A couple of months back, i chanced upon this SgFreecycle group, which is part of the Freecycle Network that started in Tucson, Arizona in May 2003 by Deron Beal and has since spread worldwide, to over 85 countries, where there are thousands of local groups representing millions of members -- people helping people and "changing the world one gift at a time".
What's that all about?
In a nutshell, it means to give away stuff you do not need at home to other people for free, instead of throwing away and ending up in landfill, wasting resources.
I have been selling my unwanted stuff online in Yahoo Auctions (which has since closed down) and eBay. So, i was thinking ... why not do my part and give some stuff to others for free, if they need it more than i do ... Hmmm ... pondering and scratching chin
Alright, i started to look around for something that can be my first gift in this SgFreecycle group.
Got it!! My Sony PlayStation One game console ... It's been lying around for a couple of years, rarely used, as there were no more new games since PS2 and PS3 came out and i got myself a PSP. LOL
Oh, well, i took it for a test drive to make sure it is still working good, did a clean up and packed all the accessories and games ... and posted my first post and went to bed.
The next morning, i log in to my email inbox and got a shock ... Wow, i got over 80 unread mails !?! Seriously, for a moment, i thought the spam filter was not working ... hahaha
Well, looks like my Sony PS One still quite high in demand, ya ... Then, i realised my mistake ... I put in my post that "first to email and collect gets the item" ... Now, thinking back, why did i put that? I also dun know, maybe for convenience sake, as i did not expect to get many responses, so just give to the first person who ask for it.
In actual fact, after reading through all the emails (Yes, i read them all and in the end, it came up to over 100 emails in total), i realised that those who responded falls into 4 groups:
1. Those who are nearly always online or just happen to be at the right time when i posted (the first email was just shortly after my post)
2. Those who genuinely want or need the item and would state their reasons in the email
3. Those who are just trying their luck to see if they can get the item since it is free (no harm trying but please be more polite when asking)
4. Those who think they already own the item and want to get it (huh !?! wtf)
As you can see, i would love to give to people in Group 2 as above ... but since this was my first post and so, due to my inexperience, i have to honour my words and ended up giving to someone in Group 1 ... But, it's ok lah, still benefit someone, though not the way i expected it to be. So, ok, next time would be better. But somehow, i still feel a bit sad and guilty that i have to disappoint those people in Group 2.
Since then, i have gone on to give away more items:
- hard disk
- power supply
- mp3 player
- portable VCD player
- table lamp
- phone accessories
I have been having fun, reading through all the emails and then deciding who to give the item to. So, to those whom i have given stuff to, hope you enjoy using them.
I will continue to do my part for Singapore Freecycle Network!!
If you are interested to do the same, can just hop on over to the Yahoo group (click on the link above), all you need is a Yahoo email account to get started, giving or receiving. Most important is to have fun and enjoy yourself, giving things away! Woo Hoo ...
Cheers and happy freecycling!! :)
What's that all about?
In a nutshell, it means to give away stuff you do not need at home to other people for free, instead of throwing away and ending up in landfill, wasting resources.
I have been selling my unwanted stuff online in Yahoo Auctions (which has since closed down) and eBay. So, i was thinking ... why not do my part and give some stuff to others for free, if they need it more than i do ... Hmmm ... pondering and scratching chin
Alright, i started to look around for something that can be my first gift in this SgFreecycle group.
Got it!! My Sony PlayStation One game console ... It's been lying around for a couple of years, rarely used, as there were no more new games since PS2 and PS3 came out and i got myself a PSP. LOL
Oh, well, i took it for a test drive to make sure it is still working good, did a clean up and packed all the accessories and games ... and posted my first post and went to bed.
The next morning, i log in to my email inbox and got a shock ... Wow, i got over 80 unread mails !?! Seriously, for a moment, i thought the spam filter was not working ... hahaha
Well, looks like my Sony PS One still quite high in demand, ya ... Then, i realised my mistake ... I put in my post that "first to email and collect gets the item" ... Now, thinking back, why did i put that? I also dun know, maybe for convenience sake, as i did not expect to get many responses, so just give to the first person who ask for it.
In actual fact, after reading through all the emails (Yes, i read them all and in the end, it came up to over 100 emails in total), i realised that those who responded falls into 4 groups:
1. Those who are nearly always online or just happen to be at the right time when i posted (the first email was just shortly after my post)
2. Those who genuinely want or need the item and would state their reasons in the email
3. Those who are just trying their luck to see if they can get the item since it is free (no harm trying but please be more polite when asking)
4. Those who think they already own the item and want to get it (huh !?! wtf)
As you can see, i would love to give to people in Group 2 as above ... but since this was my first post and so, due to my inexperience, i have to honour my words and ended up giving to someone in Group 1 ... But, it's ok lah, still benefit someone, though not the way i expected it to be. So, ok, next time would be better. But somehow, i still feel a bit sad and guilty that i have to disappoint those people in Group 2.
Since then, i have gone on to give away more items:
- hard disk
- power supply
- mp3 player
- portable VCD player
- table lamp
- phone accessories
I have been having fun, reading through all the emails and then deciding who to give the item to. So, to those whom i have given stuff to, hope you enjoy using them.
I will continue to do my part for Singapore Freecycle Network!!
If you are interested to do the same, can just hop on over to the Yahoo group (click on the link above), all you need is a Yahoo email account to get started, giving or receiving. Most important is to have fun and enjoy yourself, giving things away! Woo Hoo ...
Cheers and happy freecycling!! :)
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