Freecycle is it corrupt??

FBThree

Katyag wrote: »

Hooo ha just now in my freecycle group over peoples lack of manners. Then someone pipes up about how manners doesnt matter as its about saving the enviroment!

!!!!!!!!!! A please and a thank you is still nice!!

I have the same experience. I offered up a freezer and got loads of responses varying from the very blunt "I can pick it up in 20 mins, Angela", to "Interested thanks". Only one person had the decency to say "please" in their very nice response, so I offered it to him. When I posted a "promised, to the only person that said please" I got into a HUGE discussion with someone that manners didn't matter, as the point of freecycle was to keep stuff out of landfill. Fair point - BUT being trampled over by a herd of greedy grunts (i.e the re-sellers) is NOT nice compared to someone sounding like they'd really appreciate the item. I'm promoting manners every time!

I did also get a couple of other discussions with people that were glad I'd mentioned the manners issue. Both of them often offer up items and have been on the receiving end of many rude messages recently.

Ken68

I suppose that I am a re-seller, and I am most certainly not a greedy grunt.
It is counterproductive to be anything other than polite.
Some people just don't know how to ask and some people don't know how to give.
Learning to buy and sell is a skill which everyone should learn and if your income depended upon it, you will learn to be civil. The eventual receiver of your largess, Angela, the one who said please, was probably a trader.

Cardew

Ken68 wrote: »

I suppose that I am a re-seller, and I am most certainly not a greedy grunt.

Ken68
I don't want to fall out with you as I enjoy your posts and you at least admit you have a vested interest.

However in your responses to offered items(or in wanted requests) do you tell people that you intend to resell their items?

If not - why not?

In my group a lady posted that she had discovered to her horror that an item she had given away was re-sold and to quote her "she felt sick - violated"

Whilst that may be an extreme reaction, if someone took an item of mine and resold it, without declaring they were a trader, I would be annoyed. I suggest the majority of people would feel the same.

Traders know this and that is why they never decare their status.

Ken68

Cardew..until I get the item home and inspected and cleaned, I don't know if the furniture is sellable.
If in very good condition I keep it or pass it on in the family.My experience is that offerers are glad its gorn, and never yet been asked about selling it on.
In my own mind I am not a trader, just recovering transport costs. A real dealer would also have labour and commission costs.
As mentioned before, some I take straight to the household recycling centre skips. I'm talking here of woodworm and stains and perhaps bugs.
In the year of Freecycling am now level on costs plus some nice furniture which I shall keep and for someone else to SELL when I'm dead.

Anyway Freecycle is not a good system, you have folk polluting the atmosphere chasing round each others homes just for a few nicknacks, which could otherwise be bought at the nearest charity shop.
I have a relative in the retail business who thinks Freecycle is a communist inspired plot to undermine the free market system.

missyg_3

I'd much rather a trader picked up my stuff and sold it, than it went to the tip. Once I've made the decision to let something go, I consider it no business of mine what happens to it.

I agree with the previous poster somewhat, that there are certain items where the length of journey made would negate the benefits. From time to time you do see a post where the offerer has a long list of small items, and wonder why they don't consider making a single journey to take the lot to a charity shop, rather than have half a dozen people calling for it.

I try to work out with collectors when/if they will be in the area, so that a separate journey doesn't need to be made. I don't mind if this means it takes a little longer to get picked up.

Strongly agree about manners being important, as I've said several times before Manners are important when dealing with people for ANY reason!

Spotted an interesting one this week on my local Freecycle - an OFFER and a separate TAKEN appeared from the same person for the same item, in the same batch of messages. Hmm!

JulianF_2

FBThree wrote: »

I have the same experience. I offered up a freezer and got loads of responses varying from the very blunt "I can pick it up in 20 mins, Angela", to "Interested thanks". Only one person had the decency to say "please" in their very nice response, so I offered it to him. When I posted a "promised, to the only person that said please" I got into a HUGE discussion with someone that manners didn't matter, as the point of freecycle was to keep stuff out of landfill. Fair point - BUT being trampled over by a herd of greedy grunts (i.e the re-sellers) is NOT nice compared to someone sounding like they'd really appreciate the item. I'm promoting manners every time!

I did also get a couple of other discussions with people that were glad I'd mentioned the manners issue. Both of them often offer up items and have been on the receiving end of many rude messages recently.

VERY well said FBThree. I agree with you whole-heartedly. Manners is one of my main gripes, too! I even turned down a job once because the interviewer was so lacking in this department! (talk about biting my hand off,etc etc!!)

happyevs

Thanks to this Site i got a nice new Toy on Freecycle


And i Did say thank you to the person i recieved it from & it definately is not for Sale,I expected a cheap rundown guitar and was amazed at the Guitar i got (ok it needed attention to work right) But there are genuine people still out there giving or recieving I wouldnt Tar everyone with the same brush

lightisfading

I started our local freecycle group and ran it until it exceeded 1000 members (now has far more). We have a rule where if you are a re-seller you must be upfront about it, and anyone may state 'not for re-sale'. If someone's found to be reselling without saying so they'll be banned.

I also go on the 'politeness wins' approach - rude blunt emails get ignored

Sarahsaver

How would you know if something you offered got resold? Unless you obsessively scoured the classifieds/boot sales/ebay

zztopgirl

Sorry i had to share this, im just so shocked:eek: someone has just asked for a laptop on my local Freecycle, must have xp and wifi:eek:.

Something tells me he really isnt going to find anyone giving away a laptop.