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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To resent giving baby clothes to a freecycler with an iphone?

83 replies

lucyhoneybee · 05/10/2011 00:00

I answered a wanted post for little baby clothes on freecycle. I don't have much myself as I'm on maternity leave and in the process of splitting from my husband due to his debts among other things. I was having a clear out and thought I'd take pity on a fellow mum. As soon as I responded with my offer of babyclothes my child has outgrown, she sent a reply asking when she could collect.. from her iPhone. Am I being harsh to wonder whether I should be giving her free baby clothes when in dire straits myself?

OP posts:
squeakytoy · 05/10/2011 00:01

she could have been using someone elses phone I suppose..

why not sell them on ebay to raise a bit of money for yourself rather than giving them away?

KatieMiddleton · 05/10/2011 00:01

Confused WTF?

CointreauVersial · 05/10/2011 00:03

I didn't know Freecycle was means-tested. Hmm

AuntiePickleBottom · 05/10/2011 00:03

there isn't a critiria of using free cycle, if you wanted the clothes to go to someone who is worse off....next time donate them to a women shelter or charity shop

worraliberty · 05/10/2011 00:04

Even if she had 10 iphones

the idea of FC is to keep things out of landfill sites

You don't have to be poor to use it, you know.

Original poster
lucyhoneybee · 05/10/2011 00:05

True, squeakytoy. I have never tried ebay but I have heard horror stories of people being charged huge seller fees..I don't know whather that is true...I am selling some through local paper as well and by weight at our local cash4clothes... Any tips on ebay would be appreciated- my husband was the teccy one with PayPal! I have 5 children all with vast piles of outgrown clothes I have not been arsed to sort out till now.

OP posts:
IneedAbetterNickname · 05/10/2011 00:05

I have an i-phone, but am also nearly always skint (not that Im complaining). the i-phone is my Dads old one, I put my PAYG sim in it, job done!! Does that mean I shouldnt use freecycle anymore???

hiss42 · 05/10/2011 00:05

YANBU. Obviously you can't judge someone by something simple like that. But my mum said when I was a baby, every week my grandparents bought me a dress from Marks and Spencer that were v.expensive. She took a load to the carboot sale because I had hundreds. There was a mum there who she sold them to dirt cheap because she was happy they went to a good home! Then a few minutes later another lady came up to her and said the lady who just bought them was a dealer, selling them on a few stalls away! My mum was so upset.
It's hard to know who's taking advantage and who really needs help. I would donate them to a charity shop, so you at least know that someone needy is getting them and a charity is benefiting!

manicinsomniac · 05/10/2011 00:06

I think you're being very unreasonable.

You offered the clothes. The taker is not to know that you don't really have them to spare!

I've never thought of freecycle as being for people in poverty anyway but more for those who like to recycle and see their unwanted things going to a good home/receive things without needing to take up new resources.

squeakytoy · 05/10/2011 00:07

Selling on ebay is really easy. Setting up a paypal account is also very simple to do. All you need is a computer, a camera, and ideally a set of kitchen scales to weigh the stuff so you can charge accurate postage. Fees are not that horrendous really.

Original poster
lucyhoneybee · 05/10/2011 00:07

I see what you mean worraliberty.. I guess I want someone to appreciate them. There have been people getting stuff on freecycle and selling it straightaway which isn't the spirit of it really. I guess I feel there might be freecyclers more in need of it? It would upset me if it turned out they had been sold on by the person.

OP posts:
div22c · 05/10/2011 00:07

I thought freecycle was a 'be green' kind of thing - so you give your surplus stuff away to be re-used, rather than it going to landfills (and not purely out of the kindness of your heart...though that counts too :)). If you would rather give the baby clothes to someone in financial crisis maybe consider donating to a charity shop or the like?

MilkNoSugarPlease · 05/10/2011 00:07

Jesus christ Hmm

if it matters so bloody much then go and sell them somewhere

Ridiculous

sneakybeak · 05/10/2011 00:08

I have an iPhone. It's on a contact. I'm trying to sell it.

I'm broke.

I've just sold some clothes on ebay - what a waste of time. One bundle made a net profit of 52p.

Don't judge on iPhone alone!

div22c · 05/10/2011 00:09

Sorry just realised others already said the same thing...need to scroll down all the way before posting!

Original poster
lucyhoneybee · 05/10/2011 00:12

That's it exactly hiss 42. It's feeling taken advantage of. Obviously they need to go, I need the space,and it would be nice to be helping out the really needy not someone who could buy them..I do understand anyone can go on fc but I do think people should think about whether another person is really on there because she needs to be.
ineedabetternickname, thanks. You've really answered my question. I don't know anything about iphones so i wondered if they were very expensive to run. Lol. That's how we organize our phones. That makes me feel less taken for a ride tbh.
Thanks squeakytoy.

OP posts:
seeker · 05/10/2011 00:14

Free cycle isn't there to allow Lady Bountifuls to give largesse to the poor, you know! It's to encourage recycling and keep stuffnout of landfill if you wand to do your bit for the poor and needy, you need to find another route.

Original poster
lucyhoneybee · 05/10/2011 00:15

There's one guy who's always on fc and in the last month he's asked for a boat, a car, a kayak, a double bed, bunk beds and a shed. I'm not even exaggerating. We went on to try to get a cot for our baby and no luck so far. I like to offer stuff as well so I feel I'm not just asking, tbh. Freecycling shouldn't be freeloading, i don't think.

OP posts:
Original poster
lucyhoneybee · 05/10/2011 00:17

Lol seeker have you read my original post?

OP posts:
Original poster
lucyhoneybee · 05/10/2011 00:18

Thanks sneakybeak ;)

OP posts:
seeker · 05/10/2011 00:22

Yes. I havecread your op. You misunderstand the purpose of freecycle

Shakey1500 · 05/10/2011 00:26

Yabu. You don't know it was her phone. Benefit of the doubt?

emma0134 · 05/10/2011 00:29

Give the stuff to a charity shop.

I have given up using freecycle when I gave away some toys my girls do not play with, then i found the lady who collected them selling them at a car boot sale.

And also no one ever want to give me anything :) or should it be :(

splashymcsplash · 05/10/2011 00:34

Unless they claim to be 'in need' then YABU.

Some people would just rather not buy new when there are perfectly good used things out there. Being green and all.

spiderslegs · 05/10/2011 01:45

Why do you even care? You presumably want to get rid of them. If I Freecycled a huge pile of stuff (& I frequently do) & saw someone selling it on I would not presume they were an evil money grabbing git, merely someone who had a little more impetus then I to make some money from it.

The end result is the same & in the spirit of Freecycle which is to prevent landfill & encourage people to re-use.

If you wish to do 'good' donate to charity.

If you wish to raise cash, Ebay.

& I would not presume an iphone user to be any of these things. Just someone who has an iphone.

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