And it really annoys me for some reason...

Someone asked about posting stuff and how their email is so slow. For instance, they will post something, not even see it in their own inbox, and already have responses.
So, this leads to questions about the efficiency of everyone's email.
Well...I posted that I think it's fair to wait a few hours before declaring a "winner" in case there is a non-profit group or someone in need, or in case someone's internet is slower than others. (Sometimes I feel people are so trigger happy that they say they want it, but never pick it up. And, just because they reply the fastest doesn't always mean they'll pick it up the fastest.)

This lady basically responds with, "Well, I'm here to declutter, not be a charity." She also goes on to say that some people have an automatic response system set up to automatically reply to posts with key words like "TV, Refrigerator, etc"

What the...??? Some people just amaze me...

By Yjja123 on Thursday, March 3, 2005 - 09:55 am:

Well....I have gotten rid of a ton of things on freecycle. School supplies, stove, fridge, washer & dryer, to name a few. I rarely give to the first person who responds. I read the emails and choose. In some cases I go by how soon a person can pick up (in the case of the appliances as I had new ones being delivered). In other situations I just go with my gut on who should have it. I did not join freecycle to get stuff but to get rid of stuff. I know it can be frustrating if you see something you can use but I guess it is the nature of the program. There are people I see listed as receiving a lot of items I generally will not even read their emails. I am sure eventually others will see it that way too.
Good luck!

By Palmbchprincess on Thursday, March 3, 2005 - 12:38 pm:

I've gone to waiting a few hours rather than picking the first person who responds. Not everyone does it that way here, there is one person in particular who will post and say pickup has to be within the next few hours or it's going to the trash. Why? Why not offer it earlier, or give people ample time. I think that freecycle is a great thing, but it has it's flaws.

By Kay on Thursday, March 3, 2005 - 01:45 pm:

Our local group goes through some of the same problems, discusses the same issues, etc. I'm in the process of getting some things together to offer, and I think I'll definitely factor in the need, the convenience of pick-up, etc. We also discussed having a list of no-shows, to save us all time and trouble.

Other than a few things like that, we really have a great group of freecyclers, and they've even met for dinner at a BBQ place one evening.

By Bea on Thursday, March 3, 2005 - 01:46 pm:

I have no complaints. The things I've offered have been picked up by folks who seem genuinely appreciative, and I know the things I've gotten are a bonus in my life. I offer my stuff to the first responder. I email the next that I'll let them know if the first is a no-show. I've done that several times. I save all the responders emails in case I have something similar. I offer it to them before I post it on freecycle.

By Tunnia on Thursday, March 3, 2005 - 06:16 pm:

I used to give the items to the first person to respond, but I soon noticed that the same few people were always first and when I checked their wants/offers balance I discovered that they were were taking a lot and giving a little. I also found that those people were more likely to be no-shows. Now I wait a while and read all the requests before I choose. I also check the wants/offers balance and I am more likely to give to those who give more than they take.