Freecycle Gripe

[Thurston Garden]

I wholly support Freecycle, but am getting a little tired of seeing constant Wanted posts, particularly from those who never Offer anything....

I though the post: "Wanted - Car" took the biscuit a few months back, but last week a regular wanted poster posted a Wanted ad for....wait for it.... a Combine Harvester! (this post was ended with the comment - "I am still wanting a Rayburn/Aga and a wood burning stove!")

Today, the poster is complaining of the replies she got to her Combine post....saying Freecyclers should help each other.....perhaps she should offer stuff?

Is a Combine Harvester the most ludicrous wanted post... or have you seen better?

[Muddypause]

Hmm.... wait, I think I may have one in my box of unwanted gifts.

Ah, no... my mistake; it was an old fondue set.

I haven't looked at the local group for a while, but when I last saw, the moderator had instigated rules that prevented people posting regular wanted ads - IIRC you were allowed one per month, and had to post a few offered ads first. There was also a ban on wanted ads for cars, complete computers and other large household appliances. Dunno about combines though.

Perhaps you could email the moderator directly and suggest something similar.

[Milims]

The worst one we saw was from a scrap merchant asking for scrap copper and brass.
A mate of mine is a moderator of a group, and she gets really annoyed when people fill in the reason why you want to join with "to get free stuff!" It strikes me that these people suffer from a double whammy of affluenza and idiocy!! Do you think we could put a wanted on for a small holding with pigs, chickens, a cow and a goat!! lol.
.
BTW - we are off to pick up a wood burning stove this afternoon - thanks to freecycle - so na nah na na nah to the combine lady!! lol (No we didnt ask - it was offered and we were the lucky ones)
Helen and Chris

[Stonehead]

I wholly support Freecycle, but am getting a little tired of seeing constant Wanted posts, particularly from those who never Offer anything....

I though the post: "Wanted - Car" took the biscuit a few months back, but last week a regular wanted poster posted a Wanted ad for....wait for it.... a Combine Harvester! (this post was ended with the comment - "I am still wanting a Rayburn/Aga and a wood burning stove!")

Today, the poster is complaining of the replies she got to her Combine post....saying Freecyclers should help each other.....perhaps she should offer stuff?

Is a Combine Harvester the most ludicrous wanted post... or have you seen better?

I don't mind the genuine, person-in-need Wanted posts. I've occasionally posted them myself. I don't even have a problem with people asking for a car provided they're reasonable about it and not grasping. (I know of several cars that have gone to people who really, genuinely needed them.)

But I absolutely loathe and detest the really greedy, grasping, "I want, I want, I want" posts. The ones that specify things like "recent, high spec car wanted, prefer with tax and MoT", or constantly ask for Playstations, Wii, Xboxes, recent mobiles (with camera and interent), recent digital cameras, plasma TVs and the like.

Mind you, it's just as bad when you post an offer and get people who demand you deliver it, who say it has to be near new or mint, who say it hasn't the right spec, etc.

Most people no longer see to see it as an opportunity for recycling and reusing things while meeting like-minded people. Most now regard Freecycle as a "way of getting great free stuff", as Jeremy Vine put it on Radio 2 a few months back.

As a result, I've given up on Freecycle.

[Thurston Garden]

I agree - some people really need stuff. I recently dug out our Tv from my parents loft and transported it 45 miles for a woman who posted a wanted ad for a bedridden neighbour who's TV had packed up. The annoying thing was that the woman never turned up at the meeting point, nor did she phone, and then subsequently never replied to my emails asking if things were OK and did her neighbour still need it.

There was also a recent wanted post looking for "Washing machine, tumble drier, fridge, freezer and dishwasher - all must be in good condition and I can collect"

You easily spot the regular posters, both offered and wanted. Regular wanted ones, where they take take take and never offer are the ones that really bug me. Combine Lady regularly posts wanted ads but I have never seen her offer.

Then there is the neighbour of a local friend who recently boasted about having their computer on all day, with the volume on full so thy could hear the emails coming in and be first to reply! We all suspect they are putting the stuff on eBay or car booting it.

I have not given up, just yet, but I am not far off.

And, yes, that Vine has a lot to answer for IMHO.

[the.fee.fairy]

There are a lot of people like that on our local freecycle.

There was one a few weeks back that said something along the lines of 'have moved into first flat, need 3 piece suite, prefer NEW brown (or cream) ikea corner style. Will consider similar. Also need widescreen TV, DVD player etc'

If (and when) i move into my own place, i'll be grateful for anything to get me going!!

I remember putting a large TV on freecycle, and the bloke that came to collect it said 'does the remote work' i told him the bateeries were probably on their way out, and he huffed and puffed and complained a bit!! What a cheek!

I think the Combine wins though...

[Tigerhair]

If you do move into your new place, I've a few things you can have!

I haven't got anything from freecycle but posted some of boy's outgrown shoes and some very nice man came to collect my old greenhouse (with only about 75% glass. I had bought it from Derby for £40 and had 5 years good use out of it and was happy for it to go to a good home.

Then I gave up as I couldn't keep up with the want want wants....

[Millie]

I gave up on Freecycle last year, sick of the picky people. I got a bit fed up of people offering things, emailing to say that I was 1st in line but they had decided that someone else needed it more......having not asked any questions to find out how in need I actually was. Plenty of people that never turned up for items. Also got peed off at offering things and then having people email and say "yes, I will have that, please ring me tonight with your details"

[Shirley]

Must confess that I asked for a car - but this was at a stage when I was absolutely desperate. Yes the OH has a car but he takes that away to work every day (15 miles away) and I couldn't afford to buy one. I did only ask for something that was roadworthy though - nothing flash.... just enough to get me and J safely back and forth to nursery each day - nursery being 5 miles away it's a bit too far to walk every day.

Anyway - didn't get one so it doesn't count. I've now got wheels again though YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY in the form of my father in laws old car... so I'll be offering my old cars on freecycle once I've got the sorn paperwork through. Somebody somewhere will be able to do something with them... even if it's just to break them for parts.

I do get fed up of seeing ads for really expensive luxury items though, and hate to see people asking for collectible items as I'm sure that they'll only sell them on at a personal profit afterwards.

[Annpan]

I offered some old record players once... I had people asking if they could come and see them before taking them... I had to explain that I am not a freakin' shop and that the details of the condition they were in was correct and I would send photos... they all refused.

My thought is that you are being offered something for free, take it or leave it, end of story, no picking.

On the Glasgow site the same story comes up over and over..."I am a poor student just moved to Glasgow from overseas, I need a laptop" The same sob story came up all the time, then they would list the spec that they wanted

I am no longer a member, it was ~almost~ a complete waste of time I did give away some wallpaper and a christmas tree but it felt like most members are not on for the right reasons (ie recycling and community spirit)

[ina]

The sob stories annoy me greatly, too - I should hope everybody who places a want add genuinely needs the stuff they are asking for. I have several times offered things that somebody asked for, but then they'd already got something from somewhere else - well, I don't have time to be on all day... That was the feeling I got, too - people who have more time on their hands than is good for them spend all day at the computer and pounce on everything that looks worth it! Oh well, haven't got to the stage yet where I cancelled my membership, but I'm thinking about it. We have a kind of similar swap/give away thing going on on NEEPS, which is pretty useful - and fewer people on it, so you get to know them better, and know the stuff is going to a good home.

[Stonehead]

We did get some very useful items in the early days, and gave away even more stuff than we received.

But when you put a good condition, if old, Palm V on offer and have people complain that it's not a recent PDA, you do start to wonder. The same happened with a quality wooden cot (with mattress and bedding), quality moses basket (with mattress and bedding), a portable TV, a working Motorola mobile, a couple of boxes of "hard", clean baby/toddler toys (Duplo and the like), good, clean baby clothes and a few other bits and pieces.

People would snap them up within seconds of the offer appearing, only to turn them down a day or two later because the items weren't new enough or recent enough or of a good enough specification.

We now sell unwanted items via notes in our local shop or take them to the charity shop in Alford. The cash is always useful, but it was much more enoyable to to freecycle with like-minded people - most of whom appear to have left freecycle now!

[ina]

We now sell unwanted items via notes in our local shop or take them to the charity shop in Alford. The cash is always useful, but it was much more enoyable to to freecycle with like-minded people - most of whom appear to have left freecycle now!

That's the danger - potentially even the end of freecycle: the people who have the "original" attitude to it are leaving; left are only those who are greedy graspers - and they won't be getting much any more, except from a few newbies who haven't cottoned on to their methods yet!

[Stonehead]

Must confess that I asked for a car - but this was at a stage when I was absolutely desperate. Yes the OH has a car but he takes that away to work every day (15 miles away) and I couldn't afford to buy one. I did only ask for something that was roadworthy though - nothing flash.... just enough to get me and J safely back and forth to nursery each day - nursery being 5 miles away it's a bit too far to walk every day.

Yes, but you didn't ask for recent model car with MoT and tax!

And because I'm no longer on freecycle I couldn't point you to one, either. I was offered an M-reg Ford Escort (outside freecycle) a couple of months back that I could have got for you.

It's MoT was just about to expire, but it was a good runner and needed about £150 work to pass the MoT (new brake pads, new brake pipes and a few small bits and pieces).

I didn't need it at the time and didn't know anyone else who needed one, so it went to the scrapper. The bloke who offered it to me only got rid of it because he was given a P-reg Clio diesel - for nothing.

And that's the problem with freecycle having gone the way it's gone - the people who try to live up to its ideal either quit or don't bother any more so stuff doesn't get freecycled.

[Milims]

We once had a car from Freecycle - it was offered as spares or repair and we needed spares. When we had taken the bits we needed we passed it on to the local fire brigade for cutting up practice. So someones trash really did turn into treasure for more than one person. Its just really sad that what has begun as something really good and useful has been hijacked by selfish idiots! As has already been said - if its free and it serves your needs - be thankful - I know we are!