What’s the catch?

There is no catch. It is clear to us that way too many items are sent, unnecessarily to landfill, this is the core belief of Free For All. We believe there is already more than enough ‘stuff’ in this world for everyone to have a comfortable standard of living, we just need to share more. Free For All provides the space and place for this sharing to happen in order to keep usable items out of the landfill.

Is everything really free?

Yes, everything is free to the Sharers and the Re-homers but there are costs associated with running an organisation like this. We at Free For All understand that Re-homers can’t always be Sharers and we don’t want money to get in the way of everyone interacting with our site. Free For All does seek funding to cover running and development costs.

I want to financially support Free For All, how can I do that?

We are always interested in being contacted by people who want to give us money! You are invited and encouraged to get in touch with us via the ‘contact us’ details of www.freeforall.co.nz to chat about what is the best fit for financial support. Thank you.

Can I sell items I get from FFA?

The simple answer is NO! This is one practice that will see you removed from the FFA sharing community. The selling of items goes against what we are doing. If you no longer need an item please relist on www.freeforall.co.nz to share with another member of the sharing community or contact us to find out where our ‘sharing stations’ are located to receive physical items. You are also welcome to share them directly with the community you are in.

Are electrical items tested?

All electricals are tested for safety not to see if they work correctly. If a cord and plug are cut of an item it is to be used for parts only.

Can I drop my items somewhere instead of listing them on the site?

We would like to encourage you to share your items through the website as it creates the ability for people to access items in the community they live in instead of having to try to get to a central location. It is also a great way to get to know people in your neighbourhood. If you are time challenged please get in touch with us to work out the closest donation station for your items to be taken to.

I want to share items through the website but I am worried about putting my street name in the listing. What can I do?

We appreciate that security is a major concern and it is not one to be taken lightly. The street name part of the listing is important to let people make informed choices around reserving items and their locations. This function is really helpful for people who don’t have transport and also for people who wish to limit their carbon footprint, this is why it is a part of the listing process. To get around the worry about publishing your street name, we suggest either using a street a few away from yours or use a local landmark. This means the only person who will get you address is the person who is shopping. We also suggest making contact with us if the communication around collecting is raising concerns.

I have seen an item I would use but I can afford to buy it new, am I able to reserve the item or is there financial criteria to access the site?

You are welcome to access the items on Free For All. Free For All is not a charity. Free For All does not require any financial information from you to enable access to items. Free For All’s goal is to keep usable stuff being used, not prematurely disposed of in landfill, therefore your financial situation is not relevant to your access of the site.

What do I do if someone has reserved an item and not got in touch?

Your greatest asset is time and we, at Free For All, strongly believe that if you are taking time out of your day to share items with the community, that you should not have to chase people to collect the items you’re gifting. If there is no contact within 24 hours you are welcome to use the template provided to try to initiate contact. If there is still no contact or collection within the 72 hours please use the report a member form as we will follow up and decide if we are going to start the ‘3 strike plan’.

I have reserved an item what do I do next?

The very first thing you should do after clicking reserve is to make contact with the sharer to thank them for sharing and to organise a time for collection. When collecting an item we suggest taking someone with you and to not enter a property alone. This is to protect you as a Re-homer and the other party as the Sharer. It is your responsible to keep the lines of communication going and to collect when arranged. Manners are key.

Can I just take everything I want?

There is a weekly limit of 10 items per member. We do this to make sure things are fair. If there is a particular item that you really want/need that you see after you have reached your reserve limit please send us a message and we will see what we can do. We ask that you do be considerate when reserving items that are considered “highly desirable” items e.g. fridges, washing machines, TV’s, labelled clothing and the like (see the highly desirable list). We ask that you self-limit a highly desirable item every six weeks or so especially while we are establishing the community. You may be requested by a FFA admin member to unreserve an item if it is deemed a highly desirable item and you have already received a number of items from this category. Failure to unreserve will incur a disciplinary strike against the account.

What items are considered highly desirable?

This is a list of examples but it is no means a complete list.

» Rugs
» Fridges
» TV’s
» Gaming systems
» Electronics e.g. DVD players etc.
» Washing machines
» Tools
» Dehumidifiers
» Vacuum cleaners
» Large items of furniture
» Desirable toys
» Cameras etc.

What if the Sharer doesn’t respond to my messages to collect the item?

If you have reserved an item and you can’t get hold of the sharer within the first 48 hours after you click reserve please notify us. There are some valid reasons around the non-contact and that can be because an item has already been shared and the Sharer has forgotten to remove the item from the site. This can happen especially if the item isn’t collected until the last couple of hours after reservation. Please be respectful around this as we haven’t managed to create a solution to this issue but we are looking in to it.

What if the item isn’t in the condition it was described as?

If you reserve an item and when you collect it isn’t in the condition it was described as e.g. a bed has signs of mould on it and it would be unsafe and undesirable to use please take some pictures and respectfully let the sharer know that it wasn’t what you wanted. After you have been through this process please unreserve the item and contact admin with the photos you managed to take and we will address it with the Sharer. It is really important that you are reasonable in your expectations of what condition the item is in. If you have any concerns use the question and answers facility on the listing before committing to collect the item.

What is acceptable to share with the community?

Surprisingly what is one man’s junk is another man’s treasure is correct.
There are obvious things to share e.g.:

  • Crockery
  • Linen
  • Clothing
  • Toys
  • Photo frames
  • Shoes

Things that can be shared that aren’t so obvious:

  • Clean, good condition underwear
  • Socks
  • Kindy play clothes
  • Part board games (people will collect them to make other games whole)
  • Towels that are a little past human use   great for animal rescues
  • Newspapers
  • Broken jewellry

What do I do when people are no-shows, abusive or inconsiderate?

If any Free for All member:

  • do not turn up to collect items at arranged times
  • become abusive or inconsiderate
  • displays a lack of communication
  • is suspected of selling on any shared items

then use the "Report a member" form to let Free for All management know as soon as possible.