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).

Not worth upsetting a friend over

Cost of everything and value of nothing

Yes, I do get upset when a friend tries to scam me.

What bothers me is that the people most likely to get caught up in this and the gift scam are the least likely to be able to afford a £5 loss.

I don't buy teasmum's assertion that everyone knows the deal when they sign up. Everytime I've seen it advertised it has been very prominent about getting 36 books, with a small disclaimer that you may not get that many. It is clear that most participants do expect to get something. They are being misled, whether deliberately or through stupidity.

Don't worry about it buymeabook, don't worry about people being misled. It's a £5 book and that's fuck all once that Nigerian lottery win comes through.

Cons like this attract the greedy, stupid and the very naive. What's particularly loathsome is its usp; something that will encourage children to enjoy books.

Personally I don't think it does, it introduces them to want books in a purely acquisitive way; quantity rather than quality. How many will end up being disappointed they only got 4 back, rather than a friend who received 6.

Surely a better message to DC is to say let's sort out your old books that you have grown out of, take them to the charity shop to help raise money for other people, while we are there maybe buy 2 or 3 new books as well.

Despite being called lazy, greedy and immoral by you lovely people, the thing that actually did make me feel guilty earlier was the amount of time I was wasting on here arguing about something so trivial when I should have been spending it with my LO.

I thought I'd pop back for a look and I'm so glad there was a voice of reason involved. Price of everything and the value of nothing is so fitting.

It's not about being greedy or trying to get as many books as you can, it is about the fun of it. If it was money, even £1, I'd be having nothing to do with it. If someone wants to get involved and can't afford £5 on a new book, the majority of people wouldn't mind them popping a second hand book in the post. If anyone really does mind, or is in it just to be greedy or con people, then they are almost (but not quite) as much of a misery guts as some of the people here.

arguing about something so trivial when I should have been spending it with my LO.

I'm breastfeeding (cushion propped) and knitting for my baby while occasionally reaching over to type or scroll. If you're going to be self righteous you should really put your back into it.

I wasn't being self righteous, I was pointing out that despite what was being said about me (and others like me) on here, that was what made me feel guilty. We can't all be super mums like you and typing on the laptop was taking me away from my LO. Anyway, I won't waste anymore time on this since it's obviously just going to result in being picked to pieces.

Cons like this attract the greedy, stupid and the very naive. What's particularly loathsome is its usp; something that will encourage children to enjoy books.

Couldn't agree with this more.

Teasmum, you're very good at deluding yourself. Believe me you do not have the moral high ground here, in fact very much the opposite. Particularly as you intend to repeat this scam several times.

Teasmum that is actually the crux of the matter - most people would probably happily post a book to a child if their parent couldn't afford £5 on a new book. But this scheme is not that - wouldn't it be great if it was? Being involved in this scheme could mean that cash strapped parent thinks a nice way to get their child some books is join in. Send one off, get more (maybe less than 36 back). But then imagine they are in the vast majority who get nothing. It's really sad.

Side note generally - making me appreciate libraries even more. And I already love them.

So, sarcasm and pyramid schemes need more explaining.

Fuck off with the super mum thing. If you feel guilt about giving yourself a few minutes on a talk forum but not about the pyramid scheme you've got yourself back to front. But hey, 'won't someone think of the bookless children' without actually thinking at all.

I used to get a dozen books for my child to read for free.

(not that I was cash strapped)

They were from the library, we could have them for a long time, renew the loan online and have fun getting them and returning them.

Not sure what the point of this sending books set up is.

Here's an idea.

Get everyone in your school to donate a book they've already read to the school.

Hold a sale where the kids can choose a new book for £1 (or whatever postage costs on the pyramid scheme).

Every kid gets a new book, the school gets the proceeds towards the library to buy even more books.

No one gets ripped off.