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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Freecycle requests: ATBU?

86 replies

mamamea · 21/09/2009 00:57

From the last few days:

"hi there i dont believe my luck this week but my telly has just broken down and
i am using my little portable one at the mo . i am skint till next pay day and
wondered if anyone had a spare 32 or bigger screen telly i could have .. maybe
if you upgrading to newer telly or had one lying about .. it would be very
appreciated .."

Plenty of TVs going, but 32" or bigger?

"WANTED - DISHWASHER

Our machine has just broken and is beyond repair - we have a new kitchen coming
but not until November could anyone save us in the interim as we don't want to
have to end up buying two."

Can't do washing up even for six weeks?

"WANTED please CAR or VAN

A friend of mine is out of work and would like to have a VEHICLE in good
condition, so that he could accept a job with a company that requires him to
have his own CAR or VAN..."

Lend him yours then....

"I want a Nintendo for my daughter but does not have the funds in these financial
times that we live in. Her birthday is in October, but I would like to get it
before that if possible.Thanks for anyone that can help in regards to that"

Nintendo what? Wii? You should be so lucky. 15 year old Super Nintendo ? Quite possibly.

OP posts:

Yorky · 21/09/2009 07:42

monkeypinkmonkey · 21/09/2009 07:49

WANTED: some large item... must be able to deliver WTF???? Why must I??

congalikeyoumeanit · 21/09/2009 10:03

On my local freecycle today there are already loads of 'wanted' ads - so far there are washing machines, tumble dryers, computers and chest of drawers and a coffee table being asked for. Its so rude, imo its not in the spirit of it at all, think they ought to be banned really.

LibrasBiscuitsOfFortune · 21/09/2009 10:05

Hasn't UK freecycle staged a rebellion and now is a seperate entity?

I agree Conga about banning the wanted ads.

PrettyCandles · 21/09/2009 10:06

Why is it rude? Cheeky, maybe. But if you don't ask, you don't get.

mustrunmore · 21/09/2009 10:08

We had a wanted for a Nintendo DSi on ours this week

congalikeyoumeanit · 21/09/2009 10:09

Just seen another one for an 'undercounter fridge and freezer' - apparently either white or silver would be fine!!

Surely if you need a fridge and can't afford to buy one you'd take a sky blue fridge if given the chance.
Where do people get off?!

alwayslookingforanswers · 21/09/2009 10:10

well given that there are frequently washing machines, tumble dryers, computers, assorted furniture and fridges/freezers being offered (and they're extremely difficult to "bag") I'm not sure what's wrong with asking.

alwayslookingforanswers · 21/09/2009 10:11

conga - fridges (generally speaking) only usually come in white or silver - so to me that's someone just saying "I don't really care what colour it is"

octopusinabox · 21/09/2009 10:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

StableButDeluded · 21/09/2009 10:59

YANBU.

I don't use it very much now as I became so fed up with all the 'wanted' ads. When I joined I'm pretty sure that repeatedly asking for specific things was frowned upon. And you would NEVER post a 'wanted' before you had actually offered something first. It's all got so far from what Freecycle was originally about...stopping good stuff going into landfill and helping each other out.

I'm now very jaded and cynical, and I think that half the time some people are justtrying to get something for nothing that they can sell on Ebay.

DoingTheBestICan · 21/09/2009 11:07

The best one on our freecycle was someone asking for a 4x4,it had to have 12 mths mot & possible black or silver???

muddleduck · 21/09/2009 11:09

I've just put a load of stuff on freecycle and have deliberately made them all sound in worse condition than they are so that only people who actually NEED these things will get in touch. I too suspect that otherwise they'll end up on ebay.

supagirl · 22/09/2009 14:01

yanbu, it does get a bit ridiculous

I don't object to wanteds per se, but hate the word "must" appearing in there..... Must be in good condition, for example Beggars can't be choosers imo, if you genuinely NEED it then you wouldn't post a list of "criteria".

MummyDoIt · 22/09/2009 14:05

I agree that some people abuse Freecycle but I wouldn't want to see the 'wanteds' banned. I once asked for an inflatable hammer which was needed for a school play and got three offers. I also responded to someone who wanted broken tiles to make mosaics. I'd just knocked the tiles off my kitchen wall and wouldn't have thought to offer those.

WhereYouLeftIt · 22/09/2009 14:24

My local Freecycle got to the point that someone posted a wanted for any unused diamonds and gold - I think they were being sarcastic in response to a run of incredibly specific wants. Agree that wanteds should stay though, sometimes they are reasonable and for things I would never think to offer.

Stayingsunnygirl · 22/09/2009 15:10

I saw an ad on our local freecycle wanting a jetski! I do think some wanted ads are ok - like ones asking for broken tiles or an inflatable hammer as MummyDoIt said, or perhaps for something truly necessary like a washing machine or fridge - but as supagirl says, if you really need something, you don't get to be picky about unimportant details - good working order is reasonable to ask for, but colour etc - no!

Stephief · 22/09/2009 21:17

There is a wanted on our fc today for an xbox 360 or ps3. I mean seriously, you are having a laugh! We once had one for a integrated fridge, and then they went on to specify the dimensions it MUST be! I dont object to wanteds, but I do think they should have to be reasonable. I certainly give away far more on freecycle than I ever ask for, so I dont feel bad about posting the odd wanted ad (usually for something really random and valueless to most people) I did once ask if anyone had an old baby buggy for my dd as she had broken her leg but had a school walk around the village (she was five!) and trying to get a wheelchair from the hospital was fruitless, but I didnt really want to buy a buggy for a five year old to use for one day! I got one too! And I popped it back on fc when we had finished with it.

Stephief · 22/09/2009 21:20

Lol I have just looked at todays again, and someone is posting a wanted for a dishwasher and tumble drier, that their pregnant friend, apparantly 'urgently needs'! Since when has anyone been incapable of washing dishes in a sink, or hanging clothes on a line or airer? A fridge, even a cooker I can understand, but these are luxury goods, not neccesities!

Tangle · 22/09/2009 21:26

Isn't it common sense to specify the dimensions of a fitted appliance, though? Presumably they're wanted as the existing one has broken - it doesn't seem unreasonable to rule out things that are 6" too wide for the hole you've got to me.

Interesting what different people see as "reasonable", though - I'd agree that a fair few of the wanted ads do seem to be taking the mick, but then I'm happy to ignore the whole lot unless I'm trying to get rid of something at the time. In an ideal world people will be honest if they're taking stuff for ebay and I probably wouldn't give to them as a 1st choice, but at the end of the day it gets it out of my house and that's my main goal

bumpsoon · 22/09/2009 21:38

someone posted on our local one asking for a particular colour curtains ,but then insisted they come from a smoke free home , they are free ,wash them for gods sake .

FairMidden · 22/09/2009 21:38

Ours is the same - I get a daily digest and it's all wants with only a few takens and offers. Which is depressing.

If there were fewer wants I might spend a moment reading them and responding to any I could help with, but I can't be arsed scanning through zillions of requests for large luxury items in order to come across someone who wants to take my old plant pots off my hands.

I could really use an old shed for our bikes before winter sets in, but we can't afford one. Despite the fact that we have given away a washing machine, a printer and some flooring on freecycle I won't be posting a request, I'm just waiting for one to come up as an offer. It feels grabby to ask for big stuff.

bratley · 22/09/2009 21:40

Just had a look at my emails from freecycle to see what was 'wanted'...

Today someone asked for - Mahogany Bedside cabinet/chest of drawers...

BirdyArms · 22/09/2009 21:47

People are always wanting bikes on ours. It's just the way that the wanteds are phrased that annoys me, as if people feel that they are entitled to a free v expensive thing and it had better be in great condition, the right colour etc.

WhereYouLeftIt · 22/09/2009 22:31

FairMidden if asking for a shed seems grabby, maybe you could post offering to disassemble it all for the gifter? Many might be put off posting an offer by the thought of having to do that?

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