Freecycle - has anyone used it?

Have used it quite a lot and have only had one or two problems with people not turning up. It has never occurred to me that people might sell things on but to be honest I don’t really care!

We put a printer and keyboard on Freegle this weekend, both went within a day.

Like you Nvella we had problems with 'no shows, so we do the same as AreWeThereyet and give the potential recipients 24 hours to collect and then offer on if they do not.

I've used Freeycle many times - gave away a Halogen oven, small suitcase, rucksacks, straw baskets, 2 side tables, kitchen equipment and lots of other stuff. Picked up an adjustable mannequin, a shoe rack and a stool.

I always ask the first responder when they will collect and tell them if they don't pick it up then it will be offered to the next person that asked. I usually ignore any immediate responses though (unless they are the only ones) as they are usually people who respond to everything while they debate if they actually want it and then ignore you.

I used them when I downsized and I did get sick of the number of no -shows. Then there were those who turned up for large items by themselves and with no transport, even though I had put a warning in the ad. Then the same people turned up for everything - presumably car booters. To be honest I got fed up with the whole thing in the end.

When my ex left he took things that I needed to replace and I had no money so discovering freecycle was immensely useful. Since getting back on my feet I've given stuff away too. Most people are really nice and it is great to help someone out. I've occasionally delivered stuff if someone has a real problem collecting and the alternative would be a trip to the dump so I'd rather it found a new home. I even got rid of a tree that was growing too near the house. The recipients dug it up themselves and took it away! When my Mum died I got rid of all the stuff I didn't want to keep either to charity shops of on freecycle as my brother would have taken it to landfill! I hate waste and care about the environment so I love freecycle!

I've put some electrical Items on some hair straighteners and a prelit Christmas tree which went to a local church so that was nice . I've had some lovely messages of thanks so it does feel a good thing to do . I'm pretty good a spotting which are a bit fake - they tend to go on a bit too much !

When my cat died I had loads of tins and sachets of cat food which obviously a charity could not sell. I gave it to a lady who was feeding a stray cat so she was not out of pocket and the cat would have been delighted.

Have put several items on Freecycle including: old gates and a bike that needed severe renovation, generally stuff too good to throw away but not taken by charity shops. I don't mind if it helps someone to later make a bit of profit.

I posted willow cuttings and horseradish. Not only did several people come, they dug up the horseradish and pruned the willow and posted photos of the dens and fences they had made.
How lovely

That seems to me to be the spirit of the sites.

I got my circa 1931 Singer sewing machine from free cycle and an excellent folding travel cot for the grand children when babies and will be giving it away when we don’t need it most likely on freecycle!

It has been a good site whenever I’ve used it. Also one I found called I Collect Clothes. They pick up from your home, sell them, keep part of profits and rest to a charity that you nominate. I’m happy for enterprising people to make some money out of stuff I no longer need. Keeps it out of landfill, too.

I have also sold things and sometimes if you put a price on something it attracts more interest.

The jamjars resonates
I posted willow cuttings and horseradish. Not only did several people come, they dug up the horseradish and pruned the willow and posted photos of the dens and fences they had made.

I'm leaning on my IKEA kitchen table which came from Freecycle. An IKEA settee with a new cover is in the granny flat.
I don't like spending money and buying new if I can find things free or very cheap.

Now I am trying to declutter and it is slow work.

We use a local re use re cycle group where selling is not allowed. It works for us as a way of getting rid of clutter that a charity shop wouldn,t want such as an old folding chair. Items are usually left outside the door for collection .

I free cycled a cooker when I got a new one. My daughter used it a lot when the children were little.

I have used freecycle over several years both in the London Borough in which I used to live and now down in the Somerset town where I currently live.

Often electrical items, not selling them, so no problems. I always show photos of items, give clear measurements and full details where possible original instruction booklet.

I started to get very speedy replies asking if 'item was still for sale?' and then asking for measurements (which had all been given in advert. These are nearly always time wasters, they have this response set up to ALL new adverts. I stopped even relying to any of these, deleting them. They are traders looking for items they can sell on, having got it for free!!!!

Over the years all sorts of items have gone from me, beds bookcases, kitchen items, white goods, etc, etc, They always have to colect at a convenient time for me and pay in cash.

I used Freecycle in the past and found it mixed. You can either have loads of responses clogging up your email, be ignored or have people wanting you to take stuff to them
More recently I have used Facebook marketplace as at least the response is just in my FB messenger, not mixed with other emails.
I couldn't workout setting up Olio as it seemed to insist I used my phone, not my laptop.

Thanks pascal, brilliant.

Fleurpepper

pascal30

We also have a site on Nextdoor for free stuff, and a Repair Cafe once a month for almost anything be it bikes, electrical or clothes. and I've found Gumtree a good resource..

Where is the repair Café Pascal? thanks

It is in St George's Hall, Moulsecomb Brighton but if you look at the repair cafe site on google you might find others..

In my town whe have a very well functioning freecycle group on facebook. The group has good administration and practical rules. One of these is that you can't message the person offering or asking for something unless this person invites you to do so. Works very well!

I have given away but also acquired many things over decades on Freecycle and later on Gumtree freebies.

I have a harmonium broken if anyone would like it!

Yes, I belong to two nearby groups. I don't like waste and sending perfectly good stuff to landfill. We got rid of a large, old tv - with a very good picture, but heavy/bulky, not flat screen. It was snapped up by a sports club - as not likely to ever be stolen!

Beds, cots, storage furniture, a garden swing set, saucepans, even an old washbasin were promptly collected by appreciative people. Whether they are kept and used - or sold on, I don't care, as I'm rid of them, my problem's solved, without the guilt of taking them to the tip.

Have used Freecycle and Freegle many times pre-covid but not recently. So easy, apart from a few time-wasters.
Have given away such things as clean jam jars when it's jam-making season, baby items and furniture. Also acquired a shower seat when my mother was living with us, very useful!

I tend to use a local Facebook group to gift free things and you can often find things on there as well that others are gifting

pascal30

We also have a site on Nextdoor for free stuff, and a Repair Cafe once a month for almost anything be it bikes, electrical or clothes. and I've found Gumtree a good resource..

Where is the repair Café Pascal? thanks

i use it on a regular basis as well as trash nothing. its been great for getting toys etc to use at mine for the grandchildren, i even got their beds and baby equipment when they were younger. i regularly have items to give, especially jam jars in the summer months for jams and pickling and it was brilliant for getting rid of my old washing machine, saved having to pay to have it taken away.