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Freecycle vent

post #1 of 52
12/18/08 at 4:45pm
Thread Starter 
Sorry but I have to get this off my chest!

I just listed a vibrating baby bouncing chair on freecycle. In the listing I said it's a blue bouncy chair with 2 vibration settings.
I got this response from a freecycler:

---hi when are you free to collect is it suitable for a boy or a girl
we havnt found out the sex

Right.
1) It's a chair. Last time I checked babies of either gender were able to sit in a chair.
2) I already stated the colour, I have no idea whether you consider blue a unisex colour.
3) Don't assume I am giving it to you
4) Please use some manners and some punctuation!

I mean, come on. Someone is offering you something for FREE.

Okay, thanks for letting me vent.
5)

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post #2 of 52
12/18/08 at 5:10pm
Sheesh.

My favourite thus far has been someone who emailed and said, "What is wrong with it (i.e. why are you giving it away)?"

Uh, what? Are you for real?

I'm starting to find it's easier to unload things by listing them for ALMOST free on an online classified site (similar to Craigslist). Somehow it gives the item legitimacy, I guess. Whatever.
post #3 of 52
12/18/08 at 5:19pm
Maybe I'm just old and mean but if you can't be bothered to fully read my listing and respond using proper English, I will skip right over you and move on to someone who is polite, literate and not asking fifty questions about a free item.
post #4 of 52
12/18/08 at 5:21pm
Thread Starter 
Ugh! What a nuisance this all is!! When I had my first child, I would have been thrilled to get my baby gear for free. What's it all about?!?!
post #5 of 52
12/18/08 at 5:23pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jennlyn View Post
Maybe I'm just old and mean but if you can't be bothered to fully read my listing and respond using proper English, I will skip right over you and move on to someone who is polite, literate and not asking fifty questions about a free item.
Yeah, I very almost sent that exact same response but I came here and vented instead then deleted her email!
I don't understand why someone who is so particular about her baby equipment is hanging about on freecycle.
post #6 of 52
12/18/08 at 5:27pm
post #7 of 52
12/18/08 at 5:28pm
Lately my big freecycle peeve is EVERYONE is ASKING for stuff..and insane stuff, someone just asked for cash!...then another asked for a nintendo wii, come on people!....then my freecycle has a woman whos a major horder...and doesnt show up!....shes bailed on me TWICE! And Ive never seen her post anything available, just takes and takes...oh i feel better!
post #8 of 52
12/18/08 at 5:31pm
Thread Starter 
Yay, more venting, we're getting there now!!!!

Our Freecycle has also had loads of wanteds reecently, including a guy who wrote about 7 wanteds in a row asking for very specific items like:

WANTED: a computer gaming chair in black leather
WANTED: a small desk and chair for my children's playroom - must be x cm by y cm and white or beige
WANTED: silver washing machine, must be new and in good condition

I'm serious. There were about 7 requests.
:
post #9 of 52
12/18/08 at 5:37pm
Our freecycle is crazy like that too. People say "Desperately NEEDED" and then list something that is just not a need... No matter how you look at it. And I get ridiculous questions about things too. Its FREE, if you dont like then put it back on and get rid of it. Come on... Sigh.
post #10 of 52
12/18/08 at 5:39pm
Oh oh oh, one more thing I just remembered! One guy asked for a pot bellied pig this week for his mom for Christmas. He then went on to tell the entire list what PET STORE we could buy it at for him!!!
post #11 of 52
12/18/08 at 5:39pm
We had someone recently post a "Desperately needed please!" I open it thinking someone might need warm clothes my kids have outgrown for their littles and she was asking for----a specific Vera Bradley bag, because they are expensive and she can't afford one & she doesn't like cheap bags. :
post #12 of 52
12/18/08 at 5:41pm
My pet peeve is when someone responds to an offer with a request for MORE STUFF. I listed a hat for a certain team that is located nowhere near my home (hand me down found in a large bag). The responder had the gall to request MORE clothing and wanted me to sort out sizes and tell her exactly where I lived and . . .

Needless to say, I still have the hat. I'm contemplating putting it on a stuffed octopus and giving it back to the person who handed it down to us.
post #13 of 52
12/18/08 at 5:43pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by calimommie View Post
we had someone recently post a "desperately needed please!" i open it thinking someone might need warm clothes my kids have outgrown for their littles and she was asking for----a specific vera bradley bag, because they are expensive and she can't afford one & she doesn't like cheap bags. :

omg.
post #14 of 52
12/18/08 at 6:17pm
People are unbelievable

My Freecycle pet peeve, besides no-shows, are people who post wanting an item, you happen to have whatever they are asking for and offer it to them...they never reply back?! No response at all, not saying they'll take it, not saying "thanks but I've found x", no "I've changed my mind"...nothing! I've had this happen several times and I guess it's fine...I don't have a need to give *you* this stuff y'know...but what is up with that -you're asking for x item!
post #15 of 52
12/18/08 at 6:26pm
I hate when people do that. Or when you offer something, and you pick the person who sounds like they need it the most, just for them to never show up. I open "in search of" messages all the time (because, honestly, I'm tired of posting "offers" and people blowing me off, I don't have the time/energy to get everything to the living room for you to never show.) and the "need" is something outrageous. There was someone who "needed" a king size waterbed! Maybe there's some sort of medical reason they would "need" a waterbed, but I'm not aware of one...

Another thing I don't like is that on our freecycle, people always try and *sell* stuff.

One time, I had seen a big post with someone who didn't want to throw out a lot of baby stuff. I didn't know I was pregnant at the time, but a few weeks later found out. Since there were never any "taken" messages about the baby stuff, I posted an "in search of" message, thinking maybe the poster hadn't found anyone who could use them, and I could save them from the dump/not have to buy new ones. I got a message offering a bunch of stuff from someone different, and told them I was interested, and asked how to set up a pick up. She told me I hadn't made her an offer, and what was I willing to pay. I told her since it was *free*cycle, I was under the assumption she was offering it for free. She got a really bad attitude and told me that I should get a job and *work* for what I want and need, just like everyone else does, and that no one is going to hand me everything on a platter. (DH and I were *both* working, and the poster who had posted originally had said they were just going to put the stuff on the curb if no one needed/wanted it.) Some people...
post #16 of 52
12/18/08 at 7:33pm
Thread Starter 
Beth - that is crazy.
I had a similarthing happen once where I posted a "Wanted" for some paint - white, cream or other light colour. I only had to do one wall so I figured someone might have half a pot of a common colour just sitting. Anyway, someone emailed me with bold caps lock on to say "GO TO A DIY STORE" Seemed to me they didn't understand the concept of *free*cycle either!
post #17 of 52
12/18/08 at 8:51pm
I posted a wanted for a cabinet..thinking hopefully by chance someone might have one,filled w junk collecting dust and i had THREE people try and sellme one...finally had a nice lady offer me one for FREE..

another time a lady asked for a walker for dc(one of those things they push behind) Ds had gotten 3 for xmas that year, so I told her porch p/u the walker in the box in a plastic bag with her name on it...and not only did she take that one,BUT ds other walker,(which he was EXTREMLY attatched too!) which was on the other side of the porch in a toy box...she also took 2 other toys!...yeah the email she got frm me wasnt so nice and the next morning the toys magically appeared on the front porch

a grandma wrote asking for a vibrating chair,and since we had one that we got used for 5 bucks i gave it to her, she actually emailed me back complaining that the batteries were worn out...

sometimes i think freecycles more of apain then a worth
post #18 of 52
12/19/08 at 10:08am
I'm suprised the mod's of those particular freecycles let the posts go through Our mod's can be very picky but it definately keeps out 99.9% of those type of posts.
post #19 of 52
12/19/08 at 10:13am
Wow. I don't see those kinds of posts on our local freecycle lists. I'm on two, one *much* more rigidly moderated than the other, but both post reminders of the rules every month, ask people to report people who try to sell things off-list after posting them for free, and mod anyone who posts crazy requests or gets really rude. One strike gets someone modded, so everything they post has to reviewed first before going to the list, and a second gets them banned.
post #20 of 52
12/19/08 at 11:08am
I only read freecycle online. I refuse to have my "inbox" cluttered with all the stuff that is annoying. I occasionally search it for "wanted" postings, just in case I have something someone really needs. I also have a separate email account just for freecycle. I admit that I use freecycle as my own personal free-garage-sale - I've been decluttering in a big way for over a year (embarrassing).

I also get irked by the people who want my stuff but are completely rude about it "where do I get this?" "call me" (my offers all say clearly that I do NOT do phone calls") - or they're in ALL-CAPS - or they ask redundant questions even though I'm very very explicit about the condition of anything I'm offering. Those replies just get deleted. They aren't worth my even getting irritated.

But I take it all with a grain of salt. I've had very very good luck with freecycle - in our major metropolitan city, there are plenty of wackos, too. I've met some treasured friends through it, too - and when I'm in need, I've always gotten the help I need. Right now, at the end of my pregnancy, I'm still freecycling, and my current offers come with a new stipulation: "I am at the end of my pregnancy, so items must be picked up within 24 hours, but I reserve the right to go into labor at any time without any warning to you." I've gotten several well-wishes from fellow freecyclers, even though that wasn't my intention.

--janis
Purging My Life One Box At A Time!

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