Freecycle is it corrupt??

Ken68

|Agree about the namechange, Angel and the transfer of Freecycle to Realcycle.
Though the phrase 'keeping stuff from the landfill', sounds to me like a motto too far.
And common and commercial sense tells me the owner is the trader, or will be eventually.Quite right, all that time and expense the boss and mods should make a shilling for themselves.

Ken68

I think the Freecycle concept is a concerted attack on the monetary values of our society.
Even donated goods to charity shops and the church are SOLD.
Giving stuff away is not cricket.

angelatgraceland

Well when it was set up in the begining it was to keep items out of landfill.Who knows what this persons other morals were/are though? Maybe he was/is against over commercialism? Nothing wrong with that. Because you set up something with a main goal doesnt mean you dont have other feelings regarding its benefits. If it is a concerted attack on our monetary values I just happen to agree on that too-we are all too money conscious and its a world of greed. Ive no problem with that-nor have the members who join.After all-nobody forces them to join-they can leave the group if, having read the rules, they don't like them We need commerce-and we need recycling. Your area of concern seems to be that you don't like to think people get anything free> Somebody paid for it originally-in order for recycling to continue, there has to be commerce. Its all about balance and the amount of freebies on freecycle, realcycle or elsewhere arent really having impact on commerce. As for charity shops-they are nothing but shops who dont have to buy in their stock! They again have volunteers in their shops but volunteers don't run the organisations-they are there to make money for the fat cats! In saying that-I give to charity also-I just do not lose sleep over these things.

bootman

I have just done my fist couple of items on freecycle with great success!

1st was a fridge freezer. I said it needed a really good clean as had been left for a few years unused with the door shut. I had 8 requests for it!!

2nd was a babies carry cot - one response and collected straight away.

I am really happy as I would never have sold these items and i feel happier that they will be of use to someone.

Contains_Mild_Peril

My local group has also left the Freecycle network and now operates as Freeshare. There have been no changes in the rules and guidelines. The split was basically because it was felt that Freecycle was becoming too commercialised and politicised, and thus moving away from its original ethos.
Our group forbids "wanted" posts asking for extravagant items like plasma TVs or the latest games console. There is no absolute rule about offering before posting a want or offered/ wanted ratios, but members are encouraged to post more offers than wants, and we're not allowed repeat "wanted" posts asking for the same thing within a month.
Some posts offer things like assorted bric-a-brac "suitable for car boot sale", so people are sometimes happy to give things away to someone who plans to resell them. I object to people pretending they want something for their own or their family's use when they're actually taking it to sell, but if a trader is honest from the start about their intentions and the offerer is still happy to give to them, I don't have a problem with that, especially if the item(s) would otherwise be dumped.

elona

I offered a really nice office desk on Friday - had one reply asking did it have drawers- no other interest at all.

Will give it a few days and may have to ask our local charity shop if they want it or else let DH take it to the tip!

missyg_3

angelatgraceland, thanks for your very insightful messages.

All my most recent freecycle giveaways have gone very well. The rude/blunt messages get ignored and the polite ones get the goods!

elona, if the charity shop don't want it, what about putting the desk out the front of your house with a note on it saying it's free to anyone who wants to take it? My neighbours did this with a 3-piece suite and it was gone within the hour!

bathgatebuyer

I've had a few successes on Freecycle - a lawnmower for my Mum (she was relying on rusty old shear before), a pile of old albums (which I adore), some Architectural Magazines (which I use for work), and have given away some ceramic tiles, a laptop bag, cat accessories, videos and some books! My loft no longer has stuff I don't need, and I have things I do need.

The principle is great - I have always hoarded things as I can't bear the thought of things just going to waste. So, when I discovered Freecycle, it was great to know that I could keep items 'in circulation' and that they wouldn't just be dumped.

Of the wanted ads I've placed, I've asked for any french foreign language materials as I thought it would be likely that some people may have things left over from school of college, but it wouldn't really occur to me to ask for something like a wifi laptop!!!

I would be hacked off if someone took my donated stuff and sold it on Ebay without letting me know as I've always had to choose between those people who email in wanting an item, and it's really unfair on the genuine people to lose out to someone who gave a 'better story' in their emails.

Anyhoo, just literally had someone at the door to collect some more items from another successful Freecycle!

angelatgraceland

Contains_Mild_Peril wrote: »

My local group has also left the Freecycle network and now operates as Freeshare. There have been no changes in the rules and guidelines. The split was basically because it was felt that Freecycle was becoming too commercialised and politicised, and thus moving away from its original ethos.
Our group forbids "wanted" posts asking for extravagant items like plasma TVs or the latest games console. There is no absolute rule about offering before posting a want or offered/ wanted ratios, but members are encouraged to post more offers than wants, and we're not allowed repeat "wanted" posts asking for the same thing within a month.
Some posts offer things like assorted bric-a-brac "suitable for car boot sale", so people are sometimes happy to give things away to someone who plans to resell them. I object to people pretending they want something for their own or their family's use when they're actually taking it to sell, but if a trader is honest from the start about their intentions and the offerer is still happy to give to them, I don't have a problem with that, especially if the item(s) would otherwise be dumped.

That is how Freecycle is supposed to be run! Some groups are not tho-I agree. Mine however-is! Good luck-as I said before-there is room for all of us!

Elliesmum

Ken68 wrote: »

IGiving stuff away is not cricket.

Why is giving stuff away not cricket? Or are you being sarcastic? Surely my stuff, if I want to give if away I can goes here.

Don't understand this post at all

EM xx

PS - I love freecycle, yes I can see the pit falls etc and the down side but at the end of the day if it keeps stuff out of landfill then brilliant. I didn't know about the stuff going on at the top though. Agree with other posters here that freecycle should be non-political.