When you give something away for free, FOR FREE on Facebook, and they don't turn up and then ask if you can deliver. Quite lighthearted, although ragey too

[NotAWhaleOmeletteInSight]

It's a cushion for an Ikea Poang chair. Nothing very exciting, but it seemed a shame for dh to take it to the tip when he went last weekend. So I offered it for free on the local Facebook. Straightaway, a woman said she wanted it. She could pick up today, which is my day off. She wasn't sure what time but it would definitely be morning after 10.30 and she'd let me know.

I just messaged her to ask what time to expect her. Quite a lot to do today what with it being my last free day off before Christmas and having a toddler with an extensive social schedule.

'Oh s*' she replies, 'I forgot. Can you deliver it to me? I'm in x location'.

Ffs! Grrr! No I bloody can't. It's the week before Christmas and x location is a good 10 miles away on the other side of town. Plus I'm giving it away for free. Dh was going to take it to the tip last weekend but instead it's been sitting in my hallway ever since.

Tell me your Facebook giving away stuff for free outrages. I need to know if I'm being a little bit irrational (8 months pregnant so hormones are doing funny things), or if my rage is justified.

And breathe.

i've got rid off chopped up trees before-bit by bit .

If I have anything to get rid of now I list it on eBay for £1 collection only BIN. It's usually gone within the hour, I never accept the pound and cancel the transaction so I have no fees.
For some reason people seem to be happier to bag a bargain that way than free cycle and of the dozen or so things I've listed that way all buyers have collected within the day and gone away happy.

One woman told me she was furnishing her daughters new flat as she'd just left a bad relationship with a small child in tow. She really thought my table and chairs for £1 was a mistake in my listing and was thrilled with them. I gave her a few extra bits as well.

I guess if you're looking to buy something, however cheaply, you don't feel the same sense of entitlement as if you're planning to get it for free.

I'm sure I've told this story before but someone on my free cycle said they wanted a Bugaboo Chameleon in good condition if anyone had one going spare To be fair, they didn't ask if it could be delivered.

I've got rid of a couple of things and had the same 'well I don't have a car, can you drop it off' line. I shall try that BIN eBay trick instead - sounds much less frustrating.

Don't get me started on the number of piss taking thundercunts floating round Freecycle...

DH was selling an old computer, potential buyer gets in touch, asks a few questions and tells DH he definitely wants it and will be over at 8pm to collect. DH replies "Great, please text me if you can't make it thanks". Buyer doesn't turn up. At 9pm, DH asks him if he is still coming over (as we have stuff to do, like go to bed). Buyer says of course he is, he's not a time waster, he is on his way but has a puncture...he'll be with us within the hour.
Of course he never turned up, or texted to let us know he'd changed his mind.
Why do people do this? Why lie and spin stories rather than just say " you know what, I don't want it any more. Sorry'

Giving away stuff for free is a nightmare. People think they are doing you a favour collecting it

I've learnt that the best way is to leave stuff outside the house with a note saying please take. It goes within hours.

One lady went to the effort of posting a whole new thread about how angry she was that she'd been kept waiting 20 mins by someone when she'd gone to pick something up, with her BABY, in the RAIN! She was really quite irate about it. It took a lot of restraint to stop myself reminding her that she had kept me (and my baby 😄) waiting 45 minutes in the rain when she was late for our arranged meeting. In retrospect I probably should have just posted it.

Yanbu. I gdt updates on free cycle. There was a great request. Wanted flat screen tv. If youv have one to give away please message me the model number so I can check it meets my requirements.

Just back from my work do and loving reading all these! If this women doesn't turn up tomo then I'll leave the Poang cushion out by the gate, weather permitting, and see if it goes. Unless anyone on here wants it? Bristol area!

Woman, not women.

Tomorrow, not tomo. Oh dear.

I think the idea of attaching £1 to it does make all the difference!

The most thing I find is not all the fuss, it's the effing time you waste when they tell you yes. I'll def be there wed/thurs/Fri@6pm and then not show.. 3.times....
You could have given it away ti someone else!

Love some of these stories...

Here's one from me- a girl has to try!
Wanted free porshe...must be in a colour I like and you must be able to deliver...

Yanbu it drives me insane. Why they don't just say they got a bit excited at something being free, but on reflection it will just take up too much space or whatever the issue is, I just don't know and never will understand. Have been let down many times, agree that you are best to give a nominal price.

O saw another need everything for a flat. Must deliver as I don't drive.

Maybe I am naive but people would not ask for "everything for a flat" unless they were desperate. We gave a bike away earlier this week, I happily cleaned it up and delivered it. Lovely to think that a simple act but make somebody's Christmas.

Not quite the same but I sold a (quite large) toy on a local Facebook page, it was an absolute bargain. Woman messages me, would love it but won't have the cash for two weeks (was £15) would I hold it for her, etc, etc. I agreed and had the bloody thing cluttering up my hall for weeks. Messaged her on the agreed date, could she come over the following day, waited in for three hours no show, next day same thing then a message saying she was quite busy and best to sell it to someone else!!!. If I list something on the group now I specify no time wasters and will not hold stuff!! Makes me so mad.

I listed two pushchairs of DS2's on Freecycle on the same day.

One was a cheap umbrella-style one that was quite trendy and had hardly been used.

The other was a three-wheeler, well used but still v good, much more expensive push chair, but I appreciated a little out of fashion.

Lots of requests for the first one, none for the second. But there was one man who said he and his partner were desperate for a pushchair for their baby. Almost implied they were having to carry the baby everywhere. I might have fallen for it had the two emails been sent out simultaneously and it therefore being blindingly obvious that they not desperate enough to ask for my 3 wheeler. Not only that, they hadn't even bothered to think enough to work out that I would have noticed this ! So pushchair went to a normal "ooh I'd love this, can I have it please" reply and Mr SobStory had to keep on carrying his baby everywhere.

Nice story: We had my Dad's telly after he died. He had only just bought it and at the time it was better than ours - one of the first flatscreens. When we upgraded to a new one last year I put it on Freecycle with trepidation, wondering whether I was going to end up upset at people turning their noses up at it. A man asked for it for his kids' playroom as they had been asking for one for their computer games. He turned up on time and was delighted with it - he said he was going to surprise them with it. He emailed me the next day to thank me yet again and to say the kids were absolutely thrilled. He was such a nice man and I was so chuffed Dad's telly had gone to a good home.

RE sob stories, or lack of until afterwards. I once bid for a hat on eBay, it was for my son as he had lost his beloved hat at school and it wasn't for sale anywhere anymore. I managed to find one on eBay. Bid for it, won it, paid for it, recieved it.

Only AFTER I'd done all those things I messaged the seller to thank him for putting the hat on (although I know he only did it for a quick buck) telling him how happy he'd made my DS who has disabilities and was completely gutted about losing the old one.

He messaged me back saying thank you for telling him and it was lovely warm feelings all round.

But I paid for the item and recieved it first. I'd never ever use my DS to get an item for free or to get one over someone else. I just wanted to let him know that his fast postage etc had been really really appreciated.

I've seen people on competitions as well on Facebook saying "oh my disabled child would love this, please me" when the names are clearly chosen at random.

I find that really strange and feel bad for the child.

Oh and I once gave away a coffee table. It was a very expensive one, given to me for free, it was basically one large piece of tree trunk from some kind of posh tree, treated and made into a table. Very nice. But it only had one table leg thing in the middle, which was fine but DS kept climbing onto the table and it kept almost tipping on him.

By th time I got a new one the old one needed a sand and a re varnish but it was a gorgeous table, so I put it on freecycle.

Got loads of messages like "I'll have it" people not turning up etc.

Anyway eventually I got a message from a woman saying she loved furniture with a history (it had a story behind it) and really wanted it if it was still available. I told her I'd leave it outside because I'd had a lot of time wasters and to pick it up whenever she wanted.
It was gone within the hour and I got a lovely email saying how gorgeous it was then a photo of it made gorgeous a couple of months later.

I don't know if she was keeping it or selling it, none of my business but she was lovely and polite and obviously worked hard on it.

This thread has made be laugh! I've got something listed on a local FB selling site for free. Have had two no shows so far. Will be binning today!

I remember reading on AIBU a while ago about a woman who gave away a set of cordless phones which then stopped working after a few weeks. The woman who had them contacted her to complain and demanded that she pick them up!

Nice to read about some positive experiences of giving stuff away!

I put up a brand new blind I had bought that was too small for my daughters room. Shop wouldn't take it back so I popped on fb for £7.

Someone asked would I do it for £5 and I agreed.

She then turned up and asked if I had change as she came with a £10 note.

Told her no and got a load of moaning. She then made a big deal about going to the shop to get change. 3 hours later she hasn't come back so I reposted it. She quickly came round with the correct money.

As with the "send details of TV to see if it fits requirements" and all the rest, sometimes you almost have to laugh

Let's face it, if you didn't you'd scream!!!!

I gave up on Freecycle after waiting in - yet again - for another time waster who didn't show. It is pointless. It's a great idea but you get messed about so much by people.