Sorry, another rude freecycle one

[moogstera1]

offered a car roof box on freecycle. Not a cheap item to buy and it's in really good nick.
About half the replies simply say something like "yes please" or "I'll have it"
AIBU to think just a couple of polite words are common courtesy when trying to be offered something worth at least £100

I completely agree. I want a polite response. I don't want to hear a sob story, but nor will I respond to 'yeah will take it'.

I am mightily peed off after offering my bed recently. First person I offered it to seemed lovely but just couldn't get transport. She explained the situation and that was fair enough. NP. Second person sent me a text saying 'not coming' about half an hour before. Not best pleased but at least they bothered. Third person didn't turn up at all, or contact me. I then had her daughter begging me by facebook to 'bring it over for me tomororow. my mums phone is broken'. WTF? What part of collection only on this specific date no drop off and I am EXTREMELY p*ssed off because I had to ask a friend to collect my son from school whilst I was waiting for your mother to NOT turn up...(and lets not start on the old 'phone broken' excuse)

Yy to the automated responses, they get deleted every time.

Having put some stuff on free cycle today, I'm dismayed at how rude some of the responses are. 'I be considered for this, please' is not much harder to write than 'have you still got it?' or 'I want this' (with nothing else).

It's also really annoying when someone turns up to collect something (in this case moving boxes) and says that they only want 4, not all the boxes. If you don't want what someone is offering, don't ask for it. Or at least tell them you only want some of it so they don't waste their time.

On a related point, I'm always amazed at the things some people ask for in wanted ads. I have no problem with people asking for TVs, for example, but I do raise an eyebrow when they specify that it must be a 40" plasma tv. I guess their grandmothers didn't tell them that 'beggars can't be choosers' often enough.

I would say this:

I notice from Freecycle that you have a carbox avilable? Could I please ask if it is still available as I would like it. I run a charity taking poor homeless hamsters on their holidays and that would make a lovely little run for them on our journey.

You are a kind and blessed person and all my little hamsters would be ever ever so grateful.

I would personally not mention the hamsters.

The rude replies just sound entitled and I bin them. If someone is doing you a favour surely it's good to be polite and say please?

for me first comes first served.

I want something gone asap thats the best thing about FC, i will then leave a message item will be in porch feel free to collect when you want. That way i don't even have to see the person.

In the area I last lived, you weren't allowed to say why you wanted anything, I think the idea was that it could turn into a competitive pity affair or something.

But I agree you should at least write a polite email, 'can I have this' is just rude, free or not.

This is exactly why I stopped using it. Plus the non collectors. I remember someone promising to come and get a travel cot, and so I left it outside the house at their request. When I came back after the weekend it had been sat in torrential rain and had to be chucked out.

I once offered a good condition travel system, and someone replied 'I'll have it, meet me on * road, at 10pm.' ?! Oh ok, I'll just leave my baby in bed, on her own and wonder a few miles at night because I don't drive, because it would do me such a huge favour to palm this off on you.

We weren't allowed to say why we wanted either. But at least a, 'Is this still available, and if so, I hope you will consider me...etc' is better than nothing.

watching the wright stuff a couple of days ago a lot of people admitted getting stuff off freecycle then selling it.

My dh runs a high school veg garden that the naughty kids look after. He gets stuff off free cycle all the time. He usually explains why he wants it and ends up getting loads more things as well!
It doesn't hurt to be polite.

I wouldn't explain why I wanted it. I'd reply same as is I were replying to buy an item. Hi, I was wondering if X is still available. If so I am interested.
Thank-you
MuscialE

Quite a few times I was selling something and I would receive a response like
"i'll take it whats your address"
I delete those ones and don't reply.

The iphone thing is worrying. Is there a general consensus that people who can afford to run an iphone can afford to buy their own stuff instead of using Freecycle? I ask because my boyfriend has an iphone at the expense of me not having a phone at all (well, a £15 samsung for emergencies) and yet we're too broke to buy anything new for our baby.

Having said that, I've never used Freecycle. My sister in law is a wizard at getting hold of stuff from her posh friends for next to naught. I'd probably look at Freecycle if I didn't have her help, though.

YANBU I recently joined free cycle and put our old Christmas tree on there, someone messaged simply saying, 'Yes, when can I pick up?' I thought 'when you say 'please!''

YANBU. I've given away loads of stuff on Freecycle and it bugs me when people don't even bother to say hello or use my name and theirs when asking for something. I realise communication has become pretty informal these days but I still think that basic niceties count. Plus, why wouldn't someone give themselves maximum chance of being considered; when I'm overwhelmed by responses for an item I have to weedle them down somehow, so those that just say "I'm interested in that" (no hellos, no names) are the first to be binned. Then I leave it 24 hours to give those people a chance who aren't glued to the internet, then I choose someone. Normally it's those who live closest, and who if they've requested multiple items it's included the crap no-one else has asked for. Everyone wants the good stuff so anyone willing to take the chaff gets priority.

watching the wright stuff a couple of days ago a lot of people admitted getting stuff off freecycle then selling it
Which is exactly why I only offer stuff that's not really good enough to sell on but still has some use. First place to get offered my stuff is always the charity shops, but anything that isn't good enough for them gets put on Freecycle. I've even managed to get rid of wine bottles (for home-brewers), jam jars (for jam makers), and loo roll tubes (for crafters/playgroups) on Freecycle

boomerwang that would be my thought, yes - I'd think, you're not broke, you're just choosing to spend your money on an iphone which seems very extravagant as I can't afford one, esp once I've bought my baby the things she needs... - sorry.

yy to ignoring people's short grabby replies! I can't believe people auto-respond though, I'll be more selective in future I think. Mostly we freecycle bulky things that we'd have to pay the council to take (so it saves us money) like a spare double mattress in really good condition we got rid of when we did the baby's room last month (we never get things from fc).

The 'sent from my iPhone' thing wouldn't bother me. I don't even pretend I'm going to make any judgement on the worthiness of people's claims to my item. I just want rid of it and I don't care whether the person could afford to buy it or not. I don't care if they're going to sell it on either, so long as they take it off my hands. I tend to give things like toys or clothes to our local hospice charity, and to freecycle things that I don't think they'll want.

I think it's really rude to ask for an item and then expect it delivered to you. If you're getting something free, you need to at least make the effort to get it yourself. If you don't drive, ask a friend to help you out or get a taxi/arrange a courier. It's very galling to offer something like a dishwasher for free and have people expect you to deliver it to them.

Freecycle's raison d'etre is keeping stuff out of landfill that still has value. The secondary advantage of redistribution of (relative) wealth is ignored by the FC purists, so selling on stuff is not disallowed. I try to give to those who seem most needy whatever that means, but anyone could make up a convincing story so does it really matter? If people want to spend time collecting my old stuff to take to a boot fair and make the odd fiver, it's still going eventually to someone who will go on using it.
Anyone want several dozen VHS tapes?

The iPhone thing doesn't bother me either. There was a big hooha on my freecycle a few years ago because one giver took umbrage at a woman turning up to collect his old portable TV in a car with PERSONALISED NUMBER PLATES!!

Presumably no one had told him that people on benefits only have 50" plasmas.

I have been lucky to get a couple of lovely things on free cycle. My usual email is:

Please could I put my name into the hat for the (shiny thing you're offering)? I can collect to suit you. Thank you, LMF.

My best acquisition was a jumperoo, which is still being enjoyed four months down the line:)

Actually someone on my local freecycle is looking for old VHS tapes. Specifically ones with crap stuff you taped off the tv years ago.

Pamish, it's worth advertising the VHS videos as I got rid of a load on Freecycle.