to be a tiny bit judgmental about some requests on Freecycle? Yes, sorry, it's another FC complaint. I have judgey pants on today MNers.

[taintedpaint]

This has probably come up before. In fact I'm not even certain I haven't commented on it before myself. But people are getting increasingly cheeky about Freecycle requests aren't they? Please tell me I'm not imagining it?!

This week alone, I have seen requests for a Blackberry mobile (it must be a newer Curve or better), a DSi (specifically not a DS) and a car. A frigging car, I'm telling you! It has to be a decent car btw (can't remember the exact wording, I deleted the email as soon as I got it out of shock at the bloody cheek of the man!). How can people actually ask for these things?

AIBU to be judgey about this? I can never bring myself to ask for anything on there, and there are people asking for cars!

emptyshell are you serious?! I only joined Freecycle this year, looks like I have some treats coming my way in the form of begging letters console requests shortly then!

Can you offer stuff on freecycle without subjecting yourself to all these requests? Just wondered how people get to be so greedy and why if people have such decent stuff to get rid of they don't sell it on ebay? Thought freecycle was for big stuff like tvs and cots that were too good 4 tip but uneconomical to post i.e ebay?

spookynoise we do have a microwave to pass on but haven't joined freecycle as don't want tons of emails and also live in Scarborough which isn't exactly central or London!

dammit, ArmyBarmy! We're an awful long way fron you!
Yes, you can join Freecycle and opt out of any emails being sent to you, so only go to the site to post when you want to offer. YOu will get requests for your item sent to your email, but once you have offered it and put up a taken post, these stop.
The idea of Freecycle was for things that would otherwise be tipped, but people do give some valuable stuff away because they can't be bothered to ebay, or don't want to take money for it or whaetever.

When my washing machine packed up I asked on FC if anyone had an old spin dryer as it wasn't a problem hand washing but it was drip drying everything, the dozy mod must have thought I was asking for a tumble dryer and didn't publish my ad but published ones asking for washine machines.

I offered a computer joystick on FC and the only person who wanted it was a bloke who lives a couple of blocks away. I gave him our address for collection, and he asked me to deliver it instead! It was very light, the sort of thing you can easily carry in one hand, and he didn't mention a disability or any reason why he needed it delivered.

I replied that I wasn't willing to deliver and expected it to be collected, and never heard back from him again.

Lazy slob melpomene. Really some people are just vultures, ipod, Blackberry curve, Bugaboo Arent they silly eough to reaslise that people can make money selling these on e bay not give them away for free.

SpookyNoise - I don't think there must be a posting limit on my local freecycle as the posts are still there today and there are another outrageous set of 6 wanteds all together from another person as follows:
Toy box
Electric cooker
Roller blades
Ice hockey boots
Garden shed (!!)
AND drumroll
A 9 seater MPV (complete with sob story).

Anyone that can beat that?

I love reading the feedback for Freecycle - although my local group is now a member of freegle instead.

But it is good to see where people think the improvements could be.

On another note though on a group i am a member of someone was asking for...

Recently I got an i phone 16gb 3gs with an 02 upgrade, signing up to 24

months, it was stolen from my bag whilst on the bus two weeks after I got

it and had not insured it (Aaargh!)to add insult to injury the thief called

Brazil for an hour so I paid for that too!

Basically I reeeally would love to replace it but cant afford the cost

of a new phone (£300+) so wondering if any body out there might have

upgraded to the 4gs and have an old spare handset i phone and don't mind parting

with it? (!)

So glad I police my group better than that!!

Someone asked for an Aga in good condition on our local Freecycle the other day

I did check the shed and loft just in case but sadly we didnt seem to have one gathering dust so couldnt help the poster....

Some Freecyclers get right up my nose. I offered a children's karaoke machine today and the number of bloody rude responses I got was unbelievable.

If they dont say please or thank you, then they dont stand a chance.

One just said 'can we pick up later today? phone and ask for **'. Another said 'text me'.

They were straight off my list - if you want something of mine, you can bloody ring me.

Aaargh.

Oh, I love these threads. The comradeship of reactions, in the face of cheek soothes the ache of an early AIBU outing, when I was flamed for having a go about a wanted post which would have furnished a B&B - not a normal house!

Loved the Bugaboo Blackberry and MPV requests!

I get more wanted emails than offered from my freecycle, I literally have to search for the offers

"Hi there I was wondering if anyone had a spare dishwasher in the shed I could have"

• one on ours today. Yeah lemme just check that one - nup, we DO have a cooker in the shed but that's because we move next month and there's no cooker in the house we're going to - but nope, no dishwasher.

I was mean - posted "no sob stories, no rude people, no timewasters" and gifted the telly to the first vaguely correctly spelt and punctuated email I got (people make mistakes - I'm no grammar fascist) that included the word please. Seems to have weeded out the x-factoresque ones and premature babies this time.

We had someone wanting an XBOX 360 last year, prefferably the Elite but would consider orginal and games would be helpful too. Oh and best of all it HAD to be in new condition no marks or scuffs.

I did say that I had a 2 year old one sitting with full box and instructions, only problem being that it had the red ring thing which can be fixed in a local store for £50.

I got a reply stating 'As my post read I want a new condition one' NICE :)

I reckon they should just ban WANTEDS. Like Keepingupwiththejoneses said our FC (which is now freegle) is all wanteds. Hardly any offers. That's not the idea of it. The idea is to stop stuff going to landfill by OFFERING it to others who might want/need it.

If you have stuff you want rid off post it and if you have stuff you want keep watching till it appears.

I do think the Wanted's are a good idea if used properly.

I know I have had stuff for chucking out that I thought noone would want but then a an Ad appears for it. Old plant pots being one. But as usual there seems to have been one who spoiled it for everyone else as now it's full of beggars rather than peoople who would genuinely like the old random bits and pieces.

I have just checked ours today and our Wants include- A silver Microwave and cooker pref a reliable brand, A sit on lawn mower, A 10MP or higher didgital camera and some horse menure

Atleast the horse menure is genuine I guess, surely there are few reasons this would be wanted other than for the garden... :o

I don't understand why anyone would care about the spelling and punctuation in the request - I mean, seems reasonable to want them to say 'please' and 'thank you' (specially when they're asking for an X Box!) and I'm pretty keen on spelling myself but surely there are some lovely people out there who can't spell?!

It's such a pity that, in posting a flaming to these cheeky so-and-sos, one would reveal one's own e-mail address!

I've not seen anything quite as cheeky as these, but surely there should be a way to report individual posts to the moderators, as on MN!

Someone gave away a BOAT on my area's Freecycle recently!!

Aaaah I love people who don't read posts properly.

People make mistakes, yep - but people who send requests in text speak (I've had that one before) are just being lazy since it's harder to type in text speak than some semblance of written English. No one said anyone hammered those who can't spell but "giv it 2 me plz" (which I have had before) is just taking the piddle. Very different those who can't spell to those who just can't be arsed to ask nicely.

Oh and yes, I do expect a "please" - I don't think that's unreasonable. I don't give as much away as I used to because I got some pretty bullying replies to my first posts (yes I'd offered nice shiny stuff - a surplus PS2... that's where the premature babies reply came from, a PS1, an electric guitar etc) - but had people send 5 or 6 emails at 5 minute intervals demanding items - so I'm a lot more selective now and more terse in how I word things (and I include the line "sadly as a new member I'm still on pre-moderated status so any TAKEN I post for this item is likely to take time to appear" to try to minimize the bam bam bam I want it brigade).

I love the fact someone with a sense of humour put a line in our group rules banning the offering of husbands and children though!

I am so glad I looked at this thread this morning. It made me look at our local swapshop email (weekly thing that is like freecycle) and I am now a proud owner of a cast iron skillet pan! The woman was so lovely and was happy to let it go to the home of a Welsh cake fanatic. :)

(I put plenty of please and thank yous in my email to her, by the way, and promised some cakes and biscuits cooked on it...)

but I know some lovely people who generally use text speak to communicate!

Personally I give my stuff to people who ask for it in Ancient Greek, preferably in hexameters.

I'm afraid I got one today asking for logs for a woodburner.

I linked her to our supplier (£70 a load).

I love it at the start of the summer when you get posts like:

"Hi we're taking our children camping and I was wondering if anyone had any of the following they could give us:
Tent
Sleeping bags
Camping stove
Coolbox"

So basically you've booked a camping holiday without considering ANY of the fundamental requirements there haven't you?!

Latest fad on ours is sewing machines - someone posted an ask for one (at weekly intervals for about 2 months) so now about 10 other people have decided they want one too.

i am a really experienced freegler/freecycler (giver AND receiver - ooh missus) and have never had any sob story and most people are utterly delightful. Had a no show once. I also once was unable to collect something that I had been offered and the guilt is still palpable. (I did notify offerer in good time).

I'm clearly missing out.

I've just asked for something (quite low-cost but the sort of thing people have lying around not doing anything) and had about 10 responses, all of which were charming and polite.

I don't live in this evil other world of Freecycle Abuse!

Is it worth me asking for a pony? I have been asking every year since I was 8!