To not 'mind my own business'

[buymeabook]

Facebook one I'm afraid. Acquaintance advertising for people to sign up to her 'book exchange' scheme. You send 1 book and get 36 in return. I replied saying isn't this just a pyramid scheme, and people at the bottom won't get anything? (It works by everyone signing 6 people up, and you give a book to someone 2 steps up. So by the time you have 11 levels you are up to 60 million people needed....)

She got really shirty with me, telling me to mind my own business if I wasn't interested and not be so negative. I probably should have kept out of it, but she's normally an intelligent enough person and I'm pretty sure wouldn't want to rip anyone off, so put it down to her not really understanding.

(And yes, I am definitely being unreasonable for starting a fb thread).

How odd, this is the second time today I've seen this :-S

Post that to her

www.whattoexpect.com/forums/hot-topics-1/topic/childrens-book-exchange-2.html

Must be doing the rounds on facebook then. Love the cartoon on that link BRK. I doubt she'd pay attention though, it looks like I've pissed her off enough, so am awaiting being defriended.

Just checked, yup, not friends any more. Oh well, I'll miss the smug updates about her kids...

YANBU.

I saw this on a group I'm part of. I commented that it sounded like the old chain letters. There was a reply back saying, 'oh I remember chain letters, such fun!' No you moron, they're not and they're illegal!

If your are keen on a book exchange scheme how about you go to the library, take out six books, read them and then exchange them for another six and so on. No postage or recruiting required and you get to choose good books.

A book exchange pyramid scheme sounds a bit pointless.

God why people can't see this is beyond me too. Better off a group of friends each buying a book and circulating it at least then you know for sure what you are getting into - even if only buying charity shop books. Or go to a car boot and spend 8 quid on books - easily get at least 16 kids book for that

Someone I know has posted about this lately. I have ignored. The maths of this don't work for me. If I want my child to have a book to read, I can go to the library or one of the local charity shops, or our bookshelves.
If I want a child on a low income to have a book, I can donate books to the library or the charity shop, or pass them on personally.

I LOVE the diagram on that thread. It's hilarious. I really hope someone on my FB feed posts this so I can use it!!

The way she responded was like I was pissing all over her lovely idea to share books. Books are great, sharing books is great. Getting a load of people you don't know to buy your children books when most of them probably won't get anything, not so great. Gahhh. Repeat to myself, 'Do not engage'.

That cartoon drawing on the link is genius! Loved it and obviously sums it up completely.

buymeabook do you have mutual friends? You could have great fun sending them that link. [wicked smiley]

I've seen this loads today. I don't really get it.

I've just seen a post like this on FB and was wondering how it worked. Thanks for letting me know OP, i wasnt interested anyway as it sounded scammy but good to be sure.

Or you could just post bleuberry 's comment.

If your are keen on a book exchange scheme how about you go to the library, take out six books, read them and then exchange them for another six and so on. No postage or recruiting required and you get to choose good books.

StayWithMe we do have some mutual friends, which is why I replied really, as I don't want more people sucked into it. Think I've stirred the pot enough though. My righteous indignation was in overdrive.

Is money involved or can you just send her an old chewed dog earred book? Sorry if I am being dense but I don't get it.

You get given a name of someone to send a book to, and post it off. At the same time, you get 6 people to sign up to send a book. They also get 6 people each, and those 6 people send you a book. That's 36 books you get in 'return'. The problem is for the 36 people who sent you books, to all get theirs, there need to be 1296 people in the level two steps down. The numbers of people needed to keep it going grow exponentially. In practice, it's unlikely that more than the top 2 or 3 levels get anything.

A (usually) very bright friend of mine was quite cross with me when I refused to participate in a scheme like this involving chocolate bars.

I forbore to ask whether her 36 chocolate bars ever turned up.

but what do the people at the top of the pyramid do with the thousands of books they receive? Am I missing something here?

If it really worked how many books would people get. Does anybody really want thousands of books. It would be a headache. Let them get on with it though. But you just stick to Oxfam.

she needs a book - on basic maths.

this kind of pyramid has been going since the internet was invented, and no doubt before. You have to be quite determinedly stupid not to see the obvious flaw.

So she posted something on a totally public forum then told you it wasn't your business???!!!!! Ha ha!

Surely if she posts it on FB it is immediately everyone's business? Or has she not noticed that?

You only ever get 36 books, so it's not that everything goes up to the top level. But the number of people grows exponentially with each level, so the number of books does too. i.e. top person gets 36 books, 6 people on second level each get 36 books = 216 books total, 3rd level: 36 people = 1296 books, 4th level: 216 people = 7776 books and so on.

I'm torn between it being a deliberate con, or just being stupid.