Freecycle- people asking for too much?

funkymonkey

its funny reading some of these freecycle coments. Ive recently got rid ofsome things through freecycle , old PSone and games, CRT TV etc and even delivered to get them out of spare room. I would love a microwave as OH wont let me buy one as he says we dont need it and thought if i got it for free he couldnt complain. However - I would feel so rude asking! im waiting till one is offered.

Some of the things people ask for are hilarious. currently on my local group someone wants a DYSON - specific! states she is on benefits etc which is fine but surely any hoover would do?? LOL

fragrocks

Oooh a freecycle rant! I love mine, I am always sticking stuff up there! These last few weeks I have listed a shed load after having a huge clear out.

You do seem to get a large amount of "sob stories" We advertsied a tent and well... it would have made a great book!

Then you get those that mail you over and over for the same item... they go straight to the delete pile.

I also get the same guy replying no matter what I post!

I also listed some wants of late for my daughters room. I eventually got a single bed and I recently got some baby clothes... but never really got anything else. With my daughters room I did have some size restrictions but some as have been said where they want a certain thing... it takes the mickey but ....

If you don't ask you don't get!!!

Tigerlilley1980

Lol, I have just read a poat on our local freecycle of someone wanting an iphone or any other "shiny" item. TBH I really can't see them getting one lol!! I have the same problem of poeple sendin me the same message over and over for an item which also go straight to the delete pile!

I do love freecycle though. I have recently acquired some tomato plants, chives, mint, radishes, chilli and strawberry plants for my steadily growing veg plot which was very kind from the people who have found themselves with too many plants, one man even wanted me to stay for a cup of tea and has told me I must drop in any time I'm passing for a look at his veg plot and a chat, bless him x

DKLS

I can spot a market trader/booter a mile off, but dont actually care, If I want rid of an item, I want rid, I dont care what they do with it.

I do enjoy the begging emails, when I post something attractive such as a Projector and screen, they provide much entertainment.

slig

riskdrive wrote: »

i have to disagree there are people out there who dont have luxerys like a computer or ds etc there is no harm in asking in my eyes i have lived on the streets before know and had nothing, my entire flat is filled with free things including my computer and i asked around. IF YOU DONT ASK YOU DONT GET. also as for parents asking for things for there children did you ever concider the fact that they could be very poor and want to give there children gifts or help them stop getting bullied at school cus of peer preasure. i think its wrong for anyone to critises others who may be genuine and asking for things this day an age there are very few people willing help others out. its very disapointing. and benefits dont pay you enough to live off its a joke.

I'm totally in favour of people requesting stuff they need, especially if they're in a situation like you mention, eg starting to build up a home from nothing. I put a wanted ad for a desk chair, I was a student and it was killing my back using a kitchen chair at the computer. A chair is the kind of thing I thought someone might have lying around, and I got a response from a nice lady who was moving house and had a chair to get rid of. We collected it, she was glad to get it out the way. Perfect.

I can even understand people asking for a computer - my dad's given away low spec old computers or computer parts on freecycle. Old computers are fairly worthless in terms of resale value, but could be brilliant for someone who needs something to write letters on etc.

But a DS? That is not a need by any stretch of the imagination, and to ask for that, even if you are poor and it is a gift for your children, is greedy in my opinion. Yes, I'm sure they are genuine (who wouldn't want a free DS), but it seems some people need to learn the difference between need and want. You say 'benefits don't pay you enough to live off', but a DS (or other similar items) are not essentials, we don't need them, we just want them.

Also, I think there are plenty of people wiling to help out nowadays, as freecycle demonstrates, but if people take the mickey asking for ridiculous things it will put off genuine givers.

welshsue

Just been on Bridgend freecycle and a lady is offering a coffin!!!.

Apparantly she bought it 3 years ago for her husband but he has now decided he no longer likes the mahogany colour and would prefer a lighter one instead.... What will it matter to him what colour it is once he's dead??
Sent shivers down my spine when I read it.

Would you really buy a coffin and store it away for future use. Maybe she was hoping he would be gone by now!!.

Anyone seen anything more strange than that?:huh:

adouglasmhor

Flickering_Ember wrote: »

I've also laughed at some of the requests.

Last year, I was moving house and 5 different people all stood me up when I was offering a nice wooden cabinet on the condition they collect it. So many people seemed to want it, I jokingly made a queue, and in the end 5 people promised to come but didn't.

When the removal man came, I asked him to leave it outside on the street. I walked past later (I only moved a few roads down), it had gone.

OT but a friend was having a clear out and had a nice old wooden wardrobe to chuck, as it was good weather we stuck it out in the front Garden and put a sign on it saying help yourself if you want it. - 2 days and no one took it. I changed the sign to Retro wardrobe £40. Within the hour someone came with a van and stole it. We watched and laughed as he loaded it up.

*Louise*

adouglasmhor wrote: »

OT but a friend was having a clear out and had a nice old wooden wardrobe to chuck, as it was good weather we stuck it out in the front Garden and put a sign on it saying help yourself if you want it. - 2 days and no one took it. I changed the sign to Retro wardrobe £40. Within the hour someone came with a van and stole it. We watched and laughed as he loaded it up.

Hahaha - excellent :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:


I feel rather cheated by my local freecycle - it's boring! :rotfl: No 'wanted' ads to laugh at and the giveaway stuff is all pretty mundane.

geekychick

I'm a Freecycle mod and run a very large group. The thing to remember with wanted posts is that Freecycle is a recycling site. I'd encourage people to pop a wanted on the list before going out and buying an item - as being able to reuse something rather than buy new is the whole idea. It isn't anything to do with whether people can afford the thing or not. On our list we ask people to balance their wanted posts with offers, so we have some great members who offer loads and also post a lot of wanted posts, because they check on list if anyone has an item before going to the shops. In terms of Freecycle as a reuse list those wanted posts are important, they make you think "oh yeah - I have got one of those stuck in the loft" ... and pass it on rather than leave it there until you chuck it out.

Of course there are people who post asking for daft stuff (iphones, xboxes etc) that no-one is going to give them however I do know that lots of people have been given cars and computers on list. We gave away an old iMac in response to a wanted, these things have no real resale value and a chap wanted one for his mum as he thought it would be a good simple machine for her to use!

Our long term members are very good at adding the time wasters and serial silly wanters to a filter in their mail clients so posts go straight to the trash. Generally people search the list to see if people offer before replying to wanteds, and our members are amazingly generous to those who they know also offer to the list. Although we are a very large list it is actually a pretty small group who post a lot and they get to know who is using Freecycle for the right reasons and who isn't.

As a moderator or list owner you get a lot of grief from members - those who have been upset by other members, those who you have prevented from posting etc. and I wouldn't do it if it wasn't for the fact that for every nuisance member there are many others who are fantastic, and I do hear some lovely stories.

Anyway, that's my perspective as a Freecycle mod. I know some people are very disillusioned by Freecycle and I know some lists are better run than others as it does come down to the individual list owner. In our defence it is sometimes difficult dealing with an open forum where anyone (including spammers etc.) can join. For my part I just want to help keep useful stuff out of the landfills and help people in our community to help each other out a bit along the way - it's a shame that sometimes that means we inadvertantly help out people who are on the take, but I'm not about to stop doing good stuff because of a few bad people, there are definitely more good than bad out there

justjenny

I try and offer something if i am asking for an item.
It is amazing how many people replied for a washing machine whos door require's a knife to open it, and a tv that crackled really badly.