Freecycle vent - Page 3

[Petersmamma]

I used to do Freecycle, but I got annoyed with it, too. Now I usually toss stuff or give it to charity. I tend to use stuff until I don't think ANYONE wants it (and I also buy a lot second hand, too, so by the time we are done with something it's usually REALLY worked over! ).

However, when I was on Freecycle, I once posted a wanted asking for the name/number of someone who could repair a DVD player. When I first joined, one of the rules was that you couldn't OFFER your services doing repair, but you could post a wanted about that because it was still keeping something out of the landfill.

I got a nasty email from the mod telling me that was not an appropriate post and I should just post the dvd player as an offer. Umm, except that I was following the rules of the list and if it could be fixed, I didn't want to give it away, I wanted to fix it and keep using it! She got increasingly nasty so I just stopped using that particular list (in my area, but honestly, most posts were WANTED anyway, so it was a pretty one sided list)

[ZanZansMommy]

I genuinely do quite well with freecycle, But one time I did have someone who wanted 2 of the items (X & Y) I posted. One (X) was already promised so I said she could have the 1 item (Y)

Later in the day I get an email from lady who I had originally promised (X) item to saying that the item wasn't there. I just know the 2nd lady took both items. Of course, I have No proof, but it really chapped my arse that someone would deliberatly take something that wasn't for them. (I did have both items clearly marked for who they were & they were wrapped in bags to hide the items.)

[Asher]

I have given away soooo much on freecycle and had not many problems.

However, I cannot GET anything on freecycle! About 3 years ago, I gave away all my infant daughters stuff, clothes, bassinet, swing, yadda, yadda. I've given away so much since then, too.

Now, I've posted asking for a few things. Nope. Nadda. Not gonna happen.

Seems people here are great at taking. Giving? Meh, not so much!

[Patrick's mummy]

Asher that's annoying : By comparison I shouldn't be complaining. On Saturday I picked up a lovely highchair for my DD. I got it from a woman I have some kids clothes to a few years ago - she remembered and gave it to me as a result. Nice

Today I have had some successes - the DVD woman collected and was a really nice lady. Another woman collected my baby bouncing seat and took back her stage 2 car seat which she gave me a few years ago. Her daughter is expecting so I offered her it back! Cleared a space here!!:

I have someone coming to take my double pushchair on Tues hopefully. I feel a bit teary letting it go as it's really nice AND it's me admitting my baby days are done but I don't have a big enough house to hold onto things out of sentiment.

[Ruthiegirl]

Originally Posted by Asher

I have given away soooo much on freecycle and had not many problems.

However, I cannot GET anything on freecycle! About 3 years ago, I gave away all my infant daughters stuff, clothes, bassinet, swing, yadda, yadda. I've given away so much since then, too.

Now, I've posted asking for a few things. Nope. Nadda. Not gonna happen.

Seems people here are great at taking. Giving? Meh, not so much!

This is my new take on Freecycle. I'll give and give, but I am not dealing with trying to find anything there.

And I have learned to be serious and kind of mean when dealing with folks. I am giving things away FOR FREE. I won't deal with you crap, your sob story, your lame emails begging for stuff, your flaky no shows...none of it.

I offer, you accept, we set a time and you show up. Anything that deviates really ticks me off.

Yah, I am the Freecycle hardass.

[bmcneal]

Yesterday or the day before, I got a message from Freecycle asking if there are any "True Christians" here. Poster said that his/her neighbor had had a house fire, and lost everything. They said that they didn't have anything to give, but they were going to give something, so did any other "True Christians" have anything to give to neighbor people? Um, first, I'm always confused as to what people mean by "True Christian", and second, some people who are Christians (True Christians, I don't know, as I'm not sure what one is.) don't have *anything* to give, and *mean* they don't have anything to give. All our clothes are clothes we use (DH has 2 pairs of pants, I have 3 or 4 skirts. We both have 3 or 4 shirts. This LO has a lot of clothes, so I guess I could offer them some of those, but what if they don't have a baby who could wear them?) I dunno, something about the "True Christians... I don't have anything and am giving, I'm a "True Christian" if you don't give you're not thing.......

[bmcneal]

Originally Posted by Ruthiegirl

Yah, I am the Freecycle hardass.

[TzippityDoulah]

Originally Posted by Patrick's mummy

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.
:

oh this one cracks me up!!!!

[TzippityDoulah]

once I recieved a lot of diapers from a couple of mamas who knew I was short on money. they gave them to me free so I could start my collection. it was SUCH a blessing!! when my duaghter out grew them I offered them on a list to go to a family in finanical need. I specified to let it please go to someone who really needed them b/c these were given to me when I was in need. if a mama can afford to by them elsewhere, please let it go for someone who can't afford them... etc.

well someone eagerly took them up saying she really needed them. the next day she showed up at my house with her BRAND new van with dvd player, and just about everything else a van could have. she said her husband spoils her with all sorts of gadgets and trinkets but she doesn't want him to be angry abour her spending even more money on diapers, so if she gets them free he wont get angry. basically, she was getting the diaers for free so he would still let her get some other "fun stuff" she wanted.

(meanwhile I didn't even own a car at this point and I lived with my parents)

I didn't know what to say. I wanted to say "nevermind" but she was at my house. it was so weird. I was dumbfounded. what is wrong with people?

[Patrick's mummy]

Henny Penny I feel like that about my children's baby clothes. We are done but I only want to give them to someone who could really use them and would not turn their nose up at little imperfections (since most were secondhand when I got them and I've had 3 kids wear them, it's going to happen..)

Any more amusing/ranty anecdotes? I just laughed my ass off re reading these!

[RoundAbout]

I haven't used freecycle but I once sold some Green Mountain prefolds really cheap locally and this woman had a million questions: Do you think they would work on a 3 year-old? Would they work inside a Fuzzi Bunz? etc. This was after I had already included a link to the GMD website. I felt like saying "Umm... its a large rectangle of cotton for $1, not a major life decision."

[Epiphany]

When we moved I downsized 4 large boockshelves worth of books into one small bookshelf. I gave away boxes of books to friends and still had a very large box left. I Freecycled it. A couple weeks later I went to a community sale that was to benefit my DD's preschool. One of the venders was a bookseller. I started browsing and came upon some books that I used to have. I pointed it out to my DH...then it got really wierd as ALL the books were ones I had owned. Finally I realised that these were the books I had given away on my local Freecycle that clearly states items are not to be picked up for resale. I wouldn't have minded so much if she had read them and then sold them, but to just pick them up for the purpose of re-sale? I was annoyed.