How To Use Freecycle

 This page is still missing answers to some questions, and perhaps some questions.

The Basics

What are the basic rules?

When you join your local group, you'll receive a copy of the rules by mail. Please read them - there aren't many, but following them will make life easier for you and the moderators of your group.

Although the precise rules will vary from group to group, click on Basic Rules to read the common ones.

How do I send a message to the group?

There are three ways:

1. Posting via email
2. Posting via Yahoo
3. If your group uses it, Posting via My Freecycle.

Please read these and select the one you prefer. If you're not sure, use Posting via Yahoo.

In both cases:

• If you're new to the group, or haven't used it for a while, your post may need to be approved by a volunteer moderator before it goes out to the group, so there may be a short delay. Please be patient - remember that moderators have something resembling a life, which means they can't always be looking at the group.
• If your mail is wrongly formatted, or unsuitable for some reason, you may get a message asking you to modify and resend it.

How do I see replies?

Replies will go to the email you used to join the group, which may be your yahoo.com address.

Please check that address regularly, including any junk or spam folders in case replies get filed in there.

How should I choose who to give to?

Pick whomever you like! That's half the fun. But here are some things to bear in mind:

First-come-first-served is often not the right choice.

• Some people pounce on items and send a quick "I'll take it" just to get dibs, without really thinking about whether they actually want it. If they change their minds, they might just not show up.
• It doesn't give people who don't sit in front of a computer all day a chance, and you might get a later reply which makes you wish you'd not decided already.

So if you pick the first response, you're more likely to have trouble. It makes sense to take time to evaluate your responses for at least a few hours, if not for a whole day. Many groups have something called a Fair Offer Policy to encourage this.

If someone takes the time to reply politely and explain why they want an item, they're much more likely to show up, or at least let you know if they can't. You might also like to consider giving a local charity preference if one should respond.

How should I arrange pick-up?

After you have picked someone, let them know.

• Please arrange pickup with one person only, rather than "it's outside, whoever gets here first gets it." Otherwise you'll become unpopular pretty fast with your fellow Freecycle group members.
• It's better not to send your address until they respond again. If they take the trouble of sending you emails back and forth, they are very unlikely to stand you up.
• Once you've told someone they can have an item, please don't just change your mind and give it to someone else, unless arrangements fall through; if you do chance your mind, please let them now.

It's a good idea to exchange phone numbers, so that you can contact each other.

• This helps if there are problems (e.g. you have to go out unexpectedly, or they're lost and can't find you).
• But it's better to only give your phone number to one person at a time, otherwise you'll get swamped with phone calls.
• Some groups do not allow phone numbers and addresses to be posted on the group due to safety concerns for their members.

What happens once I've given away/received the item?

If your group encourages it, or if you're getting lots of mails you no longer want about the item, then you can post another mail to the group.

• If you posted an OFFER mail and the item's gone, post a TAKEN.
• If you posted a RECEIVED mail and you've got what you wanted, post a RECEIVED.

If your group uses the plugin then posting TAKEN and RECEIVED mails is particularly useful, because it will grey out your OFFER or WANTED mail when other people using the plugin look at the group.

Your Membership

I'm going on holiday - how can I stop the mails?

You can change when you receive mails - see Mail Delivery Options. If you're on holiday for a while, then you should select Special Notices. You can change it back to Individual Email when you return.

I'm getting too many mails, what can I do?

You can change when you receive mails - see Mail Delivery Options. If you're getting too many mails, then you might like to switch to Daily Digest (to get them batched up) or Special Notices (to just read them on the web page).

How do I leave the group?

The easiest way is to send a mail to the unsubscribe address. This is usually present as a footer at the bottom of all mails from the group, or you can find it on your group's home page:

You must do this from the email address you used to join the group. If this doesn't work, or you prefer to use the web, an alternative is to go to the join page and click on a button there to leave the group.

Yahoo has a delay before it fully realises you've left the group - so you may get emails for a day or two.

Other Questions

What can I do if someone doesn't turn up?

There are occasional problems with people not showing up to collect items, or changing their minds. If you're getting stuff for free, it's only fair to be polite and thoughtful about the pickup arrangements - as most of us are. So please make sure you are absolutely going to show up when you say you will.

If you're not sure if you can or will show, then let someone else take the offer. Remember, people talk... and if you become known as a "no show", then members will pass you by for someone else. Sure, sometimes last minute emergencies pop up; life happens... but if you can't turn up, it's courtesy to let them know - if you were staying in waiting for someone, you'd want them to let you know if they couldn't come, right?

When you post an OFFER, you can choose who gets it however you like. There are always going to be no-shows - but you can reduce the chances of it happening to you by choosing people carefully. See here.

Remember that not all no shows are deliberate. People get lost, have car troubles, run late from meetings, or have one of many other reasons for not showing up on time. But sometimes after all this, the person can still be a no show. So save the replies you received just in case, so you can move on to the next person who wanted it.

And because, one day, you might find that you can't pick up something when you said you could, try not to get too annoyed at people who do that to you - they may have good reason.

What's moderation?

This is when your posts are approved by a moderator before they go to the group. See Moderation for more information.

Is it really worth OFFERing this?

You'd be astonished what things get taken on Freecycle, even if they're damaged, broken or just plain weird. Some people don't mind having damaged items - if a sofa has a big stain on it, they can put a rug over it. Other people like taking broken items and fixing them up (sometimes to offer back up on Freecycle). And you can never predict what people will want for an art project.

So rather than decide that something isn't worth OFFERing, why not offer it up and see if anyone wants it?

Isn't that WANTED request too greedy?

Some groups restrict WANTED mails for expensive items, and some groups just let their members decide whether they want to respond to a request. Please respect the policy of your local group.

• If the guidelines you got when you joined ask you not to post WANTEDs for some items, then please don't.
• If there aren't any such restrictions, then please be aware that something you might think is a ridiculous request might be something someone else was quite happy to give away.

There's no group in my area; can I set one up?

First, make sure there really is no group in your area. If there is, it, of course, has priority. See here for how to check.

Once you're sure there's no local group already, see here for more details.

Can I volunteer?

Freecycle UK seeks to ensure equality of opportunity for all sections of the community in its own affairs and in access to its facilities. If you would like to join us as a volunteer, read Volunteering.