1
Step this way to get your daily fix of green news, eco product launches and videos delivered by email.
I love Freecycle. The web's favourite sharing site has saved me sending to landfill several metres of carpet, a tumble dryer and half a dozen pieces of IKEA furniture. And because of how many people use Freecycle, you can guarantee calls and emails within minutes of posting an item. Still, it's not perfect. Posting images sucks, Yahoo's interface isn't for everyone and some local areas don't have many users. So here I've rounded up six cool alternative sites that'll help you share, swap and cut down on waste.
MySkip
Best for: Celebrities
In a nutshell: New general sharing site backed by big names
USP: Cliff Richard endorses it
Number of users: Not disclosed, but it looks quiet. A search for products in London threw up 21 entries, which is pretty measly. A search for products in Birmingham, the UK's second biggest city, returned zero results.
Ease of use: Okay. The interface isn't great but it is easy to add an image if you're listing an item for collection.
12 June 2008 06:25pm
Regardless of other systems, freecycling via Yahoo Groups is still the definitive way. If you look at the whole freecycling community (freecycle.org, reuseit, freesharing.org etc) then you are talking about 10 million users in 10,000 groups. The problem remains that the Yahoo interface is not the best, which is why so many users use email. Their is another way - Grouply allows you to keep the email interface but only to those messages one is interested in.
14 June 2008 03:39pm
Some statistics for vSkips on May 14, 2008. There are 14,251 registered users with 1836 items being offered today. There are also 1233 requests for items. The site is very active with approximately 800 new users signing up each week. The interface is at version 3.0 but a new version is in development. vSkips has a sister site in the USA called vDumpsters with over 10,000 members. Although it has less members, the US version has almost double the number of items being offered, with 3584 up for grabs today. vSkips and vDumpsters certainly don't have the following that Freecycle has built up over the years, but they are both very new sites still. vSkips is just over a year old (although BETA versions were available for testing a few years prior to the official launch in April 2007). vDumpsters was released in January 2008, so it's still the new kid on the block.
17 July 2008 09:23pm
I've been on vskips and like it, you get your own skip that you can manage, put items in and remove them. Search your area or any area you want then contact members by the private message system or you can leave your details so that only memebers can see.
I love freecycle also, but have found vskips to be a lot easier to use.
09 August 2008 02:27pm
I just tried to join my local Freecycle group and hve been rejected. No explanation, no way of finding out why. Disappointing
Please note: Your email address must be entered but will not be displayed
Please note: All submitted content becomes the sole property of CNET Networks UK and may be used, edited or rejected at CNET Networks UK's sole discretion. You acknowledge that you, not CNET Networks UK, are responsible for the contents of your submission.
Step this way to get your daily fix of green news, eco product launches and videos delivered by email.
