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Although to some extent I can agree with what has been commented on freecycle, I think may of you are forgetting the actual purpose.

I have something I have no use for but it is still fit for purpose, I could

1. throw it in the bin, fly tip it, burn it, landfill - generally mess up the environment amd be part of our wasteful society. Sod everyone else, me, me ,me!

or

2. Ebay - it or sell it through small ads etc. It's still fit for purpose, I paid good money for it, I can get something back to reinvest.

or

3. act as a philanthropist, give it to charity - I don't want it but someone else out there might and rather than throw it in the bin - recycle it... for free - Freecycle.

The choice is ours, the purpose is to prevent stuff going to waste or into landfill. When I give stuff away - I don't want it anymore, simple. The other individual may sell it on ebay and make a profit, they can because it is now theirs, not mine BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT IT, I gave it away. They may use it, they may not - again up to the recipient.

I don't get this "you can't have it if you don't sit up and beg" or,  "say please, say pretty please, say pretty please sir" attitude. For Christs sake, if no-one responds on FS  then that item is going to landfill and you don't expect the refuse worker to say thankyou when you sling your old tent etc in the skip.

My usual response is "Hi i'm interested in X item if still available, can collect tonight/ tomorrow. regards X " because by the time I entered my entire social history, financial status the item is gone and I might as well have not bothered replying in the first place. If I get the item THEN I say thankyou. 

Freecycle is one stop away from landfill, that's all.

P.S What method of verification do you use when someone has responded that they are impoverished and have 40 kids - bank statements and birth certificates 

Thankyou - Rant over

Quote: Originally posted by haltedmass on 24/9/2008

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Although to some extent I can agree with what has been commented on freecycle, I think may of you are forgetting the actual purpose.

I have something I have no use for but it is still fit for purpose, I could

1. throw it in the bin, fly tip it, burn it, landfill - generally mess up the environment amd be part of our wasteful society. Sod everyone else, me, me ,me!

or

2. Ebay - it or sell it through small ads etc. It's still fit for purpose, I paid good money for it, I can get something back to reinvest.

or

3. act as a philanthropist, give it to charity - I don't want it but someone else out there might and rather than throw it in the bin - recycle it... for free - Freecycle.

The choice is ours, the purpose is to prevent stuff going to waste or into landfill. When I give stuff away - I don't want it anymore, simple. The other individual may sell it on ebay and make a profit, they can because it is now theirs, not mine BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT IT, I gave it away. They may use it, they may not - again up to the recipient.

I don't get this "you can't have it if you don't sit up and beg" or,  "say please, say pretty please, say pretty please sir" attitude. For Christs sake, if no-one responds on FS  then that item is going to landfill and you don't expect the refuse worker to say thankyou when you sling your old tent etc in the skip.

My usual response is "Hi i'm interested in X item if still available, can collect tonight/ tomorrow. regards X " because by the time I entered my entire social history, financial status the item is gone and I might as well have not bothered replying in the first place. If I get the item THEN I say thankyou. 

Freecycle is one stop away from landfill, that's all.

P.S What method of verification do you use when someone has responded that they are impoverished and have 40 kids - bank statements and birth certificates 

Thankyou - Rant over

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Oops, too busy ranting about FS.

In response to Dessie and the original post. whoever gets the tent in the first instance, it will end up being camped in , whether sold on to or taken by "someone who camps". Far at the end of the day, what is a 'camper'? 

Terry,

Without detracting much further from the intent of this topic, I agree that manner's are a great thing and there are far too few going around nowadays. As you say it's the Freecycler's prerogative to who  they finally give an item, but there are lots of freecycling scenarios. It can be hard to define sometimes who is doing whom a favour. As a generalisation most of the people using freecycle have access to a home PC so that would rule out many of the most needy in society (Trust me on this I worked in the relevant sector for some time). Much is opportunistic on the recipient side - so if the item isn't 'won' nothing is lost - it would have been nice but what you never had, you don't miss. Ice-cream makers, Futons, standard lamps and pokemon books aren't particularly essentials, nor in that case is a tent. I would be nice to get them for free but if I really wanted those things I'd buy them.

So I could say "Please could you consider me for this item", but it isn't quite the same as "please give me food or i'll starve" because if I don't get the item I'm not too fussed If I am accepted and given an address or phone number i'm in a form of contract so if the FS says. On the other side of the coin, I have seen plenty of FS items that have "taking up too much space" or "going to the tip if not gone tonight", which would entail the taker doing the advertiser a favour as a refuse removal (local council cost £6-£15 for a sofa) at which case a mutual thankyou is given by both parties. What if a "genuinely needy case" forgot to put on please in haste?  

I would guess that most of the members on UKCS are pretty much fully kitted out, so to ask that kit only went to campers would mean doubling up. People by nature love a bargain and I reckon there are a fair few would happily take on a second offered Monty 6 ( for spares or resale) because they could. It's difficult to put provisos on something advertised because it's hard to prove or disprove you meet the criterion. I will only give X to 'proper campers' smacks of snobbery.

(Gosh i'm really on one today- will have to work over to catch up) 

Must admit I've left stuff by my bins and its usually disappeared within a few days - even a no longer working (and blade removed) lawn mower!  With Freecycle I will usually just pick a name out of a hat, after all how else do you pick from the people offering. The one exception on this was a bathroom cupboard which went to a lady, via her father, who was having to move house due to an abusive partner. If someone wants to put it on Ebay fine, mind nothing I give away is worth going on Ebay or I'd do it myself!  I also use Freecycle to get rid off larger items which I just can't move myself - usually these have gone to folks who need them. I mean who's going to come and dismantle a bunk bed just to then sell it on? If they did fine, but it got it away from my house.

Regarding the tent - Freecycle it if you want, I frequently see folks asking for tents etc on the Leeds Freecycle so they are more likely to be genuine campers (seems to happen more often around festival times though).

Quote: Originally posted by haltedmass on 24/9/2008

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Oops, too busy ranting about FS.

In response to Dessie and the original post. whoever gets the tent in the first instance, it will end up being camped in , whether sold on to or taken by "someone who camps". Far at the end of the day, what is a 'camper'? 

 

 

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I have to say sometimes I think people have a bit of cheek. They ask for things like XBox, DVD player, and other non essentail stuff. Then claim they can't afford because they are a lone parent or similar.

Whether they can or not is not for me to say, but as these are not essentails why can't they get by without them.

Of course if someone was offering that would be different.