Freecycle is it corrupt??

robnye

as a moderator for my local freecycle group. (currently 16000 members and growing)

yes some items do seem to go quickly, no sooner have i allowed the 'OFFER' posting through, that i then have the 'TAKEN' posting come through.

at the end of the day, some people want rid of stuff quickly (too quickly in my opinion - ie when they say by end of day otherwise its going to the tip, especially when the offer email comes through at 16:55)

i have got rid of oodles of stuff........
i have received some bits - i tend to wait until the daily digest comes through before i email my request, so i cant be accused of taking advantage of my position.

what would be nice, but isnt quantifiable is the amount of goods/stuff/junk/treasure that doesn end up in the tip....

someone mentioned about a blacklist...... our local group has a separate database, where people can add good/bad receivers/takers for future reference

happy freecycling

TonyMMM

I give away quite a bit of stuff, and I always look for a polite request, with some sort of extra info (why they want it etc.) and then I often look them up on our local list and see how often they offer stuff themselves.

I always ignore the ones who expect me to phone them (e.g. I'll have it - ring me on ....) .....my most memorable one was one person who sent me an email saying "I'll have your item , please deliver it to (her address) tomorrow ......" !!

greenbee

I've had a good freecycle weekend this weekend (for a change :rolleyes:). I've had polite replies, and people have agreed to turn up at a time that suits me, and have arrived on time.

I've also noticed a distinct reduction recently in the number of silly requests for new electronics/white goods, furnishings for an entire house etc.

However, I live midway between two freecycle groups, and like a lot of other people in the same area use both. One of them is very quick to get my messages posted, and the other can take over 24 hours. I try to avoid using the latter - it really irritates me as a. quite often you want to get rid of stuff quickly and b. it takes so long to get the 'Taken' posts up that there are frequently a lot of people happily emailing thinking they're in with a chance long after whatever they are after has gone. Yet they never ask for any assistance, whereas the efficient group frequently advertise for additional mods...

KevtheRev'd

Big_Bird wrote: »

If a trader takes your item away and sells it to someone who has a use for it, then that's three people happy. You've got rid of whatever it was that was cluttering up your house without having to stick it in landfill. The trader's made a bit of cash and the person he sold it to has got something they wanted.

Why do we think that a trader using Freecycle to earn money for their family is less worthy than someone who just wants the free stuff for doing nothing?

I suspect we have a trader on our group and it isn't that he asks for almost everything I post as OFFERED that annoys me - it is that he and others fill my mail box with ridicuous WANTEDs - he asks for 3-4 saleable luxuries a week. Our moderator is really weak so we are over-run with wanteds - we've had the cars now we have had a WANTED for an item that i could never envisage going to a tip - even the legit electrical recycling collection point there - a Wii fit - I think most people would realise these are in great demand and sell it on e-bay!

Still I put up as periodically it really comes up trumps as today for example I've acquired 6 pallets for compost bin making!

KevtheRev'd

northern_star wrote: »

BTW, I'm told you can check out the posting history of anyone who asks for your item/s by putting their username in the search facility on your freecycle site. This way you can see whether they have offered stuff themselves or they are simply always posting wanted ads. It might help you to decide who to offer your items to.

This is really useful to know - does anyone know how easy it is to check a person's listing history?

davie24

If you go to the messages page on your local site,select search,then use the advanced option.
This should let you fill in the relevant criteria you wish to search for.

nesssie1702

I've used Freecycle for a couple of years now and have offered and received items using it.

Can't help but notice an increased number of Wanted Items that are a bit cheeky in terms of what they're asking for......

fletty

Tell me about it - someone's asking for a caravan on our site!!!! can't believe some people.

Cardew

KevtheRev'd wrote: »

I suspect we have a trader on our group and it isn't that he asks for almost everything I post as OFFERED that annoys me - it is that he and others fill my mail box with ridicuous WANTEDs - he asks for 3-4 saleable luxuries a week.

Just about every group is infected with Ebay/car boot traders!

Low life that are harder to get rid of than Swine Flu.

LimeLight

I've found that someone will offer something that not many people will usually offer, then there'll be an influx of wanteds for the same item.

This week it was a trampoline.