Case Study: Giving and Receiving on Freecycle.Org Essay Example

of the effects of consumer consumption and wastefulness but also a way to offset the effects, even if the contribution seems small in the long run it goes a long way. Other websites and organizations have not risen to the challenge of exchanging and unwanted and used items because those companies are in it to make money and they contribute to communities and the environment in other ways. They don’t feel the need to do something like this especially since there is already a site like Freecycle. org that is so well known. They might not see the need to create competition for it.

Freecycle. org has three years and a lot of praise it would be hard for others to break into this type of work when they have such an excellent track record and consumers trust Freecycle. org they might be hesitant to go somewhere else. Success and Fame Receiving and purchasing new items can feel really good ever. Consumers also know that usefulness can fade, and the pleasure that came from new purchases can be fleeting. Apart from the usual solution to this problem, which is to buy more new items, it’s worth thinking that getting rid of items that are no longer needed or wanted can feel as good as getting it.

Freecycle. org has made a name for themselves by doing just that. The concept has worked so well and because of word of mouth, many people want to become more “eco-friendly”, everyone cares about the environment and they want to do their part. One of the reasons they’ve been so successful, is because everybody wants to do their part to help

the environment. The concept that by giving away something they no longer want, and knowing that just by that small action they’ve helped someone as well as the environment, makes consumers feel good about themselves and this is one of the main reasons they’ve been so successful. Whatever attracts people to join, part of what keeps them involved, Beal says, is something they probably didn’t expect: the moment when someone thanks you backward and forward for giving him something you planned to throw away. “There’s a sort of paradigm shift in your brain: ‘Wow, that feels really good,’ ” Beal says. “That’s what I think is fueling this absurd amount of growth we’ve had. ” (Walker, 2007) Consumers have such great experiences with the website that they in turn tell others and even if others are skeptical at first they are willing to try it because of the referrals.

These are all reasons that continue to contribute to the growth and mainstay of Freestyle. org. Effects on Consumer Buying Habits Consumers don’t seem to be making fewer purchases because of Freecycle. org, but it certainly has to have an effect on the way consumers view their consumption habits as well as the way they view their “Garbage”. Using Freecycle, I’ve cleaned out my basement and furnished our offices. All at no charge and with the real sense that someone is benefitting by either getting rid of things they don’t need or getting things they do. Most of the people re incredibly nice and responsive. A few never pick up items and you move on to the next person on the list. Sometimes the person giving or

receiving turns out to be a friend or neighbor, which always give you both a good laugh. (Stevens, 2011) This sense of purpose gives consumers a fresh view on the way they spend and it may cause some consumers to think getting an item that isn’t new might be better in the long run not only for themselves financially but for the environment and if the growth trend continues it may very well affect the way consumers make their purchases.

Not to long ago consumers would go out and purchase something because they wanted/needed the item and liked it. If they could spare the money they would purchase it. Ever since the internet became such a popular and powerful tool consumers will look an item they want/need and read reviews and compare it in features and qualities as well as price. Recycle. org may become a catalyst; much like the internet did, and affect the way consumers make purchases. Especially as consumers become more “eco-friendly” and the importance of consumers purchasing habits really hits home, and people become more proactive towards protecting the environment.

Freecycling, Not for Everyone? EBay isn’t going to be doing something like Freecycling anytime soon because a lot of the users on EBay sell their unwanted items the same could be said for websites like Amazon. com and Createspace. com. The reason this isn’t likely to happen to these existing websites is because the purpose of these is to make money from unwanted items. Most users wouldn’t want to give away and item when they know someone is willing to pay for it.

These are the basic foundations of these websites, if they suddenly

had something like Freecycling it would defeat their purpose that these websites were originally created for. New websites with similar ideals to that of Freecycle. org might be a good idea but since Freecycle has been around for 8 years and hasn’t had much in the way of competition or help however you want to see it. It might be hard for them to get as many consumers to visit their website because they won’t have the consumer trust that Freecycle has and people might be wary of someone new stating so late in the game. Conclusion

Freecycle seems to have started a consumer revolution they no longer see unwanted items and “garbage” they seem them as a way to help the environment by being able to give them away to someone who needs/wants them. They have successfully done this by only word of mouth and very little free advertising. They are currently growing and as more and more people hear about this website they start to think more about their consumer habits and they’re creating a change. Even though in the near future there won’t be a lot of websites to do this and existing website won’t change the way they work.

They might direct users to these websites in the end Freecycling seems to be a great solution in this new “Eco-friendly” society. References Wikipedia. (2006, June 19). The freecycle network. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/The_Freecycle_Network Beal, D. (2003, May 1). Freecycle. org. Retrieved from http://faq. freecycle. org/faq/ Alter, L. (2007, July 12). Freecycle. org: It really works. . Retrieved from http://www. treehugger. com/sustainable-product-design/freecycleorg-it-really-works. html Superbly Green. (2010).

Get something from freecycle, instead of buying it.

Retrieved from http://practicallygreen. com/get-something-instead-of-buying-it-from-freecycle Walker , B. (2007, January 07). Unconsumption. Retrieved from http://www. nytimes. com/2007/01/07/magazine/07wwln_consumed. t. html Stevens, S. (2011, February 26). Easy ways to get necessities for free — and to get rid of unwanted stuff: Freecycle, swap, and exchange!. Retrieved from http://blog. practicallygreen. com/2011/02/easy-ways-to-get-necessities-for-free-and-to-get-rid-of-unwanted-stuff-freecycle-swap-and-exchange/