On Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:51:10 -0600, Jules
wrote:

On Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:38:20 +0000, Bruce wrote:
Instead of being primarily a means of avoiding low value but useful
items going to landfill, Freecycle has become a means of cynically
obtaining something valuable for nothing.

The problem I find is that some mods try and police it by deciding what's
valuable and what isn't, then making blanket bans on some subjects (no
computers, no vehicles etc.) which has the downside of sending legitimate
stuff to the dump.


Well, there's always the charity shop - but not for vehicles.

It is sad to have to moderate a Freecycle group, but I have seen one
group local to me descend into anarchy. When it first started it was
well ordered and polite, but then the grasping chavs arrived and that
was the end of it.

It is now 100% moderated and works OK, but it's a lot of work for the
moderators.


I'm starting to think that a list that limits things to a max of 50
quid/dollars/whatever per item might be the best way - low enough that
unwanted things that might be seen as "worth something" are nearly
free, but high enough that it might stop the same pikey twunts from
grabbing everything they can get their hands on.


But what value do you put on, for example, a posh dishwasher that is
five years old, was £500 when new but needs a new pump? More or less
than £50? I feel sorry for the moderators!