My first freecycle...

Katinkka

Im quite put off it! Do people have no manners? Someone wanted some plants for their little girl and I offered some of mine. Note, I didn;t need to get rid of them but thought I could spare them for someone who maybe couldnt afford any. Their parents picked up the plants but no email from them to say thank you. What has other peoples experiences been?

FunkyFairy

I have had that i gave away a fridge freezer and i have had not thank you email.

But i have also freecycled alot of other stuff and had very nice thank you emails. Dont let it put you off think you did a nice thing for that little girl not the parents.

zombiecazz

Some people just don't think that far. I'm sure they were delighted with the plants. In fact they were probably :j

Ticklemouse

I have so far given my old printer away and offered the couple my high-chair, which they also accepted. I had a thankyou email via a freecycle post, which I thought was nice.

I'm waiting for a lady to turn up on Saturday to collectmy old tv, but I've already had a few emails from her - she seems very nice but is also in the camp of 'people aren't as nice as they were'. She seemed delighted that I'd emailed her back to say that I'd happily hold onto the tv for her until saturday and I wouldn't give it to someone else.

I think you just got unlucky, Katinkka. Maybe they were thankful and didn't think to email you, maybe they just DON'T have any manners. Either way, don't let yurself 'sink' to their level IYKWIM.

Brassic

Aww, don't be put off - it's a wonderful thing freecycle. I asked yesterday evening for some pots etc for my new gardening habit. A nice man got in contact and said he had some which he could pop round. It turned out he lives about 10 miles away so I said I'd pick them up Friday when I was over that way.

Anyhow, went to put an extra bit of rubbish out about 1am, and there in our front garden was a big black sack of pots and seed trays!! What a fantastic guy! :j

And yes, I have emailed him and said thanks - several times

So don't be put off, you did a lovely thing and I'm sure the little girl is over the moon.

Nicki

I've had mixed experiences to be honest. A few lovely people have turned up with bottles of wine or flowers when I have offered big things, but on the other hand I've had people ask me to post things to them and then not send me their address and postage costs, which means you end up having to re-offer the stuff several times.

One lovely guy who was letting me have some spare parts for my food processor, packaged them all up and posted them to me without waiting for me to send him stamps as I was out of the country at the time, and yes I did thank him both by email and when I sent him the postage later.

On the whole though my experiences have been quite positive and I do recommend the site to people.

piratess

hiya ... what would i have to do to freecycle ive got a few bits and bobs maybe i could give away .... how does somone get involved ?

thanks xx

Brassic

Hi there - just visit http://www.uk.freecycle.org/ for information on freecycle and your local group.

Bargain_Rzl

Were the people who collected the plants polite and obviously grateful when they collected the plants from you? To be honest, if I'd effusively thanked somebody in person when collecting an item (to the point that the person really KNEW it was highly appreciated) I wouldn't necessarily see the need to send an email as well

nickinoo

Bargain_Rzl wrote:

Were the people who collected the plants polite and obviously grateful when they collected the plants from you? To be honest, if I'd effusively thanked somebody in person when collecting an item (to the point that the person really KNEW it was highly appreciated) I wouldn't necessarily see the need to send an email as well

I agree entirely, a thanks at the time would do me.

I have done several Freecycle transactions now & have mixed experiences with them.

I had 1 lady take my old TV which was in perfect working order, she grumbled that I didn't have the manual for her & never even said thanks to my face nevermind by e-mail. Needless to say when I found the instructions later on they went in the bin, I also remembered we have the stand in the loft-she certainly won't be getting offered it.

The other people who have collected things from me have been lovely.

We've had a couple of things from other people & I have made a real effort to thank them. 1 lady even posted me a computer game as she was too far away for it to be worth my while to travel & she didn't want anything towards the P&P.

katieowl_2

I have to say that on the whole I think Freecycle is brilliant, and that everone I have had dealings with has been wonderful.

My elderly neighbour, who we have 'adopted' went into a care home just before christmas, and we cleared her home out for her, after anything sellable was sold for her, we Freecycled the rest. I got rid of furniture no-one would buy, vintage rolls of wallpaper to a design student, pots and pans, electrical items, a wonderful condition gas cooker I was told I would have to PAY to have taken away (the reciepient was delighted!) a huge pile of 78's and every man who came dissapeared into the cellar and came up with armfuls of useful (but not valuable) tools from her late husband. Everybody was lovely. Nobody did a no-show.

I regularly use it to clear books, videos, plastic sweet boxes that the newsagent throws away as well as my own 'no longer needed' stuff. I'd rather freecycle stuff these days than give it to the local charity shop who IMHO are charging WAY TOO MUCH for stuff they have donated.

I have recieved; piano books, a rather nice antler from a guy who turned out to live around the corner, tickets for a world music concert (from somebody I gave a CD to!) and a book I was desperately looking for that was out of print!

I do have a pogo stick sitting in the hall for somebody who asked for one, then didn't turn up, but they did phone to say their kid was ill - so I haven't chased it up.

I know a lot of people have complained that it gives you loads of e-mails, but not a problem for me, unless something jumps out or I am 'offering' I just hit delete - takes no time at all. I recommend it to everyone :T

Regards

Kate