eBay competitor growing fast…
Freecycle an eBay competitor is experiencing real growth adding up to 100,000 new members a week.
And its all based on word of mouth, there has been no paid promotion at all, so why is it so successful?
Carolyn Batt of the Sydney Morning Herald explains…
Althea is giving away five bantam roosters but would like some lemons to make jam. Patricia is off-loading an electric organ and will send photos so you dont make a bad buy, even though its free. And Karen is getting rid of an old washing machine that doesnt work but would be great for spare parts.
Welcome to Freecycle, which is being hailed as the new eBay with a conscience.
Based on the premise that one persons trash is anothers treasure, it is the brainchild of Deron Beal, a 38-year-old charity worker.
You could say I was a professional junk collector, Mr Beal explains. I was working for a recycling organisation and Id hang around dumpsters saving usable items and delivering them to non-profits who could use them. But it got to the point where I was spending all my time driving around to charities and no time saving things from the dumpster. One thing led to another and thats how Freecycle started. I thought if I gave it a nifty name, it might just take off.
