Terms for Freegle Users
When the website was upgraded in 2016, a new set of 'Terms of Use' and related guidelines for good practice were introduced. The wording was discussed and agreed by poll on Development Group in August 2016.
Terms of Use
We could give you a ten page long Terms of Use. Like you'd read that.
As far as we're concerned, it's simple:
- Use Freegle to pass on unwanted items direct to others.
- Everything must be free and legal.
- Be nice to other Freeglers, and they'll be nice to you.
- We don't see or check items offered - see our disclaimer.
- Freegle groups may have additional rules - check your local group for details.
- Please keep yourself safe and watch out for scams.
- Objectionable content or behaviour will not be tolerated.
- If you see anything inappropriate, suspicious or just dodgy then please report it.
- You must be aged 12 or over, as there is user-generated content.
- We won’t sell your email address to anyone else - see privacy page.
- We will email you posts, replies, events, newsletters, etc - control these in Settings
- For some Freegle local groups, you are likely to be obliged to adhere to Yahoo! Groups Terms of Service [1] or those of Norfolk Freegle [2].
- We will make your post public to publicise Freegle but not your email address - see privacy page.
Got questions?
If you have questions, please contact us.
Disclaimer
Freegle puts people who have unwanted items in touch with people who want those items. Because of how it works, Freegle never sees or checks items and they may not be in working order. Posting an advert or responding to an advert does not guarantee you will be able to get rid of unwanted items or get the items you want. Any agreement you reach about any items will be between the person requesting or advertising items and you. It is your responsibility to ensure you are not breaking any laws in offering or getting goods through Freegle.
Safety
Freeglers are lovely. But many of them will be people you've never met before. So please use common sense when posting to Freegle or collecting an item. For example:
Don't post in public on Freegle telling people when you're going to be out. Most collections occur at home, but if you're worried about that, arrange to meet in a cafe or other public place.
Scams
Regrettably, occasionally online scammers target Freegle groups, often by offering high-value items, and then asking you to pay for courier charges. We catch a lot of these, and you never see them, but sometimes they sneak through.
While some groups allow postage, you should never hand over money in advance. We don't recommend any specific courier (so if you see a message saying we do, it’s a scam).
If you are unlucky enough to be scammed, please report it to the Police, and to us.
Privacy
We won’t pass on your email address to anyone else, and other freeglers can't see it.
Other freeglers can see your name. If you don't want that, you can change it in Settings.
We try to protect you from spammers and fraudsters. Sometimes our volunteers may read what you write to check that it's not spam, phishing or fraud. If we happen to find something which is against Freegle rules, we may take further action.
If you put phone numbers, email addresses or postal addresses into your posts on Freegle, other people will be able to see them. If you're concerned about this, don't do it!
So that potential new users can see what is being offering on Freegle, we make some details of posts public, i.e. the item name, approximate location, the description and any photos. No personal details are made public - unless in this information.
Cookies
Most modern websites use cookies and other ways of remembering things in your browser. We do too. If you turn these off, then we're afraid the site won't work.
We don't sell your behaviour to advertisers, or any of that nonsense.
If you're not sure what a cookie is, read about them here [3]
