system? i.e. one where people's profiles show how much they've given and received. (Not sure if people would be happy making WHAT they've given and received public, but that would be useful too. I guess that would have to be debated!) When we get loads of request we tend to give either to someone who has given before (by searching for their name on the Freecycle Yahoo Group), or whose request sounds genuine.

Like others we get a lot of requests which don't specifically mention the item. If you put DVDs on there you get "these are some of my favourite films" immediately, and they then don't respond if you ask them to pick one or two.

I think it's a good site, and a way to weed out the traders and constant-takers would make it great. It could go very far.

(Not that 'takers' are necessarily bad - I wouldn't make my decision solely on whether someone has given a lot. I'm perfectly happy to give things to people who haven't given as I accept there are some who can't afford all the clutter I have. However at the moment it's one of the few reliable ways I have of weeding out traders.

Ken68

The worthiest are the poorest, who wouldn't have a car, and probably not a computer and maybe not internet savvy anyway.
Guessing now , the disadvantaged would get free stuff or cheap stuff from SOFA and the like or from charity shops.
I don't know if the groups keep statistics but would think a lot of freecycled stuff is not collected, too big to cart or too far to collect a small item.In the latter case tis good news for the environment.

missyg_3

I'd like a slightly more sophisticated system too with at least an opportunity to "black mark" people who ask for something you've offered but then they ignore subsequent emails (leaving you in limbo with perhaps a big item hanging around), or don't turn up at all.

I wonder if there is any way to do something like this within Yahoo groups, so that people can refer to it if they want to, but it doesn't get emailed to everyone?

angelatgraceland

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

I have never used freecycle as I now live in Spain, but have in the past put things outside with 'free to good home' on it so that people can take it away.

I really don't care if someone else sells it on. It's got it off my hands and it still stops it going into landfill.

Freecycle groups are worldwide not just UK. Here is the link for Spain!
http://www.freecycle.org/group/Spain/Spain/

angelatgraceland

furrybloke wrote: »

I got a window from freecycle. Took it away, gave the guy a bottle of wine, got a mate to pick it up in the van. Got home to install it wrong size & builder wanted a fortune. Reoffered on there no takers so put it on ebay to try & get rid @ 99p & save me the cost of skipping or a van to the tip. It sold for £200 was that wrong??? Some people take stuff for a genuine reason & sell it to get rid, they are not all bad. As for traders I think it is wrong to try & blag something but at the end of the day you choose who you offer to, most of my stuff I have given away it is stuff you wouldn't sell on ebay but might at a car bootie but I need rid of quickly for space.

You tried to use it
you tried to give it away
no luck-so you sold it
most important of all-it didnt end up in landfill!

You didnt obtain it with the intention of selling it so you didnt do anything wrong. Good for you I say! You did it with the best intentions and in the correct order