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Disillusioned with Freegle/Freecycle

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shysal Thu 04-Dec-14 08:49:06

I too have difficulties with Freegle. I sometimes offer an item, receive dozens of replies, and I try to contact them in order of response. However I rarely receive a reply back. Why ask for a free item then make no effort to receive it? Nowadays I choose any reply that includes a mobile number so that I can text them to arrange collection, which usually works well. I also take the trouble to let all responders know when it has gone.
My first donation was a simple CD player, for a child. The mother was willing to take several bus journeys to collect, but I offered to deliver. To show her gratitude she gave me a bunch of daffodils, which touched me. Since then I have always given a small gift (e.g. one gift-wrapped cupcake or chocolate bar) when taking an item.

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Liz46 Thu 04-Dec-14 07:35:38

Yes, we used to have a really friendly, busy local group and I got to know many of the regulars one of whom came to collect something bearing a bottle of wine for me. Now we have to operate through facebook and it has tailed off and is nowhere near as good. We used to have an internet cafe where we could chat and this was stopped when we changed to facebook.

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FlicketyB Thu 04-Dec-14 07:24:33

We joined our local Freecyle, later Freegle group about 5 years ago. We are mainly givers rather than takers and to begin with everything we advertised were taken by people who clearly wanted our goods for their own use.

But over the last couple of years we have found that more and more our offerings are clearly being asked for by people who intend to trade them and make money. DH offered a violin that he had since childhood and found it as one of the lots for sale at our local village hall auction. The person who took it, said it was for a child who wanted to learn the violin at school, but didn't have an instrument.

This weekend I offered an electric fan heater. Within minutes someone had responded, I waited a day and contacted them. They wanted me to leave the heater on the doorstep in a bag, even though I said I would be in. Instead I went into the front garden to rake the leaves around the time he was due to turn up. I feel, if you are getting something for free you should interact with the donor and say thank you. Needless to say the person concerned either saw me and drove on or didn't bother to collect at all.

I offered it then to somebody else who had expressed an interest, they to said 'yes, please'. I sent them collection details and I haven't heard from them since.

This type of behaviour seems to be the norm for Freecycle/Freegle now. I have decided not to use it anymore for anything that could possibly be sold or traded, even if it means putting it in the recycling bins at the tip.

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