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Freecycle is a treasure trove of older computing gear--and everything else.
Freecycle’s goal is keeping unwanted items out of the landfill by helping people find new homes for their junk. At the same time, it helps other people find a used item they need--for free--and avoid buying something new. It may sound like a bunch of tree-hugging hippie jive, but more than 7 million people participate in nearly 5,000 local networks, and they give away a lot of stuff. Some of it is tech stuff--and you can even ask for stuff. Get started today, and you can not only declutter your drawers (someone needs those old FireWire cables, but it’s not you), but you can also keep an eye out for the Mac or iPod score of the century.
Freecycle.org will point you to your local Freecycle list.
Head to freecycle.org and type your city and state into the box to find a nearby group. When you select one, you’ll be sent to a page with a link to the actual group--in most cases, it’s a Yahoo Group. Sign up for the group’s listserv and opt for the daily digest so you get one email per day. For starters, just listen for a bit to pick up on the community’s etiquette and tone.
Mac parts and even Macs appeared in our search for "offer mac."
Freecycle has three main types of posts. Offer posts give something away. Taken posts let the other people know an offer is closed. Wanted posts are requests for specific things, hoping someone will have one they’re not using and can part with. No money ever changes hands. If you read the group’s messages online, it’s easy to search for just Offer or Wanted, or narrow down the results with keywords like Mac, laptop, iPod, and so on.
Be nice, just like your mother taught you.
People who offer items can use any criteria they like to select who gets them: politeness, sob story, first come first served, whatever. If you want to jump on offers right away, switch your group preferences to receive every message individually in your email. When you respond to offers, be polite, try to use good grammar and spelling, give your contact information, and don’t get upset if you don’t hear back. Some items attract a ton of responses, and the person might only reply to the “winner.”
Follow the etiquette--especially in the subject line--and be polite!
After you’ve been on the listserv a little while, maybe offered a few things to boost your karma, you can compose a Wanted request for the item you need the most. Again, be polite. Be specific when explaining what you need and why, but don’t insist on “this one thing or nothing,” particularly if it’s something high end. (Core i5 MacBook Pro? No.) If you have extenuating circumstances (job loss, theft, student, nonprofit), explain briefly. Thank people for reading. Hope for the best.
1. 667MHz PowerPC G4 laptop
2. Black leather laptop bag
3. iMac, circa 2000, needs keyboard
4. 256MB RAM for an iMac G5
5. Two nonworking iPod nanos
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dnstevenson
November 16, 2010 at 10:21am
Speaking of free credit reports - we review iPhone apps that help you manage your credit. Check the reviews of both free apps and paid apps at www.creditreportappreviews.com
redfalcon5
November 12, 2010 at 9:06pm
I am currently using 'netTALK'. There are no adds and you don't have to coerce friends to sign up. It works just like a phone. It works off of Wi-Fi with my iPod Touch.
wfurlong
November 10, 2010 at 1:09pm
this has been one of the most informative articles you've ever posted....because i'm super cheap! Thanks!
Rebelord
November 10, 2010 at 10:56am
Now here's an interesting dilemma. uTorrent merged with BitTorrent, and both apps look surprisingly the same for the Mac OS. And since they're merged, what's the difference really between the 2 applications. It would be nice if you did an article comparing the 2 Torrent clients, and seeing what the differences are, if any.
