WIBU to teach this 'Freecycler' a lesson?

[spatchcock]

There is a person in my area who responds to every single 'offer' item saying 'Hello, I would like this item. When can I pick up the items?'

Every. Time. Surely no one can need everything that's going? This has been going on for a few months.

Yesterday I posted five items (ranging from baby equipment to beer brewing barrels - but all quite decent stuff). This person again asked for every item.

Out of curiosity, I emailed this person from another (unnamed if you like) email account, with no subject heading, saying 'Yes, it's still available. When would you like to come round?' They immediately replied saying they are available all day and asked for my address. They did not check to see what the item was.

We have a enormous computer monitor that we no longer need. It works intermittently but no longer has a power cable. We haven't put it on Freecycle because it's quite frankly a piece of junk and we were going to recycle it.

WIBU to give this monitor to the Freecycle chancer? Or should I come clean and confess to him/her that the items are no longer available?

[JeremyKylesPetProject]

Sounds like an Ebayer/Car booter. My friend does this.

[slartybartfast]

i doubt it woudl teach them a lesson.
they must be making money or even a living out of this way of life.
ebaying or whatnot. so they must expect a few items of junk . it does seem very cheeky. i guess that is how some people live. presumably they would just pass it on to someone other sucker person

[bupcakesandcunting]

Tell him he can suck on your baws.

I tried Freecycle once. Couldn't deal with the vulture-like manner of it, so decided to keep my local tip in business. Sad but true.

[redskyatnight]

Well I see the point of Freecycle as getting rid of stuff I no long want (and others might). I don't particularly care what they want it for. So not sure why you see the need to "teach him a lesson".

[slartybartfast]

i have had a few good items from freecycle. and the people are always nice
i havent had a problem with it at all.

[spatchcock]

It can be a bit vulture-like, but most people I've met Freecycling have been really sound and I've made a few friends locally through it.

Redsky - I just object to people making money from items I am giving away. I don't think that's in the spirit of Freecycle.

[slartybartfast]

i spose you have a right to ignore their requests and in fact i dont think freecycle allows traders

[spatchcock]

Well I've asked him/her to come round and fetch it. It will save me trying to lug it 1.5 miles to the recycling depot in my pregnant state.

[emptyshell]

I'm sick to death of some on our local group (and judging by the admin message a week ago - the admins are too) - it's just become an x-factoresque barrage of sob stories (often the same one repeated with the item in question changed on a daily basis) demanding utterly ridiculous stuff.

Then again, I've given away some really decent stuff on there - and one one occasion had a lovely thank you card and then follow up email that the person in question had had the item checked out (it was an electric cooker that had been in a shed a while so I'd put umpteen warnings on about getting it checked before using) and it was working brilliantly.

Just a shame the carbooters/ebayers/serial scroungers are killing it off.

[Riddzy]

Where I

[Riddzy]

OOps - trigger-happy fingers.

Where I'm from (NZ) you aren't allowed to post a reason for why you want an object. So no sob stories. And they come down pretty hard on this.

All the same, it's really out of order to sell stuff that people are giving away in good faith on Freecycle.

OP - give away your monitor and any old bags of crap you have lying around.

[Mabelface]

Report them to the moderators or group owners. They're not allowed to do this and could get banned. I'm co-owner of a freegle site, and we look upon this sort of thing very seriously. We changed ours so for every 3 wanted items, an offer had to be made, plus an offer had to be made when someone first joins. It would seem we've weeded out the scroungers/traders and have a good site now. It's been a long time since we've had any complaints.

[SORNedWoman]

Yeah, give them the monitor, seems fair enough.

FWIW, I don't care if people make money out of the things I freecycle. I either haven't been able to sell them, or can't be bothered trying, and am quite happy for someone to come and take it away (we live 10 miles from the tip, so it's not free to go, fuel-wise), and if they make some money out of it, great! Good luck to them!

[JeremyKylesPetProject]

That seems very fair Madlizzy. I think it should be purely first come first served with extreme politeness and some gratitude. I also think recipients should post a 'received with thanks' message.

[VeraNofftopic]

Freecycle is a nice idea gone wrong. If I have free stuff I give it to friends or stick it outside the house with a sign up

[Mabelface]

We actually discourage first come first served, as it means that others may not see the message on time, and it can be a nightmare for people who work. We encourage drawing a name out of a hat (or the politest reply). Recipients post a 'received' if they posted a 'wanted' for the item, otherwise they make their thanks personally. I had one bloke turn up with a thank you card and a box of chocs, he was so grateful for the item I was giving away. That was lovely.

[LittleOneMum]

Oh i got rid of a double bed once and the girl who turned up swore it was for her grandad who was coming to stay and would otherwise have been staying on the sofa. i was V cynical and thought 'yeah, right, good story' but then at the weekend she actually dropped by with him and he said thank you too! Lovely.

[Tortoiseonthehalfshell]

Am I the only one who'd be worried that his real motive is getting hold of names/addresses/checking out where you live for Nefarious Purposes/etc? I'm on Freecycle, so I'm not that suspicious generally, but that's what popped into my head this time.

[Mabelface]

No, he'll have his email set to autoreply for freecycle and will be a trader. It's fairly well known in freecycle world.

[MumblingRagDoll]

I think you are the only person whois worried about that tortoise...why would he want everyone's address?

[Quenelle]

"he'll have his email set to autoreply for freecycle and will be a trader."

Ooh, that's cunning!

[Beckyboo4]

When I freecycle I want my items to go to a good home & generally to people who need it. I personally would not respond to him at all & report him to the freecycle admins.

[CroissantNeuf]

I use freecycle (with mixed success TBH) but if I have lots of requests for something I've offered I tend to try and offer it to a name I 'recognise' as a freecycler who offers things too. I also don't tend to offer to the vague type of response mentioned in the OP.

However one of the things that another freecycle pointed out is that anyone can post something as Offered and then Taken but it might never have existed in the first place. It makes them look as if they are a genuine freecycler IYSWIM.

[Tortoiseonthehalfshell]

Mumbling, so he can come over and check the place out for burglary potential?

[Mandy2003]

I Freecycle and I eBay. But I've never seen anything advertised on Freecycle that I could be arsed to eBay - due to size, weight etc.

I honestly would not have been able to move house without Freecycle - being disabled and not driving there were so many things in my upstairs flat that I had no way of getting to the tip, and yet people were happy to come and collect them.

Things I've had from other people include a new base for slow cooker, just useful things.