Spotlight on... Frizbay
The following blog post was written by Richard "Pringle" Taylor, one of the founders of Frizbay! We, at Lookfly, love the project and from time-to-time put some items on the site with proceeds going to a range of UK anti-racism charities.
Let's be honest - a lot of us have way more jerseys, shorts, jackets, hats and tank tops than we'll ever need. Every year we buy that season's kit and maybe some merch from a couple of tournaments, adding them to the ever-growing pile. Maybe they'll get brought out for a training session here and there, but is that really worth the space in our bedroom drawers?
I created Frizbay, initially and selfishly, to solve this problem for myself. I played Ultimate for 15 years and rarely, if ever did I get rid of any kit during that time. I played for a lot of different teams, so I had all their kit. In the early days, I would always buy a souvenir shirt from any foreign tournaments I went to. I played for a few GB teams, so I had those too. I designed kit for Gaia, and would often receive free samples of the design - sometimes two or three full sets.
What resulted was bags and bags and bags full of stuff that I never wore, and probably didn't fit any more. It just got moved from house to house. To be clear about the scale of the problem, I'm talking about roughly 60 shirts and 30 shorts, plus various other items.
Earlier this year I decided to take the plunge and clear out my kit storage. But where do you take old Ultimate kit? The charity shop? I'm not sure any of it would sell. Give it to Juniors? I don't think they need all of it. Send it to developing Ultimate communities? Maybe, but I'm not sure how, and again - do I send it all to one place?
What if I could give it to people I know actually want it? I could put it on eBay, but it would get lost in the sheer volume and I'd have to tell the whole community every time I added an item. It would be better if there was a dedicated place for users to buy and sell used Ultimate kit...
I decided to build my own version of eBay, for Frisbee. Frizbay.
On Frizbay, users add kit to sell to other members of the community. This promotes reuse, but also gives players the chance to get hold of items they'd never have seen otherwise; to effectively trade with someone who could be on the other side of the world.
But what about the charity shops, and the developing Ultimate communities that we're depriving of these items? Well, the key feature of Frizbay is this - all profits go to charity.
Each time a seller adds a new item to their store, they choose a charity to support with the proceeds. Postage and packaging are refunded, and everything else gets donated.
If a seller wants to support a developing community, they can name them as the beneficiary, to receive money for new equipment of their own, instead of just a random selection of used items.
In our first month we raised over £500 for good causes, sending kit around the world to Hong Kong, Canada, Germany, Austria and all over the UK.
The success of Frizbay depends on the involvement of the community, both buying and selling Ultimate kit. Together we can avoid usable items going to waste, give players access to new equipment, and raise money for good causes in the process. Everybody wins. So get involved, we'd love to see what you've got to offer!
Frizbay. The Ultimate trading site.
Let's be honest - a lot of us have way more jerseys, shorts, jackets, hats and tank tops than we'll ever need. Every year we buy that season's kit and maybe some merch from a couple of tournaments, adding them to the ever-growing pile. Maybe they'll get brought out for a training session here and there, but is that really worth the space in our bedroom drawers?
I created Frizbay, initially and selfishly, to solve this problem for myself. I played Ultimate for 15 years and rarely, if ever did I get rid of any kit during that time. I played for a lot of different teams, so I had all their kit. In the early days, I would always buy a souvenir shirt from any foreign tournaments I went to. I played for a few GB teams, so I had those too. I designed kit for Gaia, and would often receive free samples of the design - sometimes two or three full sets.
What resulted was bags and bags and bags full of stuff that I never wore, and probably didn't fit any more. It just got moved from house to house. To be clear about the scale of the problem, I'm talking about roughly 60 shirts and 30 shorts, plus various other items.
Earlier this year I decided to take the plunge and clear out my kit storage. But where do you take old Ultimate kit? The charity shop? I'm not sure any of it would sell. Give it to Juniors? I don't think they need all of it. Send it to developing Ultimate communities? Maybe, but I'm not sure how, and again - do I send it all to one place?
What if I could give it to people I know actually want it? I could put it on eBay, but it would get lost in the sheer volume and I'd have to tell the whole community every time I added an item. It would be better if there was a dedicated place for users to buy and sell used Ultimate kit...
I decided to build my own version of eBay, for Frisbee. Frizbay.
On Frizbay, users add kit to sell to other members of the community. This promotes reuse, but also gives players the chance to get hold of items they'd never have seen otherwise; to effectively trade with someone who could be on the other side of the world.
But what about the charity shops, and the developing Ultimate communities that we're depriving of these items? Well, the key feature of Frizbay is this - all profits go to charity.
Each time a seller adds a new item to their store, they choose a charity to support with the proceeds. Postage and packaging are refunded, and everything else gets donated.
If a seller wants to support a developing community, they can name them as the beneficiary, to receive money for new equipment of their own, instead of just a random selection of used items.
In our first month we raised over £500 for good causes, sending kit around the world to Hong Kong, Canada, Germany, Austria and all over the UK.
The success of Frizbay depends on the involvement of the community, both buying and selling Ultimate kit. Together we can avoid usable items going to waste, give players access to new equipment, and raise money for good causes in the process. Everybody wins. So get involved, we'd love to see what you've got to offer!
Frizbay. The Ultimate trading site.