I was on an eBay forum yesterday and there was a discussion about using FreeCycle to get free eBay inventory. FreeCycle is "A grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people). Membership is free." On my local FreeCycle group, and on many others, this statement is posted:
"When requesting an item with a WANTED post, or when responding to another member's OFFERED post, please state whether you will be selling the item. In general, it is NOT all right to take an item for free just to sell it on eBay, at a flea market, or elsewhere. There are people who may truly and personally benefit from the item, and if it were going to be sold, the person offering it might have done so. When it's offered out of kindness, please do not abuse it. However, there are some circumstances in which it might be acceptable for you to resell an item (i.e. you repair broken appliances and might be able to fix it up and resell it). If your situation might be something like this, please just state it in your request or when you email an offerr. If you are found to be reselling freecycled items without appropriately disclosing your intentions, you may be banned from the list."
The general consensus, as I understand it, is that FreeCycle is a community organization set up to help those in need, and it isn't appropriate to resell these items. In fact, many people won't use the site now because of the greedy eBay sellers snatching up the items - they aren't going to people in need. Some comments by other eBay sellers:
"Freecycle is a Non-Profit Organization and the "spirit" of it promotes charitable giving in order to promote less landfill usage. Most of us who list on FC use it in order to help those in need - charitable giving. If you truly advise those you receive items from that you are getting the item for resale and they are OK with that - good for you. However, there are people like me that are eBay sellers that would never utilize FC because we feel it is going against why FC was started in the first place."
"YOU SHOULD NOT USE THIS SITE TO GET STUFF AND SELL THEM ON EBAY FOR PROFIT AS THIS IS NOT THE PURPOSE OF THIS SITE."
"I could have sold the items on Craigslist too if I wanted to. I wanted to give it to someone who needed it. That is the drive behind Freecycle. It is to help your local community."
So, I am curious about how other eBay sellers feel about this issue. Please post your comments, and take the poll on the sidebar. This will be an interesting discussion!
18 comments:
That's a really good point about Freecycle, we have one in our area and I'm sure it's abused by people not only selling on eBay but at yard sales and thrift shops too. I've used our local chapter and it's a fantastic way to recycle and reuse and to meet some great people along the way.
I do not think that you should get stuff on freecycle to resell. The intention of the group is to help each other get stuff that you NEED. It is specified on the site that you not use the group that way, so it shouldn't be done.
I have never heard of Freecycle until now, but I agree with Susan's comment that it should not be used for a profit.
I honestly don't know what difference it makes. You'd have thought I said I was killing someone when I said that on my freecycle's discussion here in GA.
When I joined Freecycle I didn't see anything that said it couldn't be resold. The stated purpose is to keep the stuff you don't want from going to the landfill.
My purpose is to get it out of my house. I don't care what the person that gets it does with it.
Most of them don't want to mess with taking it anywhere. That's why they post it to start with and say they want it gone today. And if it's not it's going in the trash.
I've been a member of our local FC for severa years and I do get a lot of used bubble wrap and packing peanuts through them for use in shipping what I sell on eBay.
I have never though used FC as a source of inventory. Our local chapter has a similar "rule" and there are plenty people around who can put the things offered to good use.
You don't break or sidestep the rules because in the end, what goes around comes around.
I am a Freecycle group owner/moderator and have been involved with the organization since it's conception.
Freecycle was not actually created to "help those in need" though it is often perceived as it was. It was created to lessen the amount of usable items that wound up in the landfills and therefore put those items directly in to the hands of someone who can use it. It just so happens that many who are in need find us and expect to receive everything they ask for. While Freecycle is a non-profit, it is not a charity.
In my group we always find out who tries to resell items and we ban them right away. Like someone who commented, those who try to sidestep the rules are caught and are banned from using the group - the bad karma does comes back. We also share the banned member info with other mods in the area so that they can keep their eye out.
We don't have a problem with people who re-purpose things and then sell their wares, because they aren't actually selling the item as it was. They also mention this when they ask or reply to an offer so everyone is aware of it.
Lately I've learned about alot of misconceptions that others have ... for example, I was recently told that it wasn't "right" to buy things at Goodwill, Salvation Army etc to resell on eBay, but rather those items were there to help others in need. Hmmmmm ... Last week, I went to a garage sale and found a boatload of items to sell, gathered them up and proceeded to pay THE MARKED PRICES on each item but not until after the Seller said "Well, SOMEONE sells on eBay" like it was a bad thing.
If people think that GW, Salvation Army, FreeCyle, etc. is there to help others in need, who is to say that my re-selling those items is not helping to feed MY family? If one was to pick up a FREE item on Free Cycle and turn around and sell it in its' same condition, how is that not keeping that item out of the landfills and making good use of the item?
oh and by the way .. the guy at the garage sale with his unnecessary comment was senior management for a worldwide electronics company that suffered huge layoffs over the last several years. I paid him his asking prices of a total of $62 and within 10 days more than TRIPLED my money. He could have easily sold his own goods, but guess he was just a bit too good for that.
just say'n
Wow, there is a lot of feeling in this place. I use FC a lot. I give baby clothes away all the time, along with other things. It is definitely not a charity place, although it does feel good to help out people who need it. It is intended to keep things out of the landfill.
I have mixed feelings on this subject. I see it this way. I sell on eBay and I do NOT use it as a source for my items that I sell...but that said, I do not care if someone picks up something from me and turns around and sells it. As long as it is not in a landfill, I do not care. Maybe that person needs money to pay the rent or buy their baby diapers. I have been in such a situation and sold items out of my house to get that done.
I hope my statements do not sound argumentative, but if you are going on the charity side, maybe they need the money more than the person who gave it away.
Thanks for letting me state my opinion.
Lisa
i am a freecycle member, i do more offering than accepting, and have never accepted something for resell, but when i offer i really do not care what someone does with what i offered as long as it is gone from my house. our group is reminded that if you do not use what you have gotten to please re-freecycle it. but others do not post a preference of what you do with something when you are done with it.
Well, I guess I'm going to side w/the MINORITY here. The purpose of Freecycle is to get rid of stuff you don't want anymore without it going to the trash company and eventually the landfills.
I have used Freecyce a lot - both getting and giving, and frankly, I don't care if the person who takes my stuff sells it.
I just gave away two Razor vehicles, and even though I knew I could sell them, I didn't have the time or energy to do it.
I think if you give something away and someone sells it, you have to realize that that might happen, and if you don't have the time or energy (or gumption) to do it, then you just lose out.
Now, when I list something to give away on freecycle, I do try to go thru the requests and see who I think is the most worth.
The girl I gave the Razors too was a Mom of three children, and she was going to use them for the kids.
Now, if she eventually sells the Razor vehicles, that is her choice.
What difference does it make if they use the item right away or use it and then sell it later when they are done with it?
I think this is just something you take a chance with on Freecycle, and I guess I'm also saying that I don't see why you couldn't get Ebay inventory off it.
I haven't done that yet, but I don't see what the problem would be.
The seller has the option to pick you from all the people that request their item. Heck, you might not even get picked!
I'm glad you wrote about this. I joined FreeCycle awhile ago, but have not used it much.
I agree with Lisa's comment. I sell at several places. I have not used Freecycle as a source. When I give something away, I don't really care if you keep it or sell it. As long as you can pick it up, keep it out of the landfill and recycle.
Some people are better at moving certain products than others. A person may have a buyer or know of someone who needs the item. It does not matter as long as it moves to whoever wants it or needs it.
That being said, I will be offering a whole lot more stuff on FreeCycle, whoever wants it can have it.
Slightly off topic, as a user of FC mostly with offers and accepting items, I've noticed the quantity and quality of OFFERED items decreasing the past year. A couple of years ago I picked up a like-new microwave. Now I see more WANTEDS than offers. My theory is, strapped for cash, many are now opting to have garage sales.
I personally would not feel comfortable reselling items I picked up off of freecycle if they were things like baby clothes, kids clothes, toys etc. unless I used my children and once they grew out of them I sold them. I know some people who offer put "NO RESELLERS" in their offer and I respect them for that. I think because FC is a nonprofit organization, many people who use it want to maintain that spirit throughout.
At the same time, if you respond to an offer and clearly state your intent is solely to resell, then the person can go through all responses and will choose you if that's acceptable. However, I think most people offering if given the choice between a mom or family in need or a reseller would choose those in need. I think that has led many resellers to use unethical and dishonest tactics by lying when responding to offers. Those few people have given resellers a bad name and made many freecyclers angry.
To each their own, but I think if your only intent is to resell what you get off of FC you owe it to the person offering to let them know so that they can make an informed decision.
Good discussion Suzanne!
Suzanne
Great post! Freecycle has made it pretty clear and I agree with them. Personally, there are several priorities. The highest priority would be to get the free item into the hands of someone who really needs it. I tend to get several heart-wrenching stories which I tend to take on faith and I take that into consideration. Second priority would go to folks who would use the item in their household and get a lot of use from it. If I got no offers from the first or second priority members, I would certainly give most of my items to someone reselling the item because like free cycle states, at least it has a chance of "not ending up in a landfill".
1- Need badly
2- Need and will use locally
3- Resellers, keep it out of trash
Freecycle's purpose is not to help those in need but to keep items out of landfills. I'm with our local Freecycle group and the mods here don't want people to put in their sob stories, just to ask for it. They say that's the great thing about Freecycle, it doesn't matter why you want it but I'd rather give to someone who really needs it first. If a reseller is interested, then they're supposed to acknowledge their intent. However, it's also been discussed that if someone has an item for an extended period of time (say, six months) and is done using it (not just storing it for resale), then that person has the right to resell the item in that situation.
Personally, I don't care what's done with the stuff I give away. I'm a HUGE recycler and feel guilty when I throw something out that someone might want, even if it's junk (yes, I have a problem). So if that means they'll take it and sell it or better yet, fix it and sell it or whatever, more power to them. I just want it out of my house and NOT in a landfill. Maybe I've given it away because I have too much to sell and don't have the time/patience/desire to sell it myself. What's most important to me is if you ask for it and I say you can have it, then come and pick it up. This area is notorious for no shows on Freecycle, other FreeBay Yahoo groups, and CraigsList. So often, I get frustrated and drop it off to a local church where I know the needy really do get to take it for free.
I sell on Ebay for profit...I sell on craigslist for profit....but freecycle..I give it FREE out of the goodness of my heart...Some dont have extra money to buy online,so I give it away...I feel good and I know others feel good too
I am just getting into selling on eBay and trying to turn a profit but this topic is a little bit of a thorn in my side. I have been randomly looking at the FC items available in my area, rarely do I find anything that I would consider eBay material. I honestly haven't even looked at them lately.
However, the reason I maneuvered around and found out how to comment here is to make another statement. My husband LOVES to look at the items on FC and more than once (at least three times) we have taken off to get a "new" big screen TV because this one will work - RIGHT!! In our experience, sadly, the experience has been that we were trash collectors. I'd hope that others have better luck with FC than we have had.
Also, when we pick up items, the people "giving" them away really seem to want to just GET RID of whatever you are getting. They sometimes even put a time limit on the items - I don't think this really promotes giving items to the people who could benefit the most, but it seems to more likely guarantee that the stuff will be gone quickly - trash collector theme anyone?
By the way, Suzanne you are AWESOME!! I hit a potential goldmine last night at the local Big Lots!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!
You all go on about people in need getting the items...well has it ever occured to you that those people who resale FC items might need money?
Too many people FC to stroke their ego or make themselves feel good which isn't the point of charitable giving whatsoever.
If you want something out of the house what is the problem? If you want it to go to someone deserving then ask yourself why? Is it because of selfish reasons? And lastly, if you want to save it from landfill...again what is the problem?
From an eBay seller who sources stock from Free Cycle
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