Free Geek

What an awesome place!
The sweetheart has been building his own lights lately so we stopped here to see what they had. While they didn’t have the size that he was looking for, they had a lot of neat things. I especially like that they have so many wires, the kind of wires that you need all the time.

This place is like Portland — Unique, a need driven great idea; Learn, buy, donate, recycle, teach & volunteer. Electronics go green; our area makes some of the best electronics in the world and this place gives the cycle a shot in the arm, giving opportunities for many more than would be the norm in the fast paced world of the Electronic shelf life. A great place to shop for part or whole electronic goodies.

I really love that this place exists. 5 stars for the volunteer/​training program that they have!
A bunch of years ago when I was in high school, I came here and participated in one of their volunteer programs where they teach you how to take apart and build computers that are then donated/​sold by Free Geek. It’s a nice introduction. When I was there: step 1 was ripping apart the donated computers and learning the components that make them up; step 2 was learning some UNIX commands in one of their courses; step 3 was running tests on computers built by others and making sure they’re ready; step 4 was building computers! At the time, if you built enough computers, you could take home one of the ones you built.
Along with learning about what these magical boxes are made up of, they have a good lending library of coding books (at least for volunteers?) Which is great because those kinds of books are really expensive if you try to buy them yourself, and, because those books get out-​of-​date really fast, regular libraries and Powell’s cheaper used books aren’t as useful.

These guys are really helpful. Even if they don’t have what you need, or you don’t know what you need, they’ll point you in the right direction. Great eco-​responsible place to get rid of your old electronics bric-​à-​brac, too.

Dont know why this site is showing I put 3 stars. I only put one…
Well, Im a disabled senior, on pc’s since their inception (via MS), politically active and with community conscience, so was very happy initially with the idea of contributing to Free Geek. It started with the fact that I could not afford a new laptop when mine crashed. Was informed by my tech to just do Linux as it would reduce repair costs over staying with MS. Unfortunately, he did not inform me of the nightmare of complexity involved with learning LInux and the myriad of programs within it. After donating items and doing some volunteering, I went to the thrift store and bought what I had thought would be a great buy. But aside from the fact that both the battery cord and cable cord kept falling out of it everytime I moved, the curser would hop all over and when I tried to type on a page the curser would jump to other areas of the page. Then when trying to do a search, before I even spelled out the title, random pages would pop up. I spoke to tech and after listening to him tell me repeatedly it was my fault, I told him the heck with it and I was returning it. I think went to the thrift store and they refused to take it back and give me my money. They said I had to just replace it with another of their laptops. Ya, like I really wanted to buy from them again and use their techs. I was shocked, they are supposed to have a focus on those of need, but apparently that doesnt include disabled, low income seniors. ALL SENIORS… dont bother with these guys, rude, insulting and totally no conscience about fair play relative to your money.

Love the thrift store, but I went in and asked if I could use a screw driver to replace some ram in my lap top and they just told me they «weren’t a work space.»
I’m living out of a back pack, they could see that.
There’s a disconnect here between what they say their message is and what the moronically code of conduct minded people behind the counter were saying.
You’re not going to get a thousand people in here asking for help if you let one homeless Dude use a screw driver.
And I really do like the place, but I figured they deserved at least one bad review for that.
In the very least they could have given me a better reason and not come off like mindless unhelpful drones. Maybe apologized for having to follow a dumb rule. Anything is better than citing a general guideline and following it with a blank stare that merely said «not my problem.»
Grah. Ruined my day!

I don’t know. I needed to dump a melted down iMac. They took it without blinking an eye. It will be torn apart and the usable parts will live again. I also needed a small monitor to use with my laptop at home. They had a nice selection of used monitors, tested and in good condition. I bought one for $ 50 and it seems to work perfectly. This seems like a great organization. If they make a little money keeping computer parts out of landfills, great. I will definitely be back. I do not understand their return policy, which makes store credit the only option. That seems a little heavy-​handed. They’re probably doing it to guard again people buying equipment, using it for a few hours or days and returning for a refund. I think there are other ways around that problem. I suspect they will figure out another approach at some point. For now, buyer beware.

1^st of all, you can’t get a free computer. You cant even get a free computer power cord.
They’re $ 20.00.
Almost everything in that store is at least $ 20.00.
They may be a nonprofit, but they also rape peoples wallets.
Change your name!

The Thrift Store is what it is. It could be managed better.
On the plus side, most everything is tested. It’s usually a better bargain than Goodwill, plus a greater likelihood that the stuff will work.
On the down side, they put away the computers early. They should really advertise their closing time as 5:30pm. All the small parts and many cables are in mis-​labeled containers. Annoying, and would be so easy to fix. But the staff appears very relaxed, not doing too much.
Bottom line; it’s a good place to go for good deals on certain cables, connectors, and older hardware like USB mice.

A great concept and a worthwhile Portland non-​profit. FG is a great place to donate your old computer or peripherals. The thrift store is spotty at best, and their used computers cost twice the price of similar ebay units (and FG’s have linux operating systems).
Regardless of their quirks, Free Geek fills their niche nicely and it’s another fine Portland institution.

If you need low budget computing and repairs in the Portland area then Free Geek should be one of your first stops. They may not be the best for every situation, but their ambitions are honest and they represent a good model for local businesses, in a rapidly dwindling independent computer shop market.

My experience was terrible. They lied to me and didn’t take any responsibility. I went in to buy a laptop since my girlfriend said hers was broken. I didn’t get a chance to look at it and see if I could fix it, so I figured I would just buy her one and return it if she didn’t like it. So I went in and found a little laptop and told the guy behind the counter my situation. I made sure that I could get my money back in full since she may not like it. He said yes. Well she did NOT like it because it had LINUX OS (all of their laptops do). So I took it back and was told that I could only get FREE GEEK credit and not the full 130. only 104. I have been trying to sell it on craigslist for the last month and still can’t. I’m pissed that I wasted my money here.

The competition may be slim but who can fault everyone’s favorite local community computer nonprofit?
I LOVE FreeGeek. They bring knowledge to the masses, bring me cheap computer crap I probably don’t need but am always willing to buy, and keep so many of the slim-​budget businesses in town afloat. They are all generous and helpful human beings and crazy fun employees. I’ve shopped, I’ve volunteered, I’ve brought problems to them, and I’ve solved others. In every scope of the business I have been impressed by the commitment and utility of the place and never left without a certain pride to call this place another home.
My only complaint is that they never have any job openings for me to grab up.

Truly a force of Good in the universe… long live Free Geek!
The local press has been effusive and by no means stingy in its praise, when it comes to Free Geek. But who would possibly think to be-​grudge the love? Free Geek continues to be a fabulous resource in the community at-​large and trains volunteers and of course provides nifty technological support for many agencies in need.
I’ve donated more computer goodies to Free Geek than I’ve ever bought from their thrift store, but there are some awesome bargains to be had– especially if you have older systems, e.g., mouse or keyboard w/​o the USB port cords. They were also the first place I ever found dvd-​cd rom drives w/​writing and erasable capabilities for some nifty upgrades on some loved ones’ desktops. Sure these are standard features nowadays, but it won’t be long till large screen i-​pads will be available, dirt cheap, in bargain bins at The Geek…

After I volunteered for this place, I started encouraging my workplace to make equipment donations to them. This is after their mandatory CRT monitor charge fell off the radar. Do we get tax breaks for computer donations? Sure. But through the grapevine I heard they try and strong arm non-​profits into donating money to them, who wouldn’t get a tax break. Surely you’re all on the same side?
I know they must be underfunded but the economy is hurting everyone. And I also know they get grants from the state to do what they do and work entirely off volunteer labor.
Not to mention the staff are surly and rude when you do try and get help unloading equipment. And by equipment I mean servers worth 1000s of dollars that could easily be sold on Ebay or Craigslist. There are other options for disposing corporate e-​waste that are much more friendly and are also non profits.

Who would want my old Toshiba laptop from 1997? Free Geek! They even took a hopeless old hp printer and a vintage Compac PC!
I received excellent customer service, everyone was super nice. They offered to come out to my car and lug the equipment in. The checkout person was very friendly and helpful.
They suggested a optional $ 16 donation, but I insisted on giving Free Geek a $ 20. I felt lucky to have this option.
It was quick and EZ to get that old equipment recycled to those who need it.

Need a free computer?
Need to learn how to use a computer?
Love to help your community?
IT’S ALL HERE!

Free Geek is about as good as it gets. They take donated goods and turn around an give them new life again in an affordable and sustainable manner. They work to create living wage jobs and often have internships (with livable wages!) that equip the internees with valuable skill sets. You can come into their store (or call) and receive excellent customer service — and best of all: thrift store computers!
If you need a bit of ram or some speakers or whatever and don’t want to pay out the nose or spend your days combing Craigslist, Free Geek is the place to come (Tuesday through Saturday.) They never cease to make my treasure-​hunting soul some kinda happy.

How can anyone not 5-​star this organization? They get computers to people who need them, and can’t afford them, like our schools here in town. They recently became the first Oregon nonprofit recognized as an e-​Stewards Recycler, which is the gold standard for ethical practices in electronics recycling.
They take just about anything you can plug in (working or not) — computers, printers, monitors, televisions, cords, cameras, card readers, drives, etc. Check the website for the short list of things they do not take, and also find out where you can recycle those items responsibly or get them to another organization that needs them.
There is a suggested donation schedule for all items, though it is not mandatory. But it takes time and money to rebuild that stuff, peeps! If you can afford it, an extra couple of bucks goes a long way to a non-​profit like this. I dropped off my deceased laptop (which I am still in mourning over) yesterday, and they were absolutely elated with my $ 10 donation (suggested was $ 4). Truly, genuinely appreciative.
The small thrift store next door to the donation area (see photo) is super funny. It’s not a place where you’d want to go should you be looking for some specific item, necessarily, but if you happen to be over there, it’s a great place to pick up general stuff like cords ($ 1), card readers ($ 5), and they had tons of cameras for super cheap. They had a whole section of nice printers yesterday, nothing over $ 40. There are hilarious signs all over like one that said, «All things scuzzy», complete with a photo of Chuck Norris.
I overheard a transaction taking place and it sounded like volunteers there also get a discount on all purchases in the thrift store.
It’s a great place to donate your items and know that it all goes back into the community. The thrift store is hit and miss, surely, but you never know what kind of sweet score may await. Plus, at the rate I’m going through all things electronics, you might score something straight from Anna B’s digital graveyard.

EDIT: trash talking on my blog because I don’t like your hobby is not the way to argue your case. Now this is a one star review. Congrats.
Original Review:
Free Geek calls the facility for sales to the public the «thrift store». This has to be by design, although I guess it could be a very happy accident. It’s clearly intended for the type of deranged individual that, in their spare time, paws through other people’s leavings. Gleaning as a hobby rather than a necessity. What is wrong with those people?
For someone looking to do business, to make a purchase rather than pass time, it’s wholly unacceptable.