Freecycle is it corrupt??

A question about : Freecycle is it corrupt??

Seems like a lot of posts for items are not making the board but are taken.
I guess the takers are psychic.
There must be huge temptation for administrators seeing items before it reaches board.
Does this happen?
Am I the only person who has noticed strange things on Freecycle.
There are also on my local boards a large number of greedy people posting wanted for luxury items that would never be sent to landfill. I have seen everything from Leather 3 piece suite(must be black), expensive musical instruments and increasingly commonly cars.
And then the others who either request or take everything they can and then spend a profitable sunday morning at the local car boot sale.
Surely this is contrary to the ethos of Freecycle.
Great idea but against human nature in an environment where greed rules
I look forward to any comments.
Michael

Best answers:

• Its a nice idea but falls down in execution as it gets even larger. Shame really as I have a lot of stuff to get rid of and most of it will be ending up in the landfill as I can't stomach the lot on my local freecycle. If they're not begging for stuff that wouldn't have ended up in landfill anyway, they are trying to offload unwanted dogs (mods have finally put a stop to this).
• I too see more taken than offered posts
  Funny how the admins were apologising for take so long to mod posts but when I offered my time to help, I didn't even get an acknowledgement.
  I can't totally knock everyone as I've had a few good things on there. I guess nothings ever perfect!
• mine is ok so far. It is just that it seems some people just spend their whole day on freecycle.
  I do not necessarily ask for the most valuable items ever, I asked for a fish tank that a school was thinking of putting a hammer through it (WTF!) and never heard anything back. I know some people might be too busy to send an email to evryone but posting a "taken" message would be nice.
  It annoys me too to see some peole asking for very high value items.
  I never actually posted a wanted ad: i think that if people want to get rid of something, they can truly decide by themselves, i will not push them to give me something they might have kept.
  Also, some people can be a bit stubborn: when i send an email, my mobile phone is at the bottom of the page. The other day, I asked but did not know if I got it, in the meantime my normal email server went down so i sent the guy a message through my official yahoo address saying who I was and explaining the situation and giving once again my mobile number. When my normal email was back on, the bloke actually said "since you never replied to me I have given it to somebody else"... no comments
• Its certainly dodgy.
  Traders use it to stock up on stuff for car boot
  sales etc, which is not really in the spirit of the thing. I gave up using it long ago because of this.
• If a trader takes your item away and sells it to someone who has a use for it, then that's three people happy. You've got rid of whatever it was that was cluttering up your house without having to stick it in landfill. The trader's made a bit of cash and the person he sold it to has got something they wanted.
  Why do we think that a trader using Freecycle to earn money for their family is less worthy than someone who just wants the free stuff for doing nothing?
• Not my fault my normal email went down on that day. I would have gladly contacted him but I did not have his phone number and I actually said to send me a text and i would gladly call him back. I even put my normal email address in the title of the one I sent from yahoo.
  Honestly, it was a one off.
  My phone number is part of my siggy on my normal emails. I never say to people to contact me on it, but it has proven helpful for some of them to let me know they could not be there 1hour before picking up time. tis all! i do understand your frustration thoguh: youa r egiving something for free, why would you have to pay for the phonecalls to arrange collection?
• As an "owner"of a freecycle local board I agree the system is open to abuse but I wouldn't dream of it since I started it locally because of my genuinely held environmental worries.To me it would be tantamount to stealing which is plain wrong. I have appointed a moderator (we are only small) but would welcome any help offered. I think the main danger is traders using it to gather stock. For that reason it's best when offering something to not just give it to the first who responds but to perhaps someone who sounds genuine. Also, it's seems unfair that people who do not sit in front of a computer all day are not given a chance to take up an offer.
  It is great when someone comes to collect something and you can see their genuine delight.
• hey Fay, it's ok.
  In fairness, i have only been anet taker so far, just moved in our home in Dec 2006 and lots of decorating to do. When i get lucky I get lucky big time. i got a woman's wolly double breasted coat the other day, can't believe she did not want it anymore since it is coming back in fashion!
• I have tried to use freecycle but have been unsuccessful all the goods have either gone or never existed in the first place. I have now resorted to using various charity shops - I have had furniture and electrical goods from the British Heart Foundation and yet more furniture and glassware from my local Primrose Hospice Charity shop (plus I have given them stuff too as well advised them on pricing antique glass).
• The owner of our local Freecycle has asked for everything that I have offered and it makes me so cross. The first time was a chest freezer and I gave it to him as I didn't realise that he asked for all that came up.
  I won't be using Freecycle anymore due to something that happened the other week. I had offered several kitchen items and wanted to give 1 item per person (almost all the replies said 'I'll have 'em all'!!), so I selected people who only asked for one item and gave them the address to collect. One of the ladies came to my door to collect one of the items and started to ask for the other ones as well, to which I told her that all had been alocated. Her friend who was with her then said the she had also emailed me and asked if I was going to give her the items she had asked for. I said again that I had offered them out and she got really angry, saying that she had had a wasted journey!! I was really taken aback and will not put myself into that position again. I could have emailed the owner, but he doesn't really seem to be that interested when others have made complaints onlist.
• oldMc Donald I would report him to Freecycle HQ! that is so annoying.
• So far, no one is making me looking fwd to giving my stuff away when i start refurnishing the house.
• I just ignore the regular emails I get saying 'i'll take the lot' when I have offered really eclectic lists of random stuff that I doubt someone would really NEED.
  Our local group has a rule if you offer something you can say 'not for resale'
  I have mostly good experiences however, people who genuinely wanted and needed items, as well as things I have received which have been invaluable. I have had some lovely follow up emails and thankyou cards from some people.
  I do not understand why its against the rules to ask for an Ipod but not a car, caravan, x-box, PS2/3 and so on!
  I tend to fall in and out of favour with it! I have asked for things which I know LOADS of people would have surplus to requirements but had not one reply.
• Oh btw madfrenchgirl there are probably charities you can give your stuff to instead. Our area has one for people with babies and young children to whom I donated things like bugy, cot, baby clothes, bottles etc. The local authority has a scheme for furniture for people on low incomes.
• This morning I logged onto Freecycle and there was a msg stating that the OP had recently become an Ann Summers rep and was offering to organise parties and we could contact her on her email address. I have tried REALLY hard to sus out the "prevent landfill" ethos and can only think it must be saving her printing flyers to post
  I think it was pretty poor of the mods, that this was not seen and deleted as soon as possible.
  I too hate the idea of traders . If I had wanted money for my stuff I would have used ebay . Enough said :rolleyes:
• Well if I can share my experiences - they are somewhat different. I owned some properties and have sold them off, I have a huge amount of stuff to give away and the charities were not interested, even in pine beds, a washing machine which was an integrated one, etc. I have offered all sorts of stuff and as far as I know all of it has gone to genuine people. It has saved me the bother of taking it to the dump, although I guess that is counter-productive in the time it takes to reply and organise, but at least the stuff has not been wasted. I have given away all sorts from loads of half empty paint cans (from student house) to artists and wardrobe doors to someone wanting to board out his loft. It makes me so happy to feel that the stuff is being put to good use and I get a lovely warm feeling from helping people out who genuinely seem to need these things. It's been avery positive win-win situation where I live.