Deciding who to give to on Freecycle?

[Shortie]

Those of you who Freecycle (please, I'm not trying to start up another Croydon Freecycle repeat!!) how do you decide who you give your items to? I have posted up 2 fish tanks on ours and have had over whelming responses.

There's one person who replies to everything I've ever offered but now ignore after the first item I gave him and the 3rd time I went round (wasn't comfortable giving out my address at the time) he still wasn't there, even though we set specific times each and every time etc. The third time round his wife was in and acccepted it really ungratefully. That one's an 'auto deleted'.

Secondly, anyone who doesn't have the common curtesy to say please or thank you gets deleted. You know the ones: 'I'll have it. Tell me where you are and I'll come and take it from you' And that's litereally all the message says.

So this time round I'm left with lots of people who have been really polite and put forward touching little notes : my kid's would love a tank... blah, blah, blah. Now how do I choose??? First come first served? But then I'm one of those who can't get on during the day and get the daily digest when I can access Yahoo at home, and know how unfair it feels when others who are on all day get everything...

Arrrrrggggghhhhhh. Why have I always had too much conscience?

[Tam]

I have only offered about a dozen items on Freecycle and I think we have been lucky that the recipients have seemed to be genuine and have always been courteous and pleasant. I think you can tell, by the phonecalls you get, who are the dealers. Freecycle do suggest that you should suggest somewhere neutral to meet, but we have always given our address. This may be daft, but so far no problems.

[kernowyon]

i always look up the previous post history for each username and i rarely give stuff away to the first reply unless i want to get rid really quick.

[terrier]

In some European countries (I'm not sure which ones) they have days when people put the stuff they dont want outside their houses and anyone who sees something they might use can just take it. If we tried that in this country we'd probably fall foul of local bylaws, but it just seems a good idea to me. Nice and simple.

[zazen999]

Hi.

I'd go with the politest one who says it's for the kids - to be honest.

It's tough though - when you have a popular item.

We had a load of requests for a really good quality double sofa set - including one woman who asked if her mother could come and view as she was fussy about what she had in her house. In the end it went to a family with 2 boys, for the boys' toy room. The lads came and helped pick it up as well - so it was nice to see it going to a good home.

[mcsee]

Our local Freecycle Admin suggest to get a few interested requests and then pick out the one needing the item the most - but how do you tell. Maybe the first to inquire is the neediest, you'd probably never know.

It's a hard call.

[shirlthegirl43]

I choose the one who sends the nicest email - the ones that say Hello and please and thank you are always the ones I narrow it down to. I am, however, more likely to wait for someone to post a wanted for what I have - so much less hassle.

[Two_Sheds]

I pick the politiest, neediest reply. I give them a day or two to collect. If they don't, it goes to the next person.

I also delete anyone who is abrupt, rude or can't spell

[lynda66]

i recently listed about 20 items (big clearout) some people wanted everything, some were not polite,

i picked a couple based on their emails, ie they were funny or gave me an email where i felt they would be the best to give it to

the other items, i stuck the names in a hat, so the most people could get at least one thing, of those who had asked for everything, who won an item, only one of them turned up, so four items had to be re offered to someone else. i had over 600 emails ... next time i'll put on a couple of items at a time lol

it really is hard deciding ..... and i must be doing something wrong, cos i never get anything i've asked for

Lynda xx

[Flummery]

Many people on our Freecycle group put names in a hat. Firm but fair! It also gives those who can only get to the computer in the evening a fighting chance.

[pwlynch]

I don't give to people who say"I'll take the lot "when I'm advertising a lot of random stuff as it's probably for a car boot sale.Once I put on a load of gardening magazines,there were loads of replies so I split them up,many weren't so interested to get a dozen rather than 4 dozen.Sometimes people don't turn up which is annoying and you have to readvertise.On the whole it has been fine.Although I don't expect anything in return,it's nice when people give you chololates ,flowers or even a nice card to say thank you.

[SlugLobber]

In some European countries (I'm not sure which ones) they have days when people put the stuff they dont want outside their houses and anyone who sees something they might use can just take it. If we tried that in this country we'd probably fall foul of local bylaws, but it just seems a good idea to me. Nice and simple.

People do that in my village all the time. Works a treat! Have raided a few skips in my time, too!

I would be first come, first served, unless the previous history shows that they get everything, in which case I'd give someone else a chance.

[Shortie]

Many people on our Freecycle group put names in a hat. Firm but fair! It also gives those who can only get to the computer in the evening a fighting chance.

.... sold. I'll weed out the ones that are rude and hat pick the rest. A few people had said they do that. It never even entered my mind to do something that simple!

.Although I don't expect anything in return,it's nice when people give you chololates ,flowers or even a nice card to say thank you.

Me too, never expect anything, never got anything, but when Mr Shortie and I went to pick up a roof box from a kind chap who replied to a Wanted I'd put up, I took him some of my Marigolds and Gaillardia Razzle Dazzle as a thank you. Oh, and Master Shortie took him a red and white onion from his patch on the lottie . Ahhhh bless... he's only 5

[percy charlie]

if you have 2 id pick an earlier response and a later response, when you work during the day you cant check till night time to post a request. id also check how often they request things those that request regularly for lots of different things propbably dont need it just asking to flock it on for some cash in admag or something but if they requested regulary for a fish tank and not got one then i would respond to them.

[Shortie]

if you have 2 id pick an earlier response and a later response, when you work during the day you cant check till night time to post a request. id also check how often they request things those that request regularly for lots of different things propbably dont need it just asking to flock it on for some cash in admag or something but if they requested regulary for a fish tank and not got one then i would respond to them.

Is there a quick easy way to check what people post? I get the daily digest and when I've created a new post I do it through the link onthe bottom of the email.. I don't really know my way around the site itself . Good point though