Skip the yardsale - try FreeCycle to find a new home for your stuff
Jan 19th, 2010 by Laura
I found a box labeled yards sale in the basement. You know, a glass coffee table bowl from Pier One, candle holders, all the things replaced by Legos or non-breakable “dustables” (as my bachelor friend calls all decorative nic-nacs) in my living room. I don’t know how long they were there waiting for the often promised yard sale (or imaginary yard sale as my husband calls it. ) But the time for liberation is upon us and goes by the name of FREECYCLE.
I am sure many are already aware if the beauty of FreeCycle, but I was a slow convert. As it is I am not very good at managing my email inbox, especially the series of emails I received from other yahoo groups (even in digest form), so I didn’t even consider it until a friend informed me that I could opt out of emails and only access via my yahoo account. Now the only emails I receive are directly from people wanting my junk - the best kind of email. Just imagine this subject in your inbox “Re: OFFER: Bag of stuffed animals and dolls.” Someone wanted my daughters cast off stuff animals - Hooray! Additionally, I have successfully found new homes for toys, baby gear, and an old computer.
There are groups in Arlington, Somerville and Cambridge as well as other towns in the area. You need a yahoo account to sign up for the group. There is a thankless moderator who will approve your sign up and slap your wrists when you forget etiquette like stating “OFFER”, or put in multiple posts instead of grouping all your stuff in one. If you are concerned about your privacy, the email you have on your yahoo account will show up on your posts (there may be an option to not show but I am not sure.) Because they are town specific don’t be surprised if you see your buddies there. You’ll get an odd little view into your community (who is cleaning our their basement, besides you 
The big surprise is the good vibe of the experience. I guess if I thought about it I could have imagined that everyone in the transaction would be psyched. I feel much better than when I drop off a bag at Goodwill (which I will continue to do) knowing that someone actually needs or wants what I don’t, that my stuff won’t rot in a basement or dump somewhere. Even if someone is just going to take my stuff and sell it I don’t mind. It is not in my house anymore. And of course there is the other side of the transaction - the takers. I got a bunch of great condition moving boxes I would have had to buy otherwise.
So with Freecycle, you may not have the $50 you might have pocketed with a yard sale but you do have the days you would have spent planning, setting up, having and cleaning up from the yard sale (if it doesn’t rain.) And with that time you can post a few of the valuable items on Craigslist, find stuff you need on FreeCycle, or go back to cleaning up your basement.
