FreecycleReviews of freecycle.org

I post offers and I've had some good experiences..people respond and follow through with picking item up. Too many times, though, I get email responses..saying they are really interested, and leave me their cell/phone # for me to call. I call them, don't answer, so I leave a vms with my phone #. I also email them with the info. Then....I never hear from them!...or I go back and forth with communication with interested party...then they back out or don't respond. It's a total waste of time, and very rude. If people aren't that serious, please don't waste the time of the person offering the item. Don't respond. Thanks for the venting.

My listing keeps getting deleted for no apparent reason, and emailing the moderator (3 times) has met with no response. Something is not quite working over there!

Note: this is about the user experience not the organisation itself or the ethos. The idea is one which when it works well for others is a good and meaningful way to help with consumer waste. I’ve only used Freecycle to offer one good condition, working item and unfortunately that experience was enough to put me off for good. I had two enquiries: one who passed my address onto a ‘friend’ without asking if it was okay to do that. They only told me when I emailed saying as they hadn’t collected the item I would give it to someone else. This made me very uncomfortable and I informed the moderators but have not as yet had a response. The second person did exchange mobile numbers but still didn’t show up. When I did message they seemed to be wanting me to bring the item to them, rather than collect it. I politely declined. I can’t leave stuff outside for collection, there’s no porch and it fronts onto a pavement, so it would be stolen or soaked in rain. I don’t have the money to constantly phone or text people chasing them up for something I’m trying to pass on rather than just chuck away! I’m going to look at local small charity groups in future who might actually feel pleased to have useful items they don’t have to pay for.

Time wasters paradise. No way of reporting them and excluding them. Having held items for someone who said they wanted them, they changed their minds, I’m out of time, items will be broken up and sent to landfill. Great idea but flawed by relying on people being genuine, which most are, but the few spoil it, and being an unregulated platform it attracts time wasters.

I've been a member since 2012, and I'm a member of 7 local groups: I travel around the county for work, so it makes sense to cover each city I travel to regularly. Most mods have imposed unnecessary and irritating rules, making them appear like dictators rather than mods. And one group has 7, that's SEVEN, administrative messages that they expect new users to read when the sign up. The basic Freecycle FAQ is sufficient, and the Mod Bible actually says that 'less moderation' is better, and to not be a dictator! But I guess a lot of mods don't care, and instead prefer to run the groups they moderate like their own personal Kingdoms. I think a basic 5 star Mod & Member rating system would be very handy, and it's been suggested for many years. Low rated Mods could be replaced, and people could determine who to interact with based on rating, in order to better avoid hostile or sketchy givers or takers.

Freecycle.org is an organization for people who want to get rid of their junk, but who do not want to do so the traditional way, such as simply just throwing them into the trash. Items that are old or not working or require parts are often advertised as giveaways. There are rare occasions where someone actually gives away something useful, but that is very rare, that is why I gave a 2 star as opposed to a 1 star. Additionally, there are people who respond to 'items wanted' and contact the individual or individuals in order to sell them the items. However, people using freecycle.org have to also be aware that there are people who access the site and advertise things to give away they do not have, in order to attract a date or sexual encounter. They sometimes answer ads for 'wanted items' as well. I complained about an individual who made inappropriate advances at me to one of the moderators, but she was very unhelpful and blame me instead; this was after I sent her all the email transactions between me and the perpetrator which clearly outlined his motives!

Sadly like many others, my experience is that numerous time wasters that ask for your contact details and address have no intention of collecting the items they have asked for. It's a great idea in practice but sadly is open to abuse and seems to attract a number of people with no intention of doing what they say. Unfortunately by the time you realise that they are not going to show, you have already given them your address and contact details, coincidentally, since putting ads on Freecycle I have been plagued with nuisance phone calls and junk emails. I'm now wondering if these people are 'plants' purely out to gain personal details and information which they then and sell on. I will now be passing my unwanted items to a local charity. There's always the few which spoil for the many of good, decent and honest people in genuine need.

Like many others, my experience is with numerous wasters sadly because freecycle is a good idea in practice. It just seems to attract a number of people with no intention of doing what they say. Whether they're attention seeking, disorganised, want people's names, numbers or simply dishonest I'm not completely sure. Note that like ebay, when people want to hurry you or need you to phone them etc, you should be cautious. People don't return calls / emails / don't turn up / aren't who they claim to be etc. I would strongly advise doing anything else other than giving away things on Freecycle or similar. Phone genuine places like charity shops, refugee places, help centres, debt centres, YMCA, etc etc. Advertise in real groups with genuine potential or churches etc. As stated below by Freecycle themselves, don't give out mobile numbers or address unless necessary - ask why people want something. Even then, people have not responded or turned up. So I won't be using Freecycle any more and will delete my account.