I found out about this website thro an A4A member (sorry, can't remember who) Essentially this is a forum for people to give away the stuff they no longer want or need, rather than throwing it away.
When I joined, I gave away a couple of garden chairs but since then I have had great success in finding stuff for the lottie. To date I have gratefully received a compost bin, bunk beds (make great raised beds) and free standing metal shelves for the shed.
A bit of a result - so thanks A4A
I joined on a recommendation from someone on here. No one wants my stuff but I've got a nice collection of wine & beer making stuff
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
I adore freecycle ... it never ceases to amaze me that the stuff you think is junk is just what someone else is looking for
i only pop onto my freecycle site everyso often and am sure i miss loads of bargains as they're too far down the pages. would it be worthwhile relisting to reach the irregular lurkers glow ?
There is a way you can get an e-mail reminder when something new is posted.
I joined our local one yesterday, and I've had a fair few emails since. ::) Unfortunately no one's giving away anything I want yet. :D
It must be in your member settings where you choose how you wish to receive posts.
Addy please for freecycle, Thanks.
Here it is Rosebud
www.freecycle.org
then you just need to choose your area and follow the links. When you register choose to receive the digest rather than individual emails. I had over 500 emails in my inbox the first day I registered :o
I've not had much luck with Freecycle......when I see something either it's gorn or I get no reply.
Have given away quite a bit, and like said above probably to do with the settings.
Also am not on the computer in the evening, so sure am missing a lot.
Am registered with Norfolk and Fenland , where I visit regular.
A friend said it was my username putting people off. I mean what is wrong with archiebald arbuthnot ;D ;D ;D
Remember seeing this site a while back but there was no-one in my area, now there are loads ;D
Just love freecycle - have given away quite a bit of stuff through it and met some really nice people! Trying to recycle things before was just a nightmare.
On my local group you have to be really quick if you want something thats offered tho - with over 1000 members in my local group things go quick. I usually get responses within 30 minutes for stuff I put up. You have to set your membership to receive all messages and watch closely!
Alternatively you can always put a Wanted ad. Several people have done that for lotty stuff and they seem to get what they need.
I love Freecycle.. Initially, I thought, 'Woo, free junk!' but nowadays I'm loving the fact I can get rid of my own junk to happy homes.
Our Manchester group has a sort of policy to say that people should do a names-out-of-the-hat thing after a few days, to avoid everyone scrabbling to be the first to reply. Seems to work well.
Melanie
They made me use a Yahoo address - which is not my e-mail address - so I don't get any replies!
This is what I put on -
Thinks ... passata :P ... are those jars still on offer tim? :o :o
great site. missed the 6x4 shed, but got a years woth of gardening mags & a years worth of which? gardening mags. fantastic! Shall be putting stuff up when I have a clear-out!
Sprout - indeed - but a fair bike-ride to you??
I love freecycle too. I've aquired one of those walk in greenhouses, the cover is in need of repair but otherwise will be great for my aubergines and peppers this year. Also picking up some bricks and wood tomorrow.
I got some strawberries yesterday ;D ;D ;D
I Love freecyclers too. So far i havent got anything but i've given plenty away!
http://www.freecyclers.org.uk/
Hi all,
I too joined freecycle after it was mentioned here.
So far I`m having fun decluttering and helping other people, but haven`t been able to get anything I`d like. (someone had a rotovator)
Col
I've just got myself a rabbit cage which i'm going to raise my chicks in when they hatch ;)
My first gain from freecyclers. woohoo ;D
i am glad i can get rid of stuff via freecycle - stuff that holds little value to me but is just what someone else is looking for!
i love freecycle but have just resigned from one group.
it all started to get very abusive about "wanted" notices and several people posted messages saying that the individuals who came to collect stuff weren't "worthy" or "deserving enough" as they drove "nice cars"(?). ???
It all got very judgemental so I have joined another local group - so far they all seem quite laid back about things!
Tabbycat
I've come across this as well; people can get very judgemental at times. Best avoided, I always feel.
Hi all,
I found Freecyclers to be very nice, frequently busy and disorganised like myself, but nice, :)
Col
Surely it's nothing to do with the person who collects the items - if the queen turned up and collected my toe nail clippings the point is that item has been recycled and not added to the great british rubbish dumps.
People who drive nice cars probably drive nice cars because they are clever enough to use things like freecycle
glow (I can only dream of BMW's)
WOW - my first 2 page thread ;D
The London freecycle site has these 'hissy fits' from time to time. First about people posting lots of Wanted and apparently not offering anything. Then about people who were posting a Recieved, thanks and now about local sites being created, e.g. Ealing, Kingston, Sutton etc. I just ignore it and generally the moaners wear themselves out.
I have never met any of my 'receivers'. As we all tend to be busy and because I don't want to spend a whole day waiting in for someone (when I could be at the lottie) I wrap up the item and leave it in the front garden, then the person can collect at their convenience.
I posted a Flymo strimmer that had been in the shed for several years and that last year I couldn't even give away. Within an hour of posting on freecycle, I could have given it away 10 times over. I find the hardest thing is to choose the recipient. I must say, when people say it is for their Mum or Granny, my little voice is saying 'yeah, right'.............so perhaps we are all a bit judgemental - human nature?
Well enough of that self analysis - school run time.
I got some strawberry plants a few weeks back from freecycle. Haven't got organised enough to start trying to de-clutter my own place yet! I tend to prefer to give stuff to charity shops, but I think freecycle's an ideal way of getting stuff for allotments, because most of the stuff we want (plants, wood, etc) wouldn't be any good to a charity shop and so would definitely end up in landfill.
I would like to give my stuff to charity shops but their response in the past has rather put me off. With two children, I tend to have a lot of clothes that could be passed on. I have sold a lot thro boot sales, but decided this time to take to a charity shop in Twickenham. Everything in the bag was washed and folded. The women took one look and said "no thanks - we already have enough clothes". I walked the length of the High St, before finding a shop that would take the stuff - at that point I would have been happy to put it in the bin >:(
I gave 5 plastic garden chairs away last week on freecycle. Had been taking up space in the garden for 2 years 'cos we now have some wooden ones. (after they were gone I thought 'should have taken one to lottie'! ;D)
We have a charity shop at church, and at times we have more clothes than we know what to do with. A lot of it's no use, and ends up in the garage; the contents go to the rag man every few months. Sometimes the volunteers who run it are completely overwhelmed by the quantity of stuff coming in (I dragged two dozen overflowing bin liners in the other day), and don't even have the time to sort through it all.
I think the success of your freecycler site is down to the organizers so of course there will be good sites and bad sites.
People forget that it isn't a charity site for the needy - its a 'green' site for reducing land fill!
For people who are really in need, freecycle is better than charity shops, because it is free! The charity I work for refers people to the local "Community furniture store", but they still have to pay for the furniture, unless they can get a grant from another charity, which can take some time. I was quite annoyed to discover this, having donated stuff to the furniture store in the past. It'll all be going on freecycle now. Just a shame that the people who need it don't often have access to a computer or a car.
I only signed up to our local freecycle after reading this thread. I felt that I couldnt ask for stuff right away so made sure that I was offering and not wanting. Have given away a pile of old gardening mags, kitchen garden,gardeners world, am gardener and such. Also found new homes for 4 dalek type compost bins(gone onto pallet compost bins now) and some rather large shrubs that I had planted too close together and now needed to thin out. First wanted was some plastic tables and chairs (getting ready for a summer party and need chairs for guests to sit in the garden). Have just picked up 6 chairs and a cleaner upper of a table ;D Im well pleased with freecycle.
Not much luck here with local group, I was told I could have some seed trays and a composter, but when I emailed about collecting them, I was told he had given them to someone else !! Not been too successful in shifting my stuff either........think I might try a little further afield or even go to the tip >:(
you have to be quick, for sure!
dont forget that people freecycle stuff because they want to get rid of it - it's inconvenient if the pickup takes much longer than putting The Thing into the bin! i know, i have been there!
yuor right there svea, you do have to be quick. i have passed on plants and kids bits and its fun when you know your old stuff is wanted by others. in the past couple of weeks i have managed to pick up a garden bench and 12 large rockery stones. very pleased, both of these were picked up on the same day they were posted on the site. there does seem to be a lot of peeps on my local freecycle that want too much...laptops,cars,telvisions etc.
Just joined today after reading this post. I don't have anything I want to get rid of at the moment or I need so I bet I forget about the site after a while.
For those female people who have trouble finding somewhere to donate clothes, how about the local womens refuge?Locally they are always grateful for toiletries,toys, and womens and childrens clothes.Sometimes they arrive with nothing and a few bits help until they can get sorted.
Just had a Freecycle email full of 'wants' one of which was a small caravan ??? and another was a car to take the people on holiday as theirs had broken down. (must have tax and MOT). :o
I think I must have misunderstood the concept of freecycle.............I'm going to ask for unwanted jewelry and a free holiday ;D ;D ;D
Well, if you don't ask you don't get. ;D ;D
I have seen cars offered on Freecycle, albeit the 'needs attention' variety.
I find that the wanted posts prompt me to think about the items I have stuffed in the shed and cupboards and consider if I still really need or want them, if I don't and someone else has a need - then why not.....
Like you though, I am sometimes a bit cynical about some of the requests. Like everything, Freecycle is bound to be exploited and the freely given items end up on places like ebay or Sunday's boot sale. I'm not going to let the mean behaviour of a minority prevent me from participating in things like Freecycle.
Quote from: SMP1704 on June 01, 2006, 21:15:01
I'm not going to let the mean behaviour of a minority prevent me from participating in things like Freecycle.
Snap. Hope to snaffle 9 demijohns tonight, ignoring Wanted posts for computers, tvs and (yes) caravans ???
Quote from: Emagggie on June 01, 2006, 20:33:52
Just had a Freecycle email full of 'wants' one of which was a small caravan ??? and another was a car to take the people on holiday as theirs had broken down. (must have tax and MOT). :o
I think I must have misunderstood the concept of freecycle.............I'm going to ask for unwanted jewelry and a free holiday ;D ;D ;D
is that on the Yahoo freecycle group maggie? You should try freecyclers.org.uk its a much better board, very organised and mods keep up to date with things that have been freecycled so delete threads etc.
Yes, O O, It is Yahoo. Things improving slightly,someone actually emailed me to say sorry but someone else got there first. !! Today I collected some Kefir grains from a delightful lady.
I will have a look at the other site immediatley, if not sooner............. ;D ;D ;D
I managed to get a stair gate which I was chuffed about as i've been round boots sales trying to get one. I felt strange going to someones house and not paying for it though. Someone offered a shed the other day, I though wow for the lot but they haven't come back so wonder if it was a wind up.
The idea is a great one, and you do feel like your doing your bit to keep green.
I heard of it from here and now have one just starting in my aera.
must sort some things out for it.
Had another success yesterday. Youngest daughter's best friend has a little one and not much dosh. I spotted a high chair which I thought that she would like. Checked with her and yes.......great... thats fine. I was the first to ask for it and collected a beautiful almost brand new chicco highchair with all the trimmings. Needless to say she is so very very chuffed ;D ;D Me too