Does everyone here know about Freecycle. You can give away things that you no longer want but may be useful to someone else and vice versa. Most areas have their own group.
So far I've had a greenhouse and paving slabs. The nice lady that gave me the paving slabs also swapped some seedlings and a cup of tea!!
New messages are posted in my group every day.
http://www.freecycle.org/display.php?region=United%20Kingdom (http://www.freecycle.org/display.php?region=United%20Kingdom)
Yes Loo lots of us are freecyclers here. Great scheme ;D
When I go to freecycle.org, my area opens up as a yahoo group - is this right? ???
They use the yahoo server. Its been ok here in London just the tons of emails I get everyday. I've missed two sheds and bag of pots as the people never come back to me.
Our freecycle is now too big and unwieldy, especially for the Yahoo format. Advertising something can get a few hundred replies and the poor thread system on Yahoo means people don't connect the TAKEN with OFFERED announcements and keep emailing. I've given up on it.
Thankfully we are quite rural here and the population isnt that large. Our local freecycle was only set up in July last year so its still quite small (but very well used)
I'v only recently found out about freecycle, we have a newish group where I live but loads of action on it. We get two or three emails a day with about twenty five offers or wants on them.
I'm really pleased as up to now I've had a very old oak standard lamp something I've always wanted. Also a Radio,CD,Tape player as mine had gone to that big radio station in the sky ;D
Still not got a piece of white worktop five foot long if any ones got one :D
Yes I'm pleased with it all and cant beleive some of the stuff folks throw out!!!
Cant say that I like the set up and layout of freecycler.org.
I've had more luck and fun with www.dontdumpthat.com
Shall have to try that one ::)
tried the dont dump it website but can't find anything in my area and the site doesn't even work properly!
???
Yes, same here know dumpit scheme in my area
so I'll stick with freecycle. Got a camping cooker today
for the 'lottie. Cant wait to have a nice cup of tea
whilst I'm up there.
Faith
Hi,
Just joined Freecycle, but I have a question. I have replied to an offer of stuff in my local area, but how do I know if I can collect? Do they e-mail me direct, or post a message on the forum?
Sorry for being so dumb.
Generally, you will receive an email from the person offering the item to let you know when/how you can come and collect or to say that someone else got there first :(
which is usually the case! ;D
Or they don't collect. :(
??? how odd !
Very. Maybe she had a better offer.Only a bag of dressmaking patterns that she had asked for,I even offered to post them originally,but she said she would collect. Now back in the attic. ::)
I know this is an old thread but I love freecycle! I'm on the London freecycle list and just get the daily digests, people did seem to catch on to my 'taken' notices but only after half a day or so. Offered items seem to go very very quickly so it's best to actually check on yahoo for the very latest listings rather than wait for the emails.
It's worth posting a 'wanted' ad! I missed a couple sheds and had no luck locally with all my friends looking for one for me so I posted a wanted listing and a lady emailed me that day! So you never know. I now have a lovely free shed just waiting to be put back together. :)
newbies: you will get an email. It could be that they simply got tons of replied and couldn't reply to all of them.
Ta,
Tina.
artist-allotment.blogspot.com
Quote from: cardinalflower on July 03, 2006, 23:00:03
tried the dont dump it website but can't find anything in my area and the site doesn't even work properly!
???
Might be worth trying again, there are new forums on there covering more areas and the site works fine for me.
We put things on Freecycle when they're too big for the local charity shops. Worked well so far. :)
i've gotten a few things on there. it's a really good idea...though you have to be REALLY quick. like sit there and watch the site sometimes if you want something....because there's 10 other people always waiting to get stuff.
I've already been kindly given 2 fish tanks, lots of equipment for a fish tank, pots for the garden, baskets. some nice lady a few weeks ago gave me all the gardening magazines she collected over the last 3 years. mainly gardeners world but easy gardning aswell.
Unfortunately i had to throw them away after reading...but it was kind none the less.
Quote from: wahaj on November 04, 2006, 09:24:09
Unfortunately i had to throw them away after reading...but it was kind none the less.
Why didn't you freecycle them for someone else?
Our branch of freecycle (buxton) seems to of closed :'(
Agreed glow, that's the whole point isn't it - to re-use instead of putting it in a landfill.
Wahaj could've shredded em & added to his compost - with a shredder got from Freecycle, of course ;D
Reckon our Doctor's surgery gets their mags from Freecycle peeps - how else to explain Gardeners World or similar, 10 years old?
I love freecycle. I've got rid of lots of stuff, and collected a few things too. Hoping to get some leaf mulch tomorrow if there's any left. I tend to give away anything that charity shops won't take.
ok i should probably clarify lol....it wasn't just thrown straight into the bin...i did use it. we had a big eid...it's like a muslim thing.....and we made loads of deep fried things for all the extended family....and onc eyou've fried it...we normally put it on newspaper....ubt we couldn't find much cos none of us read papers....so we just laid out pages from the magazine.
so by the time i was done i only had 3 magazines left and i didn't think anyone would want to travel to my house for 3 really old magazines.
OK, Wahaj, you're forgiven- almost had the freecycle police onto you then! ;D
Its' possible the Buxton branch has fallen foul of Freecycle's new policies. The central organisation seems to have gone the way of all succesful things and gone corporate. It's now sponsored by a major polluter and most of the original team have been 'sacked' because they objected to the way Freecycle is now run. Sites now have to comply with a draconian set of rules, including allowing a designated 'management account' for head office which allows them to close the site and reopen their own. A lot of the early pioneers have left and are setting up independent sites. Many sites have been closed by the founder for trademark infringement. Even the word 'freecycling' has attracted legal action. One of the major criticisms is that most of the sponsorship money goes on salaries for the founder and the rest of the board ( who happen to be his other half and his best friend)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freecycle_Network
I'm getting between 20 and 30 emails a day is this normal ? :o :o ??? ???
You can alter your preferences so you get a daily 'digest' instead, saves some space. I find stuff goes so quickly, it's only really worth logging on to the site and seeing the most recent offers.
djbrenton, can you clarify whether you are referring to the mangement etc of the Buxton branch or of the whole freecycle network? I'd hate to think the whole thing is heading down the pan!
Take a look at the wiki link and then google. It seems to be what's commonly referred to as 'founderitis'. Someone comes up with a good idea, spreads it freely, then realises they've got a valuable commodity and try to control it and profit from it.
Freecycle (apparently there should be a Tm after it now) groups are only now allowed to exist if they subordinate themselves to the central leadership, otherwise they get closed down. The majority of the central team who co-ordinated the growth of freecycling have been booted out of the organisation for dissent and have started up their own groups with different names.
According to the wiki, the Buxton group was closed down without warning by the Arizona company claiming Freecycle as a registered trademark. Mass closures have taken place simply because the managers of local groups refused to allow a management account for the central organisers to take control of the local groups.
Legal battles are being waged to assert that the term Freecycle is in the public domain and should not be controlled in this way.
Thanks, dj, will keep an eye on this one.
Bit of a bummer tho if, like me, you live in Buxton :-[
Presumably there's nothing to stop them setting it up again under a new name.
Quote from: Mimi on June 27, 2006, 08:37:09
Yes Loo lots of us are freecyclers here. Great scheme ;D
Thankyou for the info on Freecycle found out there is one in the town where I live.Good Gourd.