Dana Rankin prefers Freecycle to Craigslist. After all, everything is free. She joined the local Freecycle group at www.kcfreecycle.org by filling out an application when she moved to Kansas City’s East Side from New Jersey.

“The Craigslist universe is so big that by the time you find something you want, it’s usually gone,” says Rankin, owner of an online garden gift shop. “To me, Freecycle is easier to navigate. It’s such a small community. You get e-mail alerts when a member has something you’re looking for.”

Rankin likes that with Freecycle, you can put out a list of goods you’re seeking; hers included a color television, bookcase and dresser. She’s given away a computer printer, books, toys and clothes her children outgrew.

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