Things You'll Need:
- Computer
- Internet
- Items to give away
- Items needed
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Step 1
Get on to your computer. Type in www.freecycle.org. Freecycle is entirely nonprofit. It consists of members in a group from a local area. Freecycle is all over the country as well as in other countries. The purpose of freecycle is to not plug up landfills with usable items that someone else may need. It's considered good etiquette to offer something of yours before you take someone else's offer. And of course, as implied, everything is free!
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Step 2
First thing you do is find a group located near you. Type in your city and state and choose the appropriate finding. Click on it. This screen will give you some generalized information about the group you chose: how many members, rules, etc.
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Step 3
Next, click on the My Freecycle tab. It will allow you to login if you already have an account. If not, below that it will say No Account? Sign up for an account. Then it will guide you step by step to enter your information. Nothing too personal is asked and you can have a made up username instead of using your own name. I use my own name.
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Step 4
After you are all signed up, you may wish to read some prior posts from other members to get the hang of things. My first post was to give away some infant cereal that I knew I wouldn't use. The lady who responded was actually a caretaker at a wild animal sanctuary and used it for her squirrels. It felt good to know that it wasn't going to waste. When you offer something, you can set in your preferences to receive emails from people who are interested. They will also post messages to the main freecycle page. It is completely up to you to decide who you want your item to go to. It doesn't necessarily have to go "First Come, First Serve." You may find that you get a post from someone who is in dire need of something but posted 4th. You can choose whomever you think will benefit the most. To make the post, type Offer:(what the item is), and the town you are in. Sometimes there will be posts from neighboring towns. Then there is an area where you can leave a small description of what the item is, what shape it's in, how old, basically whatever you want to list about it. The more info you list, the better chances you have of an immediate taker.
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Step 5
On this step, you can also list how you want the item distributed. You can tell the person to email you or call you. Then you can choose to have the person pick the item up at your house or meet them in a public area. I always choose to meet the person in a public area because it is safer and I live on a military base that not just anyone can access.
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Step 6
Tell the person when and where you want the item picked up. Sometimes I have noticed people have not picked up when they say. I think, this gives you the right to offer it to the next person who replied. This is why you don't want to delete the emails until the item is gone
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Step 7
After the person has picked up the item, you must make a post saying the item was taken. For example: Taken: Infant cereal, Oklahoma. Thanks to all that replied. This way, you won't get anymore emails. Sometimes an item may not go quickly and people check the archives. The reply may come 2 weeks after being posted.
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Step 8
Now that you have made your first offer, you can post a want or item needed. I posted a want for a double stroller. It looked like this Wanted: Double stroller, (town)/Oklahoma. And then in my description I listed that I have a small child and am expecting in January and would greatly appreciate a double stroller if someone had that they were not using. I got a reply right away and got a double stroller for free! They are not cheap and this one is in very good condition.
Comments
christye said
on 6/6/2009 Great article.
1InternetSmarty said
on 3/24/2009 What a super resource! I put this article in my favs. Five stars.
WordWhizKid said
on 11/18/2008 Cool idea, thanks!
yourmamasaidwha said
on 11/5/2008 i love free cycle! it's pretty big in the area i was from and i still love using it
coachmac4 said
on 11/3/2008 Thanks so much for your article! Freecycle is a wonderful organization and takes recycling to another level! I have used it several times! 5 stars!