RSS FeedMar 24 2008
How I Came to Hate Freecycle
In my attempts to streamline my belongings in preparation for my upcoming move to Portland, I’ve been using Freecycle to rid myself of some larger items that probably aren’t worth enough money to try to sell.
For those non-self-professed-tree-huggers who’ve been living in a cave for the past couple of years, Freecycle is a grassroots, nonprofit movement of people that promotes the reuse of items amongst the members of it’s local communities.
Let’s say Joe gets sick of looking at the plaid couch his cat tortured all through college. Joe posts on his local Freecycle group list “OFFER: plaid couch. Some mild wear.” Someone else reads Joe’s post and offers to come take the item off his hands. Joe unloads his couch without having to feel guilty that he’s contributing to a landfill somewhere. The new owner gets a couch for only a little effort.
I think this is a marvelous concept. When I first started listing items on Freecycle I wanted to give away, I felt happily virtuous. Unfortunately, like many of the wonderful things civilization has dreamed up over the years, the system starts to break down when you factor in the darker elements of human nature.
I would like to think that most days this entry would be a calmly-worded article titled “Etiquette Tips for People Using Freecycle”. But I’m crabby today, so you’re getting my unedited, bitch-list of problems I’ve encountered with Freecycle to-date…
1. People who can’t read. My local Freecycle group uses a Yahoo list to advertise items being offered. When an item is claimed, you are expected to post a second email saying the item has been taken. Usually items on Freecycle go in under a minute if you’re on top of things. I’m on top of things. So, at most, there may be a post or two between my initial “OFFER” email and the “TAKEN”. Even still, the average item I’ve posted garners somewhere between 10 and 30 emails from people asking if the item is still available. These continue arriving for several DAYS after the item was originally offered. I have had to go so far as to set up a separate email box so that my regular email doesn’t get inundated with these inquiries.
2. People who can’t write. The typical email I get from someone interested in an item reads like it was writing by E.E. Cummings on large amounts of crack.
3. People who don’t show. At least half the time someone has told me they’d pick up an item on a specific time/day, they either do not show at all or they arrive on something like a bicycle to pick up something unmanageably large–like a queen size futon and frame–and things than proceed to devolve into a 5-day logistical nightmare. (And this is after I make sure they know the dimensions and weight of the item they’re picking up.)
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but there seem to be a lot of people using Freecycle who, either by choice or necessity, don’t own cars. They commit to taking items when they have NO idea how they’re going to transport them. But instead of telling you that up front, they come up with more and more creative explanations on why they couldn’t show when they said they would.
In a couple of situations where people have lived closed by to me, if they had leveled with me up front, I would have been happy to run the item over to their place. Instead, I get these progressively sadder and more dramatic tales of woe as someone begs me not to give the item to someone else. And this is AFTER they have my home address and, in one case, announce they are going to come over and “mess me up” when I finally lost patience and let someone else have an item. (On the up-side, I figure if someone can’t get their ass over to my house to pick up a Target 3-drawer organizer, odds are good they aren’t going to muster the energy and resources just to harass me in person.)
4. People who show up, pick up the item, and then either ask for money or try to sell you something while they’re there. Call me strange, but I think that odds are good that if I’m giving multiple things away I probably don’t want to buy your watch.
This one just plain creeps me out and is one of the major reasons I now insist on leaving all items out on my porch rather than letting someone come inside to pick it up.
5. People who show up and pick up their item along with several others left out for other Freecycle members, which are CLEARLY LABELED as such. Or, better still, help themselves to things like the plant and watering can you had on your front stoop. I mean, come on, one nifty free thing that’s yours for the taking isn’t enough? You have to loot everything else that isn’t nailed down, too? Thanks to Freecycle, I’ve gotten rid of more items than I ever intended.
6. People who pick up the item only to list it for sale on Craigslist the following day. Ok, this one bugs me less than the others. At least someone is being enterprising and my item doesn’t end up in the trash.
In small part, I admire them having the energy to try to sell something I wasn’t willing to get off my butt to do myself. But, this still somehow rubs me the wrong way. For starters, it’s expressly against the guidelines of the local Freecycle group. Plus, it just feels to me like someone operating in bad faith. When I give an item away, I’m picturing it as being given to someone who could really use it, not someone who’s trying to make a buck off me.
Plus, if you’re motivated enough to travel all over town collecting people’s used toasters and old mattress sets to have something to sell, why not consider getting a regular job? Especially with the cost of gas these days. It’s gotta be an easier way to turn a buck…
Anyway, that’s the short of my current complaints. I’ve haven’t completely thrown in the towel on Freecycle. I’m too stubborn for that. I am, sadly, though, a little more jaded about the whole process.
So, those of you out there who see some of yourself in the description above, kindly knock it off, okay? Before you wreck a good thing.
In my attempts to streamline my belongings in preparation for my upcoming move to Portland, I’ve been using Freecycle to rid myself of some larger items that probably aren’t worth enough money to try to sell.
For those non-self-professed-tree-huggers who’ve been living in a cave for the past couple of years, Freecycle is a grassroots, nonprofit movement of people that promotes the reuse of items amongst the members of it’s local communities.
Let’s say Joe gets sick of looking at the plaid couch his cat tortured all through college. Joe posts on his local Freecycle group list “OFFER: plaid couch. Some mild wear.” Someone else reads Joe’s post and offers to come take the item off his hands. Joe unloads his couch without having to feel guilty that he’s contributing to a landfill somewhere. The new owner gets a couch for only a little effort.
I think this is a marvelous concept. When I first started listing items on Freecycle I wanted to give away, I felt happily virtuous. Unfortunately, like many of the wonderful things civilization has dreamed up over the years, the system starts to break down when you factor in the darker elements of human nature.
I would like to think that most days this entry would be a calmly-worded article titled “Etiquette Tips for People Using Freecycle”. But I’m crabby today, so you’re getting my unedited, bitch-list of problems I’ve encountered with Freecycle to-date…
1. People who can’t read. My local Freecycle group uses a Yahoo list to advertise items being offered. When an item is claimed, you are expected to post a second email saying the item has been taken. Usually items on Freecycle go in under a minute if you’re on top of things. I’m on top of things. So, at most, there may be a post or two between my initial “OFFER” email and the “TAKEN”. Even still, the average item I’ve posted garners somewhere between 10 and 30 emails from people asking if the item is still available. These continue arriving for several DAYS after the item was originally offered. I have had to go so far as to set up a separate email box so that my regular email doesn’t get inundated with these inquiries.
2. People who can’t write. The typical email I get from someone interested in an item reads like it was writing by E.E. Cummings on large amounts of crack.
3. People who don’t show. At least half the time someone has told me they’d pick up an item on a specific time/day, they either do not show at all or they arrive on something like a bicycle to pick up something unmanageably large–like a queen size futon and frame–and things than proceed to devolve into a 5-day logistical nightmare. (And this is after I make sure they know the dimensions and weight of the item they’re picking up.)
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but there seem to be a lot of people using Freecycle who, either by choice or necessity, don’t own cars. They commit to taking items when they have NO idea how they’re going to transport them. But instead of telling you that up front, they come up with more and more creative explanations on why they couldn’t show when they said they would.
In a couple of situations where people have lived closed by to me, if they had leveled with me up front, I would have been happy to run the item over to their place. Instead, I get these progressively sadder and more dramatic tales of woe as someone begs me not to give the item to someone else. And this is AFTER they have my home address and, in one case, announce they are going to come over and “mess me up” when I finally lost patience and let someone else have an item. (On the up-side, I figure if someone can’t get their ass over to my house to pick up a Target 3-drawer organizer, odds are good they aren’t going to muster the energy and resources just to harass me in person.)
4. People who show up, pick up the item, and then either ask for money or try to sell you something while they’re there. Call me strange, but I think that odds are good that if I’m giving multiple things away I probably don’t want to buy your watch.
This one just plain creeps me out and is one of the major reasons I now insist on leaving all items out on my porch rather than letting someone come inside to pick it up.
5. People who show up and pick up their item along with several others left out for other Freecycle members, which are CLEARLY LABELED as such. Or, better still, help themselves to things like the plant and watering can you had on your front stoop. I mean, come on, one nifty free thing that’s yours for the taking isn’t enough? You have to loot everything else that isn’t nailed down, too? Thanks to Freecycle, I’ve gotten rid of more items than I ever intended.
6. People who pick up the item only to list it for sale on Craigslist the following day. Ok, this one bugs me less than the others. At least someone is being enterprising and my item doesn’t end up in the trash.
In small part, I admire them having the energy to try to sell something I wasn’t willing to get off my butt to do myself. But, this still somehow rubs me the wrong way. For starters, it’s expressly against the guidelines of the local Freecycle group. Plus, it just feels to me like someone operating in bad faith. When I give an item away, I’m picturing it as being given to someone who could really use it, not someone who’s trying to make a buck off me.
Plus, if you’re motivated enough to travel all over town collecting people’s used toasters and old mattress sets to have something to sell, why not consider getting a regular job? Especially with the cost of gas these days. It’s gotta be an easier way to turn a buck…
Anyway, that’s the short of my current complaints. I’ve haven’t completely thrown in the towel on Freecycle. I’m too stubborn for that. I am, sadly, though, a little more jaded about the whole process.
So, those of you out there who see some of yourself in the description above, kindly knock it off, okay? Before you wreck a good thing.
I was surprised to see posts like this after I had some issues with Freecycle. My friend told me I wasn’t alone in having issues. As I read posts online like this, I nod my head knowing exactly what you’re talking about.
I originally thought Freecycle was wonderful idea. Then I started to notice people asking for a lot of things and never posting. One person was on several sites asking for stuff for their entire house over and over. I wonder if they were reselling it, because it seemed like an awfully lot of stuff to ask for. Although the rule states you have to post an offer before posting wanteds, I noticed the mods never enforced it. It also stated you could only post one wanted per item a month, but people would post a lot of different items at a time. I had literally dozens of digests a day filled with requests.
Although posting so many different wanted posts isn’t against the rules despite the rule of “Freecycle isn’t about how much stuff you can get”, I was surprised by some of these requests. WANTED: Leather couch and love seat in great condition, no scratches, black, and no 80′s look. I won’t take a faded couch, and I don’t want one that doesn’t match the love seat. BOTH HAVE TO MATCH!!! WANTED: Car, good condition, no repairs needed, nothing ugly… Some people went into a lot of detail when they requested items, and some requested really big ticket items. The mods said it’s okay, though, because what may be really expensive to one isn’t expensive to another person. They can’t put a limit on the value of a request…and apparently they won’t put a limit on the amount of requests.
Trying to offer things was more difficult than it needed to be when people apparently didn’t read the posts. “Pair of black pants, size 13 women’s, 60% cotton, 40% spandex, no tears, boot leg, Brand name, worn and washed once. I don’t like bootcut, but maybe you will”. It’s really frustrating when you include a link to the pants, and you get requests asking if they’re a dark black, faded black, how old they are, and if they are straight leg or boot cut. If they want the free item, they should read the post and stop being so darned picky. If they didn’t like the item once they saw it, they could just let you know or refreecycle it. The mods just tell you not to worry about it.
I didn’t mind getting posts days after, because maybe they were on digest, but trying to hold items for 2 weeks to get rid of them became a pain. Person 1 asks you if they can pick up on Friday. It’s Wednesday. No problem. Their Friday 9a pick up passes, you nicely give them until noon, you email person 2. Person 2 arranges for Saturday 6p, and they don’t show. Person 3 asks you to wait until Monday 1p. You wait until Monday 3p, and they haven’t showed. Person 4 tells you they’ll be by Wednesday, only to email Wednesday morning telling you they changed their mind, so you’re off to person 5… The rules state if you can’t hold it long enough to get it into someone’s hands, there are other places. Waiting over a week to make arrangements for a reliable pick up, though, is ridiculous. I agree about the no showing, late showing, etc. I’ve made arrangements for someone to pick up, only to have their friend come by hours later asking if the item is still here. For goodness sake, people, it’s FREE! A little courtesy would be nice. Getting a little help from a mod would be nice, too.
Or the ones who ask for delivery. If it’s free, make arrangements. Don’t show up with your too small car and ask for help loading it, break my door, steps, railing taking the item out carelessly, or ask if I can deliver it for free. Be prepared! I agree about making sure they know things before they arrive, because it becomes a nightmare. I don’t own a car, but I’ve paid a friend to help out from time to time. There are other options. If the person really wants the item, find a way to get it on time. If not, they should not respond.
I cannot tell you how much I agree with the irritation of #5 when I’ve had that happen. If I put the things on my porch with a clear label and they have to walk 6 more feet to my plant, they’re obviously not supposed to be touching my plant. That’s a real piss off. I put the items close to the step so they don’t even have to come onto my porch, but there goes everything that wasn’t nailed down. Oops, there goes the nails holding the items down, too. I also get irritated with the ones who pick. They asked for the bag of toys, take one, and leave the rest. Then you have to relist the rest and spend another week trying to find someone. I don’t get how the mods don’t enforce the rule about selling, either. It’s really not hard to figure out a person doesn’t need 3 couches, 4 beds, clothes for everyone under the sun…If someone is getting stuff excessively, it might be time to put them on moderation. “Freecycle is not about how much you can get.”
“Plus, if you’re motivated enough to travel all over town collecting people’s used toasters and old mattress sets to have something to sell, why not consider getting a regular job? Especially with the cost of gas these days. It’s gotta be an easier way to turn a buck…” I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Picking up is a hassle, too. Even though guidelines state you are not to post that if it’s not picked up by a certain date it’s going in the trash or post curb alerts, the mods don’t enforce it. It’s really irritating to be told the item is waiting, only to have it gone when you rush over. Especially when you’re on the way after a long day of work, taking a 10 minute side trip and using a little extra gas. Then you email the person, who says it was right there on the curb. ARGH! That’s against the rules, though the mods won’t do anything. “Oops. Sorry. Better luck next time.” I can’t tell you how many dozens of posts have the trash alert. “If it’s not picked up by 7p, it’s going in the trash for tomorrow.” “It’s on the curb for trash tomorrow.” That is against the rules, but no mods are telling the people to hang on to it for a few days or post elsewhere like rules state. I can understand it’s not the poster’s fault if another Freecycler helped themselves, but holding it for less than 24 hours before sticking it on the curb, putting it on the curb in the first place, or putting it on the curb before the agree upon time are a real piss off. Come on mods!
I finally got tired of dealing with the stupidity, the lack of moderation, and the lack of enforcing the rules. I’m just going to stick with the local classifieds if I list something again. Or better yet, I’m going for the old “Free” sign as the item sits on the curb. It’s much less of a headache.