i want, i want, i want…
Below are some wanted requests I’ve seen come through on my local freecycle:
- good reading books (this gal actually admits to the group that she is unwilling to go to the library, she wants new stuff and she wants to read at her own pace).
- Hercules hooks (as seen on T.V.)
- treadmill
- two highchairs, a crib mattress, a sofa (bed), a desk, an office chair, a microwave oven, and a single stroller…all in a single request.
Then, there are people asking for tables, valances, sofas, with stipulations, like, please take a picture and needs to be (fill in the blank: size, color, age) and somebody wanting a cell phone of a certain carrier. But the kicker for me is the woman who has posted over fifty requests in two months who has asked for *everything* I have offered. In my mind, this is excessive and definitely not the intention of freecycle.
I have offered to assist in moderating this forum (because I don’t see anybody doing it), but have yet to receive a response from the gods that be. So, as a result, I have set up a filter to automatically send any email with a “wanted” in the subject line to the trash. There. Problem solved. It’s like automatically having credit card offers immediately shredded for you so you can open the real mail and packages!
October 7th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
I don’t get emails from freecycle and check it to post. Although I’ve found that I’d rather use craigslist and charge a buck or two for the item — we’ve had much more success this way. I’m too fed-up with the same people always replying for everything (like your situation) and people not showing up for stuff. I’ve all but given up on freecycle.
We also tend to hang things on the fence with a little note saying what the item is and “free” — this works well and is the least time consuming!