Archives for : September 2012

Malaysia Star: Swap, don’t junk

You just need to ask

Another swapping network that has been gaining popularity in Malaysia is The Freecycle Network (TFN).

Tagged as “a free version of eBay”, TFN is a non-profit cyber movement where members can give or get stuff for free within their local communities. It promotes reuse, which is one way to reduce waste and save our environment.

The Freecycle group has its own e-mail group and volunteer moderator in its individual city, town or district. Once you register as a member with the local group, you can post a message on anything that you want to give away, or receive messages on what other people are giving away. If you are interested in any item, all you need is to request for it. The moderator will match the requester with the giver through e-mail.

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Mirror.co.uk: Sofa, so good, BBQ business, bus signs, sinks and shower curtains

Q – I have just moved into my new home and managed to get an Ikea Klippan sofa for nothing from the Freecycle website. However, the cover needs to be replaced. Do Ikea still sell replacements or do you have any other ideas on how I could make it as good as new?

Stephen Lam, Woking, Surrey

ZENA SAYS: Lucky you! And you’ll be pleased to hear you can still get a replacement from Ikea. Covers cost from £24.99 and they have some funky designs as well as plain colours. If you want something completely different, take a look at www.bemz.com where you can buy covers for all Ikea furniture. Klippan covers start at £95. Alternatively, if it’s not too badly worn you could dye your existing cover or hide it with a throw and cushions.

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Telegraph.co.uk:Festival of Business: starting a business without any cash

Source any equipment you need for free through Freecycle (freecycle.org), a community website on which people can recycle unwanted items, or the freebie section of listings sites such as Gumtree (gumtree.com) and Craigslist (craigslist.co.uk). Right now, for example, someone is offering a free office table in London and free catering equipment in Edgbaston.

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TechHive: Get back to your roots with vintage video games

Where to buy

Freecycle and Craigslist are two great places to get started. Freecycle is a network of thousands of members-only mailing lists, localized by geographical region. Members give stuff away for free to others who can use that stuff. The goal: Keep things out of landfills by encouraging reuse. I’ve used the service before to snag stuff like vintage Macs and a Commodore Amiga, complete with a big crate of classic Amiga games. The online classified service Craigslist is also a great place to find stuff for free or at a very low cost from people looking to make space in their family room.

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