The Freecycle Network has company in the something-for-nothing business.
Sites such as Kashless, U-Exchange and SwapTreasures offer clothes, furniture, books, musical instruments and just about anything else you may need. Sometimes it's an even-steven swap, sometimes a no-strings-attached giveaway.
As I noted in "Clutter's worst enemy: Freecycle," it's amazing what people want to get rid of. In addition to the usual couches and bookcases, you will find things like:
- Shaman services in return for airline miles to Tahiti.
- Custom Web-site design for auto repair.
- Dental work for remodeling.
- A diamond ring for a personal watercraft.
- A spayed 7-year-old dachshund in exchange for "open to offers."
- And, oh, the freebies: cubicle dividers, buckets of mosaic chips, a pregnancy pillow, a chain-link fence, a blood glucose monitor, nursing bras, snake cages, adult diapers, pieces of foam, tractor tires, movie tickets, an unopened bottle of bleach and 50 cabinet door hinges.
"I've had people put a house (up for trade)," SwapTreasures founder Jeff Brown says. "I don't think they got any offers."
Don't rule it out, though. Remember the guy who started bartering with one red paper clip and ended up with a home in Canada?
Cheap and green
Most transactions are a little more down-to-earth. If you've got a video-game habit, a baby on the way or an apartment that needs furnishing, the free online marketplace might be for you.It's a form of consumerism that's both frugal and eco-friendly: You get the futon frame you can't afford, and the former owner doesn't have to pitch it in a dump. Saving money seems to be more important these days, though; the site owners I interviewed say membership climbed noticeably as the economy tanked.
Don't see what you want? Some sites let you make a wish list; you'll get an e-mail alert when that snowboard or espresso maker is up for grabs.
Some organizations require trading, but often no strings are attached. You simply cruise the local chapter for items you need or give away items you don't want. You might even make a friend; I've become pals with a woman who answered my Freecycle request for fruit to be used in canning and making jam. (You'll want to be cautious, though. More on that later.)
'Inherently social'
Fostering community, whether virtual or actual, was a specific goal at Swap Mamas. "Swapping is inherently social," founder Darcy Cruwys says.Besides, those rompers and receiving blankets hold so many memories that it's tough to hand them over to strangers. "It's so much nicer to give (things) to a friend," Cruwys says.
Members often become e-mail buddies or start local Swap Mamas chapters that organize in-person swaps, since it's not practical to mail items like cribs or changing tables. Not that they're necessarily limited to kid stuff: Eve Rothacker has scored novels, soap, craft materials and other items at monthly meetings of her Atlanta-area chapter.
"I've gotten brand-new purses, even makeup and high-end facial cream," she says. Clothing remains a priority, however.
"I used to be hooked going on eBay looking for the best clothes for my family," she says. "Now I go straight to Swap Mamas."
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Continued: The market for media