Generating money with Freecycle and Ebay
I discovered Freecycle a year or so ago and thought it was a really great idea. Basically instead of throwing away various items you no longer have any use for you simply give them away for free and by doing so decrease your impact on environment.
The other week a friend of mine picked up a brand new sofa worth £700 (Around $1400) simply because some rich jerk’s spoiled wife did not like the colour and asked her husband to get read of it. Then another friend of mine picked up a supposedly faulty, half a year old 37″ LCD TV which simply needed a new fuse.
I have decided to have a closer look myself. Fair enough, there was a lot of junk on offer but I was able to find a bunch of valuable items as well. I have actually managed to pick up a 5.1 surround sound PC speaker set from this guy just down the road from me and sold them on Ebay for just under £30 ($60). The only difficult part is being quick. You need to claim the item pretty much as soon as the listing is posted because somebody else will usually beat you to it. If I had all day I would sit in front of my screen and do just that. Every now and then you would see real quality items up for grabs and if you lucky enough you can make some real money. You can always just keep the item for yourself too. Good luck!
June 18th, 2008 at 2:05 am
I’ll check the site out - if you can make use of something or make a buck out of it why not.
June 18th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
We get stuff from freecycle all the time, we also give stuff away on it constantly. When we give away stuff we always try to give it away to someone that really needs it instead of someone going to sell it, of course the people giving away the really nice stuff (Richies) don’t care and will give it to the first person that contacts em.
June 19th, 2008 at 6:53 am
Awesome concept. In this disposable society we live in it is gratifying that there are services available to help ease the rubbish load on this planet. Re-use, reduce, recycle is a mantra we all should adopt.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
I tried to use freecycle and there were not any listings in my area… Ill try back some other time. Free stuff is always good.
June 29th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
The idea of freecycle is to give gifts to others. The person that you claim is a ‘rich’ person giving away the couch may have just been a generous person trying to help out their neighbor by giving away something.
Its greedy people like this that give me a bad taste in my mouth.
To take someones stuff that they give you willingly and sell it is disgusting!
June 29th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
You are sick. Freecycle is a group that has helped many, many people all over the US. I personally have helped fire victims, battered wives starting over, and have provided clothes for many people with health problems, along with children whose parents can not afford much. I am very active in 2 groups, I moderate both of them. I can tell you that if you were in any of those groups…you would not get anything, as the item owner we choose who the item goes to. I give things to the people who need it…who will appreciate the item. I know this is a concept that will go way over your head but, IT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD TO HELP OTHERS. Sure i could sell it myself, but I am not some lazy, uneducated, poor person who has to make a buck at the expense of others.
We actually kick members like you out of our groups. Why don’t get off your @$$ and get a real job, provide some type of service to the society that your living in. Living off of others is not living.
SIGNED A VERY ACTIVE MEMBER OF FREECYCLE WHO TAKES PRIDE IN HELPING OTHERS.
June 29th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Be aware that most Freecycle groups — including my own — have policies about reselling items you receive. Some prohibit it altogether and will blacklist you if you’re discovered; others only allow you to ask for items to resell if you state your intentions in your post.
So long as everyone involved deals honestly with the group, though — i.e., no fake “my kid has cancer” or “I’m collecting iPods to send to the troops” stories to get stuff you actually intend to sell — it’s win-win for the donor, the reseller *and* the environment.
June 29th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
I am an avid Freecycler, but it is about recycling thru re-use. Most groups require a member to state UPFRONT if they intend to re-sell, since many of us DO care & choose to gift our items to someone who wants to use them. I can post on Ebay & Craigslist myself, but prefer to gift a community member.
If you are HONEST about intent to re-sell & someone chooses to give you their item, great! But shame on those who are dishonest & do NOT disclose their intent upfront! We all want to make some cash, but NOT by taking DISHONEST advantage of others. Karma!!!!
Nothing ticks me off more than someone who gives a sad story about wanting/needing something, I gift it to them & see my gift immediately for sale. Hell hath no fury… Many Freecyclers are also regulars on Ebay, Craigslist & garage sales.
June 29th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
You know I am owner of one of the freecycle groups and it is people like this that make it hard on people who really need items. 90% of our members have no use for re-sellers and once they find out they usually do not give to you again and they tell all their friends.
June 29th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
I know how you feel guys and I agree with you. This is not something I do personally. I had to do this once in order to test the method before blogging about this. In fact, I gave away more items than I collected and only sold one of them. On my blog I exposed money making, link development and seo techniques. Some of these can be indeed controversial. It is up to you how you use the information you find on my blog.
@ Christine Menchio
There is no need for personal attacks. I have a Cambridge degree and working on another one at the moment. I earn good money and I support a number of charities. Two years ago I was heavily involved in promoting my friend’s charity English channel swim. Maybe you should do something to stop people from abusing the Freesycle system rather than attacking the individual who opened up your eyes on the problem.
June 30th, 2008 at 1:13 am
I am an avid giver and have received as well from Freecycle(T). Im a single mother that doesnt receive child support who would never be able to afford some of the luxuries gifted to me by Freecycle(T) members. Instead of selling the Items I no longer use, I gift them back into the Freecycle community. Its important to me the Items go to people who really need them or are unable to afford the item otherwise, like myself. I will not give any items to thrift stores unless they prove non profit status. This isnt a money making outlet. It is an outlet to help save the earth and help people. Of course there are greedy , dishonest people who are out for themselves and God knows who you are. Reap now, pay later..good luck with that.. lol
June 30th, 2008 at 2:19 am
You are doing one thing WRONG! Freecycle(TM) is here to GIVE things away with no strings attached. Granted we have no control over what the person does with his/her “Freecycled” aquired item; rules do state that if you intend to SELL said item; you MUST inform the gifter of your intentions. Be careful,’cause once members know who you are and what you do with aquired items, most will not pick you to get their items. That is one thing about Freecycle(TM); most members know who the “greedy Greta’s” are out there!
June 30th, 2008 at 3:41 am
There are as many different opinions of Freecycle(tm) as there are people out there. The main concept is, as I understand it and run my group, is to curtail the flow of solid waste to landfills. Our society is over-burdened with too much stuff, yet we keep producing more, and more with little thought of what happens when we no longer want the stuff. Freecycle(tm) offers a way to keep things in circulation that would otherwise be discarded. Consider, for example, that in a huge superstore every item from the largest display booth to the slip of paper at the check-out must be disposed of in some manner. Imagine all the “stuff” within that store heaped in a pile, then multiply that by every store in their chain. Then thing of the stuff in all the stores in your area … and you get just a minor vision of what is yet to go into our over-crowded landfills. I encourage my members to, before they go shopping, peruse Freecycle posts, or post a wanted. If they don’t mind used items, they can find a lot.
The idea is bigger than individual need! The idea is to help recycle and tend to the earth. The concept and the good it is doing is more far-reaching than simply helping someone who is experiencing a temporary hardship. The good Freecycle(tm) is doing will span generations and is spread around the globe.
It’s not just a human needs based organization, but an earth-needs based community!
June 30th, 2008 at 3:51 am
“Every now and then you would see real quality items up for grabs and if you lucky enough you can make some real money.”
I think the reason that we are upset with you is that the above statement is will mislead alot of people, it makes it sound that this is an ok thing to do and in most cases, it is not the right thing to do…..it undermines the whole purpose of Freecycle ™…..it would be the equivalent of me telling my friends that your blog is about how to make money, but don’t read it as that, read it as a piece of comedy in order to make you laugh, or take it any way you want to, even if you miss the whole point…….not really what it is intended for. You basically have undone years of hard work all over the globe to stop this behavior within the groups. Suppose you had a volunteer to oversee your blog, and we told the world that your blog was a place to sign up for recipes….imagine the chaos that your volunteer would have to deal with!
June 30th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
I find the fact that someone is getting items off of freecycle and selling them completely despicable.
I have been involved with freecycle almost since the conception of the group. I have been a co-owner and moderator of a group of over 9000 members for the last 3 years.
Freecycle is not about “getting good stuff for free”. It is about saving still usable items from a premature end in the landfill. By offering your item on freecycle, you help to build a sense of community. You helping out your neighbors with the added bonus of helping to save our environment.
I find anyone who wants to profit from a gift from another, is the same kind of person who never (or seldom) offers items back to the membership in return.
You have the “gimmes”, you have the “givers” and you have the “greedy”, which is what resellers are.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:14 am
I must say, I have no idea what Freecycle is, I guess it’s something near and dear to the users hearts! If the terms require one to disclose the intent to sell, I would have to comply.
I know there are various avenues where people get stuff for free then turn around and sell it, I guess it just depends on the intent of the source.
I don’t think someone should be “gaming” the site by pretending to be something they are not, as long as you don’t lie about your intentions, I don’t see a problem.
Some may chose to give to you and some may not…I guess that’s just how it goes.
September 12th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Here’s a thought I’m having after reading these posts….
Please hear me out and let me what you think
What if we look at things slightly differently about the (obviously emotional) re-sale issue. People who are classed as ‘needy’ and who benefit from receiving useful items from the less needy are easily pigeon holed as ‘needy’ by society. If somebody who has a well paid job and can afford to get rid of their (decent) old stuff and give it away to the ‘needy’ aren’t we then guilty of perpetuating their situation of being classed as ‘needy’ (in other words, socially impoverished) by restricting what they can use the items for once we’ve given them away to?
I’m no fan of global capitalism or huge multi-national corporations, but surely if a poor person makes an effort to better their financial situation by re-selling the items they’re given - what skin off our noses is it? Why do we get upset by this principal? The main objective is to prevent landfill and this is still being achieved.
If anything the more affluent of us who create these ‘ethics’ are only adding barriers to the less fortunate people’s growth. No?
It’s like the saying ‘give a man a fish and eats for a day, but give him a fishing rod and he feeds his family’ (or something along those lines!)
Well how about easing up on the social stigma of SOMEBODY ELSE making a few quid extra and let these people pull themselves out of being in a ‘needy’ category to begin with!
Am I being crazy here?
September 17th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
I’m completely with Simon on this. I’m not needy or rich but I give and receive on Freecycle because it helps the environment, saves me time (in the giving) and saves a few quid (in the receiving). But I see no harm in anyone selling goods they’ve received. Not only does it help them financially (and why not - they will have done all the work of collecting it, photographing it, listing it and shipping it!) but it also helps those who pick up the resulting bargain on ebay, who may well be in a different part of the country altogether. And who’s to say that some (if not all) of the money made isn’t going back into the community? We’ve acqired goods for our local Scout group bazaar which have been sold and the money gone to the Scouts. Would you have us banned from Freecycle for that!