Rules and Etiquette

1. All items must be free - No strings attached
2. Legal and Appropriate for all ages
3. Correct subject line format
4. Wanted message restrictions
5. Multiple offers - separate emails VS all in one
6. Fair offer policy (FOP)
7. Pick up/collection of items
8. Not turning up to collect
9. No off-topic posts - spam, offers/requests for services or advice etc
10. No animals or pets please!
11. No crossposting to other groups
12. Trading/selling on items
13. No desperate/urgent sob stories please!
14. No money off coupons, vouchers etc
15. Freecycle Etiquette
16. Common message posting errors
17. Local group for local people!

1. All items must be free - No strings attached
This is the most important rule of Freecycle, everything must be completely FREE - that means no swaps, exchanges, borrowing, loans or trading please. All items rehomed via Freecycle are gifts. Members must not offer or request payment at any time during the `transaction`, not in the initial message, nor via a private email or when an item is collected.

2. Items must be legal and appropriate for all ages
This means, for example, no alcohol, tobacco, firearms, drugs or "adult" material, legal or otherwise.

3. Correct subject line format
Please always set out the subject line as follows:

OFFER: mountain bike - Church Hill (to offer an item)
TAKEN: mountain bike - Church Hill (when your item is claimed)

OR

WANTED: three piece suite - Batchley (to request an item)
RECEIVED: three piece suite - Batchley (when you`ve received it)

Clear and accurate(but brief) subject lines help members make a quick decision whether to simply delete or open your message. Locations are required so that members can choose to claim items within convenient travelling distance and so we can all try to re-home stuff locally, to help our local community and cut down on fuel used to collect items. Rather than typing `Redditch` as your location, please put the district of the town. Finally, please don`t use your postcode instead of a location. Click here for details of how many members make common message posting errors!

4. Wanted message restrictions
Please do not post the same WANTED message more than once per month. Please post WANTED messages sparingly and don`t ask for extravagant items like a plasma TV screen which we`d all like to have. Before you post a WANTED message, please search through the OFFER messages from the last few days. It could well be that someone has already offered what you want!

5. Multiple offers - separate emails VS all in one
Got more than one thing to give away? If they are of a similar nature, try to list them in one email, to help cut down on the amount of emails we all receive. If your items are quite varied, please post them in separate emails, so that members can clearly see what is being offered.

6. Fair offer policy (FOP)
We have an optional policy for posting OFFER messages, which we encourage members to use. The FOP asks members to wait a period of time(perhaps 24 hours) to see what responses you get before deciding who to give item(s) to. This gives members on Daily Digest, or those who don't have continual access to the Internet, a fair chance to reply.

7. Pick up/collection of items
Arrange as you like. Generally, you'll wait until you get a handful of responses or maybe overnight, and then you can pick whomever you like! That's half the fun. Maybe you could consider giving a local charity preference if one should respond. Arrange pickup with one person only, rather than "it's in the porch, whoever gets here first gets it." Otherwise you'll become unpopular very quickly with your fellow Freecycle group members... Also: only give your phone number to one person at a time or ask for the recipient's phone no. Otherwise you'll get swamped with phone calls.

8. Not turning up to collect
When you make an arrangement to collect an item at a particular time, please always keep to the arrangement. The member has agreed to give you an item that you want, the least you can do is to turn up when you said you would! If for any reason you can`t get there, make sure you let the member know. It`s a good idea to exchange phone numbers, so that you can stay in touch.

9. No off-topic posts - spam, offers/requests for services or advice etc
Need a plumber? Want to offer your services? Want advice on something? Want a house exchange? NOT HERE PLEASE!!!! Freecycle is about saving items from going to landfill, nothing else. `Off-topic` messages will be deleted and members that post them will be placed back on moderation. We have set up a separate Cafe discussion group where our members can post all kinds of messages that are not allowed in our main group, and it`s great for getting to know your fellow members! See http://groups.yahoo.com/group/redditch-freecycle-cafe

10. No animals or pets please!
We do not accept offers or requests for animals or pets of any kind. Please contact either the RSPCA www.rspca.org.uk/ or UK Animal Rescuers www.animalrescuers.co.uk/. You will also find a list of local animal rescues/sanctuaries on our links page.

11. No crossposting to other groups
Some members post messages to the Redditch group and neighbouring groups at the same time. This is called `crossposting` and is unwelcome for several reasons - 1) increases volume of messages unnecessarily, 2) more members end up disappointed as lots of people go after the same items, 3) increases the amount of out of town trips for collection. For these reasons, we have introduced a `No Crossposting` policy, which applies to both OFFER & WANTED messages. Please follow these simple rules.

1. Do not post the same message to more than one group at a time.
2. Decide which group is your home group (normally the one you live in or nearest to) and post to that one initially.
3. If after a few days(or at least 24 hours) you do not have any response then post to the next closest group and so on, till you get a response.

12. Trading/selling on items
Please do not take advantage of Redditch Freecycle and our members. If you respond to an OFFER (or post a WANTED) with the intention of selling items at car boot sales, via Ebay or elsewhere, you must state your intention in your message. Giving members the impression that items are for your own use, when in fact you intend to sell them, is strictly forbidden. Members should be able to choose whether or not their item goes for personal use or profit. Any member found to be breaking this rule, may be banned from the group!

13. No desperate/urgent sob stories please!
Would all members please refrain from using words/phrases such as "desperately needed", "urgently required", "please please help" etc in your messages. Neither should you go into detail about why you "need" an item, for eg. "I am in desperate need of a fridge because mine has just broke and i have 2 young children and we can`t afford to buy a new one" etc etc. While there are a lot of us with needs, this is not a wish list designed to fulfill the needs of others. This is a recycling group with the goal of reducing items thrown into landfill by finding people who are willing and able to use items that would otherwise be discarded. More often than not, long exagerated `sob stories` are ignored, while simple requests are considered!

14. No money off coupons, vouchers etc
Please don`t post any messages regarding coupons, tokens, vouchers or tickets of any kind on Redditch Freecycle. The focus of our group is primarily on saving good stuff from landfill, rather than finding free or cheap goods/services via such tickets, which are afterall, just bits of paper and could be recycled.

15. Freecycle Etiquette
"Be nice" We've got a great little community here so when you arrange to pick up an item from another Freecycle Member, it is basic good manners to accommodate them as much as possible in terms of scheduling, and then be punctual; they are, after all, giving you something you need and asking nothing in return except that you will show up when you say you will. (Leaving someone hanging around is never a nice thing.) Also, unless the giver tells you otherwise, assume that they would like you to come and collect as soon as you can to take away the item; no more than three days after the offer is made is usual. (Think of it as The Three-Day Rule.)

16. Common message posting errors

• No location given - Please always include your location in the subject line so that members can instantly see where you are. This applies to ALL messages ie. OFFER, WANTED, TAKEN and RECEIVED.
• Offer/Wanted missed out - Please always start your subject lines with what your message is about ie. is it an OFFER, WANTED, TAKEN or RECEIVED.
• Subject line description too long - Please always keep your subject line description brief. If you try to insert too much detail, the text will simply disappear off the screen in some email clients.
• All capital letters - Never use all capital letters in either the subject line or body of the message. All CAPS are harder to read and are regarded as shouting! They also lengthen the subject line.
• No details given in message - Please always include some details of your item in the body of the message ie. colour, size, make, model, condition etc. Members shouldn`t have to call/email you for details or guess!
• Bad spelling and grammar - Please don`t write using abbreviated words or sentences or txt spk!! You are not writing a text message, your characters are not limited! All members need to understand what you are saying!

17. Local group for local people!
Redditch Freecycle is a local group, primarily here for local people! Wherever possible, we would like unwanted items in Redditch to be rehomed within the town, in order to help out our own community and cut down on fuel used to collect items. If you are from outside Redditch, please join the Freecycle group most local to you. If you`re here because you`ve had no luck in your local group, please remember that Freecycle rules differ from group to group. You may not be familiar with some of the rules above, so please read this page before you start using Redditch Freecycle.

18. REMEMBER - We're here to help the planet and each other, have some fun and make new friends!