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Why are people so rude on freecycle, olio, etc.?

6 replies

justdontcome · 01/08/2025 16:55

Just need to have a moan.

I've been using freecycle and olio for years now, and just put up another batch of things. I'm a huge fan of the concept; it's helped me declutter a lot and I love that my things get to have a second life.

However, I'm always astounded at how rude and curt people can be. So many messages not even asking for the item, just instructing me to give it to them with their preferred time/date - e.g., "will collect today" or "will take this." When they do use "please" and "thank you," it's often along the lines of "want this pls - address?" or "can come Monday thx." There are also the ones who send follow-ups like "hello" or just "?" when I don't reply to their initial rude message. Or requests like "don't need the pots just pan pls" when I've stated that I'm giving them away as a bundle.

To be clear, I really don't expect more than "hi, is this still available, and if so, when could I collect please?"

I suppose the plus side is that it makes it much easier to choose who I give the items to - literally anyone who is politely asking rather than instructing - but the bar is just so low.

I should caveat that I have also met some really lovely and polite people (my favourite being a lady who even updated me with pictures of how she used my old plates for an art project) but why are they so rare!?

OP posts:
Digdongdoo · 01/08/2025 17:01

I wouldn't consider that rudeness to be honest. You're on a platform specifically for giving stuff away, you both already know what the end goal is. I much prefer a brief "can collect monday", than dancing around with pleasantries and a back and forth about dates and times. And I certainly don't want updates on an old plate.
But if you want to be selective and only gift to polite people that is entirely your perogative.

Gowlett · 01/08/2025 17:02

Could they be getting in fast, before someone else does?

Mayflower282 · 01/08/2025 17:09

I can’t stand those sites, ppl are very rude. I put up an almost new £1000 bunk bed (Free!) and someone messaged me saying I was out of order to not offer free delivery 🙄

justdontcome · 01/08/2025 17:09

@Gowlett things go fast, but not that fast, and I always tick the “fair offer policy” box meaning it’s not first come first served

@Digdongdoofair enough! I work in a very time sensitive and high stakes job where we genuinely have to be brief and sometimes even rude to get things done - so it seems ridiculous to me to apply that communication style (or worse) to a lampshade! Like surely you are not too important to take the extra 10 seconds to type out a sentence

OP posts:
justdontcome · 01/08/2025 17:10

@Mayflower282yikes!

OP posts:
tothelefttotheleft · 01/08/2025 17:42

Even when it's not free sites it's bad.

Someone arranged collection for 8.30 am. An hour before said they couldn't do then and said the evening. That evening said how late could they come. I said up to 9. Didn't show. Said they'd come 6pm the next day. Didn't show up.

Said at 4.30 today they could collect now. I said what time will you be here and they said 5.30 even though they were 20 mins away. Then later sent directions which showed they hadn't left and wouldn't be here at 5.30. But apparently when I questioned this they aren't coming because of "my bad attitude". lol

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