Freecycle is it corrupt??

ellionic

Thanks a lot for the help

Cardew

I have to say the masses of wanted requests for valuable items irritates me; laptops, cars, motorbikes, caravans, etc.

I am even more irritated by the obvious Ebay/car boot merchants that the mods do nothing about.

Any Freecycle member is fully aware that if they have such items to offer they will be swamped with requests.

Personally I would ban any wanted adverts for anything that can be purchased and confine wanted ads to the unobtainable or unlikely to be offered, e.g. handbook for an old car.

Is it not possible to have 2 lists, one for items offered and the other for wanted items? I would simply delete the latter.

bohma2000

"Personally I would ban any wanted adverts for anything that can be purchased and confine wanted ads to the unobtainable or unlikely to be offered, e.g. handbook for an old car."

The problem is that this would disadvantage people who are genuinely needy. I don't like the idea of traders profiting from Freecycle either but another remedy is called for. There must be some way for moderators to spot and ban them??

Cardew

bohma2000 wrote: »

"Personally I would ban any wanted adverts for anything that can be purchased and confine wanted ads to the unobtainable or unlikely to be offered, e.g. handbook for an old car."

The problem is that this would disadvantage people who are genuinely needy.

How are they disadvantaged?

If I have anything to dispose of, I will offer it on Freecycle and the 'genuinely needy' can bid for the goods.

In any case you don't genuinely need; laptops caravans, boats etc.

Quite frankly my Freecycle Group has become full of people begging! and modern day Rag and Bone men trying to con people.

RacyRed

Cardew wrote: »

I have to say the masses of wanted requests for valuable items irritates me; laptops, cars, motorbikes, caravans, etc.

I am even more irritated by the obvious Ebay/car boot merchants that the mods do nothing about.

Mods won't know unless members report traders. Traders are rarely stupid enough to approach mods :rolleyes:

Personally I would ban any wanted adverts for anything that can be purchased and confine wanted ads to the unobtainable or unlikely to be offered, e.g. handbook for an old car.

Handbooks for old cars have value on Ebay don't they? Who decides what is what? And where would the mods find time to do all the extra work? Most people don't bother to read or follow the few existing rules as it is!

Is it not possible to have 2 lists, one for items offered and the other for wanted items? I would simply delete the latter.

It is. I think groups on the new site, My Freecycle, have that facility, or am I thinking of the new site before the latest new site? I forget.

dave.denholm

notsoclevertrevor wrote: »

Are there any worthwhile alternatives to Freecycle though? I haven't seen any yet.

I came across "virtual skips" recently - sounds a bit like freecycle, but I haven't got involved yet - quite happy with my local freecycle group.

I'm new here, and don't seem to be allowed to post urls. google for "virtual skips" or vskips will find it. (Or there's also a link from an old post on another forum on this site - [post=12933785]this[/post] might take you there, or might go somewhere else entirely.)

clairestokoe

Thats awful that the traders get in before the people that actually need to freestuff, everyones out to make money huh?

hula-hoops

With regard to selling things - is it really that bad? Not everyone who sells the things on is a 'greedy trader'. People talk about giving things to those who are 'most needy'. Who decides who is more needy than someone else? There was recently a post on our group offering a high-spec TV, obviously worth a bit. The offerer went to great lengths to say that she was only going to give it a 'needy family with young children'. How can anyone be 'in need' of a TV? I have to admit that I seriously considered asking for it to sell on. I don't need a TV - we haven't had a TV for years and quite like things that way! - but I was recently made redundant and am now on £64.30 Jobseeker's Allowance. That's all. My husband works but just earns an average wage. Unfortunately our mortgage is more suitable for a dual-income, rather than a single income and we get no housing benefit, council tax benefit or any other help. We can't have children. So, who is more needy? A family with young children who want a large TV for no other reason than too laze in front of it or someone on the brink of desperation who was going to sell it to pay the red council tax reminder? You can end up in prison for not paying your council tax. I have never heard of anyone ending up in prison for wanting a big TV.

So on that note, if anyone wants to sell something of mine because they have hit rock bottom financially and it would help them pay the gas bill or put some food on the table I'm all for it.

Cardew

hula-hoops wrote: »

With regard to selling things - is it really that bad? Not everyone who sells the things on is a 'greedy trader'. People talk about giving things to those who are 'most needy'. Who decides who is more needy than someone else? There was recently a post on our group offering a high-spec TV, obviously worth a bit. The offerer went to great lengths to say that she was only going to give it a 'needy family with young children'. How can anyone be 'in need' of a TV? I have to admit that I seriously considered asking for it to sell on. I don't need a TV - we haven't had a TV for years and quite like things that way! - but I was recently made redundant and am now on £64.30 Jobseeker's Allowance. That's all. My husband works but just earns an average wage. Unfortunately our mortgage is more suitable for a dual-income, rather than a single income and we get no housing benefit, council tax benefit or any other help. We can't have children. So, who is more needy? A family with young children who want a large TV for no other reason than too laze in front of it or someone on the brink of desperation who was going to sell it to pay the red council tax reminder? You can end up in prison for not paying your council tax. I have never heard of anyone ending up in prison for wanting a big TV.

So on that note, if anyone wants to sell something of mine because they have hit rock bottom financially and it would help them pay the gas bill or put some food on the table I'm all for it.

If that is your opinion, fair enough.

However every group as far as I am aware, forbids getting items for resale or makes it a condition that you declare that you intend to resell the item.

The ebay/bootsale traders who haunt, and ruin, Freecycle never declare who they are as they know that the majority of people do not want their good being taken by these scavengers.

It is deceipt pure and simple.

notlongnow_2

On my group someone asked for a 2008 undated 20p coin as they were a coin collector and couldnt find one anywhere!!