CF when giving stuff away for free!

[bingbangbing]

AIBU to think people are even ruder when you're giving stuff away?

I have a large piece of antique furniture. No use for it anymore but it would be a shame to send it to the tip. Not worth anything really either.

I've had two people not bother turning up and two think it would go in the back of their car. The second seemed to think I was going to help her in a futile attempt to stuff it in her tiny car. Got quite arsey when I wouldn't.

These are the ones I let near my house- another sent me "why haven't you replied - can see you're online. Can I come now?"

Really?

I had an old wooden desk (nice but not valuable) I discovered was full of woodworm. Tried treating it but wasn't happy to keep it in the house so my neighbour offered to take it to the tip in his trailer. I put it outside the back gate while he drove round, and by the time he got there (10 minutes max) it was gone! I often wonder whether someone now has a house full of woodworm...

I always give stuff to the local furniture project now, after some crap experiences giving stuff away on faceache. They come and collect within a 2 hour window, clean and refurbish or seevice anything that needs it (white goods etc), and then sell on at very cheap prices to people on limited incomes or benefits.

jaxhog, once it's left it is for everybody, whatever purpose, to take. Our tip had to make a rule of no hanging about for long and some muttering about eastern Europeans shipping it home to sell 🤷‍♀️.

On the other hand, I met someone there who collected items for a women shelter (there is often a lot of toys).

But I think the idea is great and here it works.

I see that a lot on a local freecycle page. 'I will take it' ...and 'next.'. Nary a please or thank you. Also asking for more photos, even when the person giving the item away has posted a perfectly good photo, and dimensions.
And wanting stuff delivered...

I get so annoyed when I agree a specific time (even if it's say "10-1pm") then don't turn up, you have to chase them and they say they forgot. Like, how about set a bloody reminder - I've managed to!

I also had some guy shouting up at my bedroom window wanting to know if he could take an old bathroom fitting that was out the front waiting for collection by someone else. Just yelling randomly at a window instead of knocking on the door when there were clearly people in/working/moving about inside? I only heard him by chance!

Yep , had this

Two seater settee for free on Free Cycle, dimensions attached, and put in capitals WILL NOT FIT IN A HATCHBACK CAR.

Bloke turns up, obviously expects me to help me to his van...except we we get it out of my house and up the drive...he's got a Ford Focus.

He insisted it was ' bigger that it looked' and it would fit in, I told it absolutely no way would it fit, a minor argument ensued in which I reluctantly to said OK let's try..much huffing and puffing later he admitted it wouldn't fit, said ' soz mate and jumped in his car and drove off, leaving me and sofa on the pavement.

Never again..free stuff goes to the tip if a charity can't collect on a weekend.

Well round our way you would put it outside your house with a note on saying ‘don’t take this’ and turn your back and it will be gone!

Our tip has a charity shop on site that takes furniture etc that shouldn’t really be going in landfill. Does yours have similar?

We also have a furniture charity shop that takes this kind of stuff.

If you contact the charity itself it's free and if you arrange it through the council it costs. It's a puzzler...

A neighbour wanted rid of some old baby stuff - high-chair, cot etc. She out it outside with a 'Free. Please help yourself' sign and it was there for days.

She changed the sign to 'For Sale. Knock and ask for prices'. Half an hour later it was gone.

People are a nightmare. I always list it for a small amount rather than for free as it tends to go quicker and be a better experience.

On Freecycle I always got a load of weird begging emails, each person claiming to be the most destitute and in need of said item, despite not being first in line. Then inevitably first person in line never shows up to collect. I gave a free futon to a bunch of students who asked to borrow our allen key and never returned it.

A few people have said to leave it on the pavement and someone will take it. This depends on where you live. Here, we’ve had chests of drawers and cots standing on the street for over a week, getting more and more waterlogged.

YANBU I have had this a lot recently. Can you deliver? Send me a thousand photos and measurements? It needs to be in perfect condition, can you hold it for 7 days (when post specified it needed to be gone within 2 days). I once had someone ask me to provide them with petrol money as they were 'doing me a favour collecting my unwanted item' needless to say they were blocked. The cheek of some people is shocking.

Btw my dd collected a big bag of toys a couple of Christmases ago (perfect stocking fillers) and put it up for free. A lady replied, implying it would save December for her dc, but it was way too far away from her. Dd took pity and answered she would come by, she is still to respond.

Ahhh could’ve written this myself!

I was giving away two huge bags of baby toys last week. Put them on Facebook for free, I specified that it was collection only.

First woman said can you deliver to a place that’s 10 miles away
I said no I don’t drive sorry (I do but I didn’t want her knowing that)
She said could I get a bus then?
I just ignored her after that. People are incredibly rude

We have a local reclamation place where we can sell stuff on cheaply.

We had 5 different people not turn up for a free sound system. Very weird and a total waste of our time.

Giving good stuff away is very difficult!

My policy is only to reply to those that write their request in a decent way.
I ignore anything without a greeting, which usually prompts follow up emails stating "?"
If I ignore that, they usually follow up with "???"

Oh god I hate this.

Me and dh designed our home and it was built on a plot of land we bought. When the kitchen was done I hated the cooker I’d ordered (it was unpacked but never used or connected) it was worth £££ but the company were difficult about taking it back so I thought sod it and listed it for free online

So it was a brand spanking new cooker worth a fair amount and like you I had 2 women think they could make it fit in a mini!
I had numerous people ask if I could deliver, like your getting a new £££ cooker for free but yes I can deliver and connect it for you too 🙄
People not turning up
People message to come over Immediately that second

In the end just as I was going to give up someone did come and get it & he had the sense to bring a van.

People are impossible sometimes

I had it last week i put some new shoes never worn on fb free site and lady asked me if she could have them and could i drop them round. I stupidly did she hasn't even messaged to say thank u

Nooo not the tip, try British Heart foundation, they have shops for the big stuff and they will collect

I think it can be a mixed bag, I've been messed about on smaller items but when giving away a old fridge and an old freezer which needed to be out so we could have new cabinets in it went like clockwork and the people who took them were lovely.

YABU.
People tend to value something more when charged actual money for it.
Although how a CF extends that to encompass a freebie somehow also reducing the value of & respect for the freebie giver's time is beyond me.

Try to out-price the chancers, so put it up for eg £20 cash on collection. Then when your customer arrives, refuse to accept payment and let them take it. I assume you’d get a more classy selection of customers so hopefully won’t have to deal with the rudeness.

You can also add more information to the listing such as no delivery provided/won’t fit in small cars/no carrying assistance etc

we put everything on gumtree for £10.

It always goes, and if they come and are nice, we may say have it for free!

We've given up with free stuff.

I sold an old rabbit hutch for £10 (pretty huge, but looked quite battered) the man who collected it was so grateful, and made me take £20. We were happy to give it away!