Freecycle identifying IP location?

RainbowsInTheSpray

On Freecycle today I have tried to search for a particular item further afield than my local area... but the search facility will not allow this, simply returning results from my neighbouring groups... whether I am logged into the site or not.

Can anyone explain why? I'm annoyed because I intend travelling (for other purposes) and could easily collect while doing so if this could be arranged with the donor.

grumbler

In the top bar click 'MY TOWNS', then your town name on the left.

You'll then get several options under 'NEARBY TOWNS...' (including NW LEICESTERSHIRE in my case (North West?)).

RainbowsInTheSpray

And if you want a town further away still? One which isn't in the immediate neighbourhood as Freecycle views it?

grumbler

I think you can add it to 'MY TOWNS' list and then select a bigger area around it if needed.

onomatopoeia99

IP geolocation works at national level if steps aren't taken to avoid it.  At town / county level it rarely does and gets my local town wrong by over 100 miles.  It would be very silly of any site to rely on it.

Jenni_D

Maybe Freecycle have stored a cookie on your PC to denote your location?

Try opening an In-Private browser tab and going again to Freecycle in that tab.

DullGreyGuy

I've moved around many times over the years and still have all the different towns in my profile and can search or post to all of them. 

onomatopoeia99 said:

IP geolocation works at national level if steps aren't taken to avoid it.  At town / county level it rarely does and gets my local town wrong by over 100 miles.  It would be very silly of any site to rely on it.

It doesnt even necessarily work at a national level if the user is on a corporate network or VPN etc... my client's laptop will geolocate as NYC when I am in London, Paris or anywhere else. 

The OP could use VPN themselves to change their geolocation, some give you at least some choice as to where you want to appear, though more options in the US than the UK

Andy_L

RainbowsInTheSpray said:

And if you want a town further away still? One which isn't in the immediate neighbourhood as Freecycle views it?

Isn't Freecycle's idea that it is a "local service for local people" IE they don't want people coming from miles away and snaffling up stuff and thus don't make it easy to search a wide area