Freecycle is it corrupt??

Space_Cowby

catman-without_wings wrote: »

Interesting thread. We are net givers and never give to the "I'll have it where are you lot" However have been very lucky to get stuff that although has little monetary value was important to us I broke the lid of our teapot(wedding pressie)and managed to get a replacement stuff like that.
However we have just spent a couple of days staying wiht some old friends and the topic got round to freecycle. I think it very much depends on the mods-ours are fine and the thing runs smoothly. Our friends freecycle however is far from fine.
The moderator(we think one in particular)has some sort of God complex. Firstly she decided only the word offer could be used. Posts containing the word offered are always changed. Then she decided to have various polls about freecycle policy
Now the best- she has posted a list of words that cannot be used. Some such as desperate well perhaps but need & ! (can't remember the entire list) now make some of the posts very funny indeed.
Our friends have now registered wiht their adjoining freecycle/realcycle and won't be bothering with Stockport any more.
Piity we don't live a little nearer as its now very very funny indeed.

Some of those issues and word things are to allow the mod / owner to use a freecycle moderating application which does make life easier.

If people are not happy with the way a certain group is run then email the global .....GOA lol there details can be found here
http://www.freecycle.org/faq/uk/resources#7.3

along with the rest of the uk and wordwide freecycle moderaters manual / rule book.

Cardew

Personally i would like to see all 'wanted' ads restricted to 'unusual' items that cannot be purchased.
e.g. on my board recently, an old Scout badge no longer produced, some cheap concrete pavings stones with Ft/inches measurements and an old out of print Haynes car manual.

If I have a laptop("must be working, internet ready and windows XP/Vista") to give away, I will advertise it in 'offered'.

Do people actually respond to begging requests for high value items?

lightisfading

I don't think they do, no. (tbh, if I had a vista laptop i didnt want I'd sell the thing!)... though I did get a hoover when I posted that mine had died and would appreciate any model/make/condition as long as it worked.

our group doesnt get high value wants anymore though thanks to a fab mod team :T

lightisfading

Cardew wrote: »

Personally i would like to see all 'wanted' ads restricted to 'unusual' items that cannot be purchased.

Sometimes there is a genuine need for an item that can be purchased if you have the money. Ie a new mum who would be happy for any condition pram?

I know quite a lot of people actually hang on to stuff rather than offering, and give it when they see a genuine looking 'want' (saves dealing with loads of resellers/rude people when offering). If it is something that would be landfilled/skipped, then it's what freecycle is for. (old furniture/white goods/old style TVs frequently are landfilled.... new laptops/consoles/ipods are not)

brightonman123

i sometimes wonder what is going on, when items offered are 'taken' less than an hour later..

rather unfair on people who dont have net access during the day..

perhaps F/C owners can get together, and make ALL offerers wait a few hours, to allow people to reply?

lightisfading

brightonman123 wrote: »

i sometimes wonder what is going on, when items offered are 'taken' less than an hour later..

rather unfair on people who dont have net access during the day..

perhaps F/C owners can get together, and make ALL offerers wait a few hours, to allow people to reply?

Some people just want rid ASAP. It's their choice as they're the ones giving. Our FC has a 'fair' policy - offerers often copy/paste this policy into their post saying they will wait a while to give everyone a chance. But really... it's up to them. If they want the item gone quickly thats their choice

(I usually wait a while.. but sometimes I want the item out of the house that evening if it's taking up room needed for other things)

allydowd

The controller of my local Freecycle both and gives and receives a great deal.

Ken68

Can't believe some of the posts on here. Sanctimonious nonsense.
Would make good reading in the Church Times or The Thomas Moore Hair Shirt Society newsletter, but on a MONEYSAVING site, well enough said.

Cardew

Ken68 wrote: »

Can't believe some of the posts on here. Sanctimonious nonsense.
Would make good reading in the Church Times or The Thomas Moore Hair Shirt Society newsletter, but on a MONEYSAVING site, well enough said.

Ken,
For the sake of new readers of these posts could you be more explicit why you believe some of the posts are “sanctimonious nonsense”

Correct me if I am wrong but I believe you did(still do?) get items from Freecycle and trade them for profit? You complained there wasn’t much profit after petrol costs etc.

I also gathered from earlier posts that you don’t declare that they are for resale because you know that you will generally be at the bottom of most people’s list to receive the goods?

Myself, and I suspect many others, do not want our goods to go for resale by people who are deceitful.

I am aware that some others don’t mind people getting their goods for resale on Ebay/boot sales. So in that case why not openly state that position when you ask for goods or put in wanted ads? Those who are happy giving their goods for resale will still give you the goods, others won’t unless you are a last resort.

So what point are you making?

That traders can ignore the rules and deceive people?

It really would be interesting to hear a justification from a trader who doesn’t declare he is going to resell goods, but hides that fact.

Ken68

Well put Cardew, however, the law of the land is not the same as the law of Freecycle. Avoiding landfill is the aim.
And I do apologise for the word sanctimonious, but nonsense none the less on a money site.