Freecycle - has anyone used it?

Doodledog

I use both Freecycle and a local recycle page which takes things like offcuts of wood, half tins of paint and cones from the centre of knitting yarn. People use them for all sorts of projects, it gets them out of your house when you've finished with them, and it saves on landfill.

Freecycle does attract some 'grabbers' who pounce on everything and probably sell it on, but so long as they turn up and take the items, I don't really care. If I want rid of something and someone else can make a few quid by selling it, it's a win-win, as far as I can see. What annoys me is when you take the time to measure items so that people can see whether they'll fit in their car, and state clearly that you want them to be collected, then you get people asking if you'll deliver as their car is too small, and/or messaging you at the last minute to say something has come up and they aren't coming. I've had a lot of that lately and it's maddening.

I don't measure, deliver, or waste time. Come take it or not. Be timely and we'll let you in the locked gate and show you to the locked shed.

Had a lot of annoying no shows, while clearing my MIL's house recently. Worth looking at this charity which comes to collect - we also had lots of blankets for a dog charity, which a lady came to pick up.

anglodoorstepcollections.co.uk/

I used Freecycle regularly at our previous house. The small print says the person taking the goods has to collect. We had a couple of no shows but on the whole everyone turned up and was grateful (we got wine from one and chocs off another which I didn't expect). However we moved home 12 months ago to a semi rural location and since then have had no success in giving goods away. We got let down numerous times once I told them the full address. Since then I contacted a charity about 10 miles away who collect. No issues at all they've taken electrical items, small pieces of furniture and bric-a-brac and on the day/time agreed. No longer post on FC as folk don't appear to want to travel more than 2 or 3 miles from nearest town.

Maizie Freegled a printer/copier and a computer keyboard yesterday.I have previously freegled lamps. So no problem with electricals

kittylester Ercol is highly valuable, you would probably have been better auctioning it - and then giving the money to charity. We were watching an auction this morning. A vintage Ercol table went for £1,000 and six chairs for £500.

But I know what you mean, we were furious to find DH's learner violin, in an auction room only days after we gave it to some one

A lot depends on the items being gifted. A violin is very likely to end up being sold! I would have sold that myself or found a genuine recipient through a local secondary school or music school.

I have probably gifted about 50 or more items over the last few years, some being absolute rubbish (but taken gratefully). I would suggest putting a good description and photograph, it makes a huge difference. I've not had any trouble with the recipients, just one out of all those messed me about re collecting. They always come and pick up, no-one has ever asked me to deliver! Maybe Trash Nothing is a better site, I don't know. I have used it in two different parts of the country and both were just as good.

Chestnut Have you ever looked at the range of goods on offer on Freegle? We had a lot of people wanting DH's violin all with convincing and valid reasons for wanting it.

No school or musical school would have wanted it it was quite old and never a good instrument. DH said one of the the reasons he stopped playing it was because it was such a poor instrument, with poor tone and his parents couldn't afford a better one. And it sold for only £20. However I am now very careful what I put on Freecycle/Freegle.

but does it really matter that the recipient sold it ?
presumably the gifter could have done that ?
when i first read freecycle, i saw the phrase,
no time wasters please.
i thought that sounded a bit off, until i got involved and realised exactly why that phrase appeared.
a friend wanted to get rid of an old but serviceable sofa, to make space.
a student said he'd love it but needed to liaise with a friend who had a big enough vehicle.
i told her to say it was available on one saturday morning only, to the first taker.
but she felt sorry for the student and held it back.
various promised collections came and went.
he never said he wasn't coming/didn't want it anymore.
and the others who had been interested had got something else.
when clearing a flat, we just gave the locality and a strict time window. people who rang up and sounded sensible were given the address.
one woman kept trying to convince us to hold over items until she could come. no can do.
we had no time for messing about. she was a nuisance, kept ringing while we were trying to work.

M0nica

Chestnut Have you ever looked at the range of goods on offer on Freegle? We had a lot of people wanting DH's violin all with convincing and valid reasons for wanting it.

No school or musical school would have wanted it it was quite old and never a good instrument. DH said one of the the reasons he stopped playing it was because it was such a poor instrument, with poor tone and his parents couldn't afford a better one. And it sold for only £20. However I am now very careful what I put on Freecycle/Freegle.

If it was old and never a good instrument, and you didn't want to bother selling it, then why is it an issue when someone else sells it? I don't understand. You hand it over and from that moment it's not your problem. Let it go.

Chestnut

M0nica

Chestnut Have you ever looked at the range of goods on offer on Freegle? We had a lot of people wanting DH's violin all with convincing and valid reasons for wanting it.

No school or musical school would have wanted it it was quite old and never a good instrument. DH said one of the the reasons he stopped playing it was because it was such a poor instrument, with poor tone and his parents couldn't afford a better one. And it sold for only £20. However I am now very careful what I put on Freecycle/Freegle.

If it was old and never a good instrument, and you didn't want to bother selling it, then why is it an issue when someone else sells it? I don't understand. You hand it over and from that moment it's not your problem. Let it go.

That's my view of it. Freegle/Frecycle/Trash Nothing are recycling sites, not charities. I have seen people insisting that things they are throwing out go to 'someone who really needs it', as though they are donating their organs, not clearing out the house.

If you (generic) have something you don't want, you can go to the hassle of selling it yourself if you want the money, but I don't understand being annoyed when someone else sells it if you can't be bothered.

Over the years we have given away lots of stuff via our local "Freegle/Trash Nothing" group. Most of this was totally value-less (eg: jam jars, a useful length of garden hose...) and it's great to see these things not going to the tip! Occasionally we have had items from there (e.g. children's outside toys for when our DGC visited us). Our experiences continue to be positive overall.

I have used freecycle successfully but mostly now use our local Facebook recycling group. Only today I put 4 items on there, two single bed frames, a self inflating air mattress and never used hair straightening brush. They were all snapped up within 5 minutes of posting!

Doodledog It is not an 'issue' so do not make amountain out of a molehill. It was just an example of someone taking something for free and selling it on. I was cross because among the other people who wanted the violin,there could have been people who really wanted for themselves or possibly their children and I would prefer them to have had it.

If we had known it would sell at auction, we would have done that ourselves, but DH saw it as suitable for a beginner for a year or two and no more.

But the whole event happened some years ago and I had forgotten about it, until one of the posts reminded me of it.

Not all charity shops won’t take electrical many have a tested amongst the volunteers our shop does so always worth asking at another
Yes I ve used freecycle

I didn't mean to make a mountain out of a molehill - I was just saying how I view the transactions on sites like that, and made a point of saying I was talking generically, not to you personally.

Yes, we have several local ones. We've given away full tins of paint in a colour we won't use and a laptop computer that would only work being plugged in (to a girl who needed it for school). Also got things we've wanted - empty jam jars when we had a glut of bean and tomatoes for pickling and bike rack for the car. Excellent idea to participate...

I use a facebook group called "I need a whisk..(Basingstoke - insert your own hometown here) you target local people in your community who are more likely to show up

I’ve used both Freecycle and Freegle over the years. I’ve given stuff and asked for stuff, usually successfully.

MaizieD

Can you Freecycle electrical goods? I have a few electrical items in fine working order to give away. The local charity shops won't take any electrical items.

Hi Maizie - I've had the same problem trying to donate to charity shops so I've freecycled working small electricals, a hairdryer and an iron. I say “working when last used, no guarantees, you need to check safety yourself”. But I've seen electric cookers, fridges, lamps, etc., on our local site. Good luck!

Yes, definitely worth a go.

I use both Freecycle and Freegle. Admittedly, I've received more than offered - simply because I tend to use my stuff to the point of destruction.

On one of them (Freegle, I think) they do encourage the use of a 'not to be resold' notification, but I don't know how much/well they police it.

I have when it is something too good to throw away and I cannot be bothered trying to sell. It is doing me a favour having it collected so I do not mind if the person wants to sell on.

If you are giving as a form of recycling what does it matter if someone else makes money out of it, the item is still being recycled.

We also have a local FB group called 'free to you if you pick it up'

and as said, I will even deliver if I know the person is handicapped, or SN in any way.

I've recently got a ton of small rounded boulders to edge a stream I shall make in Spring from a house gutter to the newly refurbished pond. We had to make 4 journeys to not overload the car, and it was hard work, but it saved me a lot of money.

Yes I use it a lot, and Freegle which is much the same I think. I know that some people do collect my things and then resell at boot sales, FB Market place or similar, but to be honest, if it has cleared the item from my house then I am happy.

Yes, same here. Much rather someone resold it, than ending up in landfill. But if there is an item that could give valuable money to a Charity, then that is even better, as Kitty says.

On holiday in Germany, we found that they regularly hold 'FREE markets' and also 'FREE repair days' - same in several European countries.

The Council let's the organisation have space for free, and on free markets, everything put on tables is just ... free. Help yourself- there are Charity boxes, which are optional.

And for 'repair days' you can bring anything to be repaired for free. They have experts in so many trades, with their apprentices, to repair stuff. Anything from kettles, laptops, books, toys cycles, whatever. If it can't be repaired, and it is very rare, then they will tell you so and explain why. Great idea.

I’ve used Freecycle for decades and made friends along the way. I only once regretted it, when a couple turned up to collect garden table and chairs in a white van, treated it as if they were doing me a favour and never said thank you. I would bet a penny to a pound they would sell it all at a car boot sale. I’ve had no shows too but now have a nose for who is not likely to turn up. Usually the first to reply and anyone who doesn’t say please.
When my daughter and three children came over from Oz for a month at Christmas I received an abundance of useful stuff, clothes, car seats, a pushchair and toys and Freecycled them all when they went home.