Let it go, let it go

[cjsmith]

MANY things freecycled this weekend, including some stuff I am stunned that anyone took. Rob was gracious enough to list it all and arrange for pickups.

People claimed, get this,
- complete plans, blueprints and instructions for building a Lancair IV! (THREE responses!)
- a big bag of towels dating back to our first apartment together
- 80 empty wine bottles
- a car stereo from approximately 1987
- used pillows
- three years of aviation magazines
- sheets and pillowcases worn to wonderful softness, and frayed a bit
- some really bad books
- a candle/incense holder that's basically a sand-pit on a stand (so top-heavy that if you breathe on it it pours sand all over your floor)
- a light fixture that looks like a War of the Worlds ship landing

Plus some stuff that was probably useful. It's amazing.

(Now if they'd only come and pick it up.)

I've also thrown away a big pile of crap. I finally pitched the model airplane my ex-housemate started building. I had to admit that no, I am never going to finish someone else's model airplane. I can't even get my butt in gear to finish MY model airplane. I also admitted that I am never going to find a lovely dark green laundry bin to replace my broken one, and I pulled the spare one out of the upstairs closet to use. Poof, no more duct-taped broken handles. In retrospect I'm amazed I stuck with that thing for so long. (Hey, Bay Area people, if any of you are still reading: how do you recycle an entire laundry basket?)

That upstairs room is starting to look almost nice. Next weekend we do the OTHER closet.

Comments

[runeshower.livejournal.com]

How does freecycle work?

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

There's a mailing list covering a small region, and people say stuff like "Hey, I have a lamp that looks like a space alien landing". If you want it you reply privately, and the owner says "yes" or "sorry someone else got it". Most people go by first-come-first-served but some will say charities have priority or something like that. Then you get the other person's address and you go get the thing -- absolutely free.

The original organization is here. The founders are starting to be a bit autocratic, though, so a lot of communities have left that central organization and just renamed their mailing lists. Either way, it's the same basic concept: your trash is another person's treasure. Keep it out of the landfill and make someone happy!

[dieppe.livejournal.com]

Yeah, what you said too.. ;)

[sunnydale47.livejournal.com]

The founders are starting to be a bit autocratic, though, so a lot of communities have left that central organization and just renamed their mailing lists. Either way, it's the same basic concept: your trash is another person's treasure. Keep it out of the landfill and make someone happy!

Thank you! When I read runeshower's question, I was dreading the answer, and thought I'd have to post a comment, but you said it perfectly. Things are moving along ... the trademark application has been challenged, and a lawsuit has been filed because of The Freecycle Network's attack on FreecycleSunnyvale for using the word freecycle. It's a long story, but I'm rooting for Sunnyvale. (Hmmm ... come to think of it, CJ, is that your group?)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's my group! I'm not up on what's going on. I get so much mail that I have turned off all freecycle traffic, and I've had it that way for months. But I'm cheering for Sunnyvale also.

I always liked our mods. Good folk, it seemed to me (from my very limited contact with them). I'm not surprised they're not lying down and taking it quietly.

[dieppe.livejournal.com]

FreeCycle works, in short, like this: You sign up to a local FreeCycle YahooGroups (email list), you write a post with the subject line saying something like "OFFER: Crap, and shit. East Bay" or something. When someone searching for "Crap" sees your ad, they send you email. Hopefully they'll show up when they're supposed to. (I've been stood up a few times waiting for someone to come and get something for free...)

Oh yeah, and then they take away "crap" or whatever. And it works in reverse too. Ya see something you want, and etc.

In truth I've had things I had troubles giving away on FreeCycle, so I posted a Craigslist ad for $5 and it sold in an hour.. People are just funny sometimes. But I use FreeCycle personally for crap I don't want to try to sell on eBay, don't want to try and sucker someone out of $5 for it, and just need to get rid of it. :)

Just my 2 cents... although on FreeCycle you can't charge for anything, even 2 cents, them's the rules. You can, however, make people come and pick it up.. I mean, sheesh, it's free---what more do they want?