Freegle Reviews 

Awful awful awful..... People ask for stuff then don't reply, mess you about with pick up times 4 people who can't decide on a time today and yesterday,(about my peice of furniture) and want to do it when it suits them! Never again it's pointless, easier chopping it up and giving it away as firewood bundles.. Oh wait. No one will turn up to collect. And it's full. Of crap nobody even wants like second hand pottys, but the wanteds are full of things lots of ppl want!

Great way to rehome my unused items. It's a simple system with a simple mission, and it seems to be mainly run by volunteers, which is extraordinary in these days of big tech dominating everything.

I'm surprised at the critical reviews here, I have had the occasional person not responding, but that's life and there isn't a similar website out there that can make every person using it courteous and kind! But the vast majority of other members I've been in touch with, and the volunteers who have replied to queries on the odd occasion, have all been lovely people.

I've been using Freegle since it started. I don't tend to take much stuff these days but when I started out, it helped me furnish my first rental house. I've given away kids toys, books, pet food, clothes, white goods, kitchen equipment, unwanted gifts and have met lots of great people. Sure, there are time wasters but that's just life.

Freegle is what you make it. The platform can't control who responds or who turns up on time. I have a fairly good system. If someone stops answering, I'll tell them I'm offering to the next person on the list and move on. I don't wait around. I also can't control what happens to my item after collection either so there's no point worrying if someone tries to sell it. If they do, then I'm not bothered. They're just trying to make a living, which is hard enough right now. Selling lots of small low value things actually takes a lot of energy and time and isn't going to make folk lots of cash.

For people concerned about the platform being used by scammers, the same principles for any buying and selling apply. Don't give out address until you're happy to hand over. Don't give out excess info like "I'm on holiday for a week so you can collect it after that" and be choosy over who you respond to.

Considering it's run by volunteers, the platform is pretty decent. The app seems to improve every year. It's a tiny bit clunky in places but nothing insurmountable. I'm not keen on the social aspect and don't see what including that function adds. But it's not that intrusive. I also like that it's pretty easy to control whether you receive email or not.

Well done Freegle 👏🏼

Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things, but in the chat area, after I try to reply, there’s no send button, so I can’t. Maybe not properly compatible with Safari? The chat area generally tends to be people moaning about people not being poor enough to collect free stuff I’ve only given, and in my opinion the idea is to get rid of unwanted stuff without having to take it to landfill. It’s not a charity, so I don’t care if the person collecting is driving a Ferrari and selling for a profit. I don’t have to take it to the tip.

Your use of AI for generating wanted post thumbnails is absolutely disgusting - not only from a moral point of view, but also because the generated images are absolute brainrot. Bicycle with chain on front wheel and two saddles, one on the handlebars? what the hell?

Yeah - why use free public domain images, or ask a volunteer artist to draw you some clipart of most common things, when you can slap AI on it and call it a day? Disgusting, no shame, incompetent and morally questionable.

I don't want to be exposed to such brainrot material and your decision to include this is concerning.

After 6 years, I no longer want anything to do with you and I will be using the other "Free(re)cycling" website, instead.

Freegle is great for people giving/receiving legal items for free & no-strings-attached. The site appears to do it's best to protect it's members from weapons, drugs, nefarious items, etc.
Anyone trying to pass believed counterfeit or otherwise illegal items (for free or for sale) via such as Freegle, should be aware, that activity is illegal & they are liable to prosecution.
Regarding people not collecting items, I'd give them a thumbs-down (to warn other members - at least that's possible on Freegle, unlike some websites) &, in fairness to Freegle, they can't be held responsible for supposed collectors not turning up.
Just today, I had very pleasant communications with a someone kindly prepared to allow me to collect two listed items this-afternoon, with a generous collection time-window, one I will fit shortly & one I'll use tomorrow.
I've also gifted a number of items previously, pleased they're going to be used & not going to landfill.

In my experience, Freegle is full of time wasters. People contact asking for things with no 'please' or 'thank you' - I just ignore them.
I have given/offered several items which I suspect the recipient may go on to sell.
Thats up to them, but on the whole I don't feel people are genuine; theyre usually rude and often don't reply when I offer the item to them.
Waste of time.

Newcastle site where the moderators claim to have 20 000 members but only have 6 advertisements. Then get pissy and lecture you because you post a wanted add as they have nothing browse through. In other words they are liars. Bonny trying to tell me not to give people a phone number, it, s my phone and upto me, so wind your neck in.

I agree with some of the reviews on here! Started using Freegle a few years ago - it was a great way to recycle unwanted items. Now my belief is it is used by some individual/group scammers/crooks - possibly a means of checking out where you live & then using your messages to know when you’re at home or not!
Of course you can “block” them but there’s nothing to stop them opening new/multiple accounts!

Just collected an item from Scoobydo22.
Quick response and collected from doorstep.
Very good Comms.
🙂🙂🙂

I have quit Freegle after five years membership. I found its main business of exchanging unwanted goods very useful. However they have a secondary feature, called chitchat, a mini social media facility in which you are encouraged to introduce yourself and discuss relevant issues. This has become a place of endless recurring nasty arguments about the same petty subjects, and no one in charge tries to stop them. Worse, I received a tirade of abuse from a moderator who was assisted by someone, probably a friend of hers, who called me a bully and misogynist, and this all went unchallenged by anyone else. The way she addressed me still makes me angry. Of course I could just use the service without reading the chitchat, but but don't feel like doing that. But I'm sure they'll have their own ready answers, so I'm saying this for what it's worth. Thank you.

Have used Freegle for a long time, never actually taken anything from others but have given away around 100 items.

Just tried to log in again after a couple of months and they tell me my account has been deleted for no reason whatsoever. They said I withdrew some items last month which were actually from over 8 years ago! Their system is a complete mess, I won't be bothering to make another account after this.

excellent service from every one

Easy to post offers of items for rehoming

I appreciate what Freegle does & stands for. I like that Freegle is a real online community, nationwide & led by core values & principles, with genuine democracy to decision-making.

Awful moderators.

I've had rude emails nitpicking about the content of my listings.

Everything from remarking my stuff is trash and disallowing it; to overreach of responsibility extending to health and safety precautions; to incorrectly assigning donation of wood as "illegal"; to getting unfairly banned for questioning them on their operations after pointing out there are no grounds for their actions based on their own policies.

After raising a complaint, Freegle shared me their list of prohibited items. When I referred them to my history of list of offered goods which had never met the criteria, they banned me for being "argumentative"

Jobsworths recruited as moderators. Tone of emails is condescending.

Hertford spitefully removed all my listings within seconds and suspended my account.

One of Hertford's moderators is an unpleasant, old battleaxe who, on one occasion, small-mindedly and abruptly rejected a post on the basis the title had too many characters in it!

One experience about wood involved having a post rejected on the basis it could not be confirmed whether or not it had been treated, which is none of their concern as health and safety is outside of their remit.

When confronted about this, they replied they were sorry to hear that I was not concerned about health and safety in an entirely false, presumptive manner. The audacity of being spoken to like that!

It is obstacle-ridden experience which only serves to frustrate and delay participating in a circular economy.

Their ombudsman service lacks transparency and is a partial process which automatically sides with Freegle's moderators: raising a complaint with them is a total waste of time.

Their concern is retaining their jobsworth volunteers rather than user experience.

Free website for getting us all to reuse items. Overall I've met really nice people who give and take items, and it's been a great experience over the years. Friendly and helpful volunteers who seem to always be available with good advice whenever needed!

Absolutely disgusting behavior by the moderator just because I advised her that her attitude stinks and advised her what a recumbent bike is and got banned from groups. I have been a member of freegle/Trash Nothing for years and since moving to my local area i have had nothing but issue after issue. no warning no nothing. im disabled and rely on the free sites as stuff is expensive for a disabled person. that moderator needs to be taught some lessons in customer service.

Freegle is a great concept,yeah right, stuff is advertised but when it's gone ppl don't delete sometimes it's marked as gifted or promised but hey if it's gone delete it otherwise ppl who don't know are sending wasted messages I have been on a fortnight and not one message in reply also I placed two two ads on to give away a tool box and another for some really useful wood my ads nowhere to be seen both with photos I'm giving up can't abide ignorance