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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?

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

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.

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.

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Kernow rag nevra http://www.cornishnotenglish.com/

The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits
Albert Einstein

Just be ordinary and nothing special. Eat your food, move your bowels, pass water and when your'e tired go and lie down. The ignorant will laugh at me, but the wise will understand
Bruce Lee

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.

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http://www.weltaf.co.uk/
Why keep a dog when you can bark yourself !

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.

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Andrea :wavehello

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...logs/zazen999/

moon trials completed:
tomatoes
[46% increase in crop per seed sown and 10% increase in crop per plant]

currently underway:
calabrese
garlic

http://linearlegume.blogspot.com/

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.

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http://junctionvillage.blogspot.com/

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
- Mark Twain

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.

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

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

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

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

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http://teachy.myminicity.com/env please visit my town and make it better

http://quiz.ravenblack.net/blood.pl?biter=teach_me please sign up to be a vampire, i get 10 pints of blood if you do, and it's fun as well ....... i have an interactive map if anyone wants it.

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.

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Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 30th - Mr Stinky's Excellent Adventure (and a Christmas Cake)

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.

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.

.... 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!

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

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

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

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

I think that's the best solution if they all seem equally 'worthy', at least you can reply saying you had such a big response that you had to randomise who received your items.

It's true that there are people who just reply to everything and also people who post the most ridiculous 'wants' all the time - I personally choose not to give things to them or to the really curt ones. It doesn't take much effort to be polite (or reasonably grateful!)

I always offer to the first person who replys except If they have let me down before or cross post or post loads of Wanted.

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My phone has more Processing power than the Computers NASA used to fake the Moon Landings

Hi

When I am wanting or giving, I try to find the closest bidder.
It is supposed to be a time of climate change and freecycle helps that.
It is also better for them to collect if they are closer, so you wont get time wasters who can only make it at a certain time.

T

Haven't used Freecycle much, but the few things I have advertised (via daughter) I've been glad when people have actually turned up to collect. Apart from one idiot who came to the lottie to collect some stuff I'd inherited from the shed and spent most of the time telling me what I was doing wrong whilst trampling all over my plants. I did get a bit cross with him.

Hiya

I normal check how active people have been on freecycle. Some people just take everything and dont give anything.

I am a moderator for Freecycle and we have a database for people who dont turn up or just mess people around. Three strikes and they get removed from the group. have you considered letting your freecycle moderator know?

LW

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http://warmanallotment.blogspot.com/

Just type the username in the search box at the top

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http://warmanallotment.blogspot.com/

I tend to give to the first one who replies that doesn't annoy me - ie if they they are rude, have previously been useless, difficult to contact etc then they're crossed off. Am also mighty suspicious of sob stories. Other than that, I've done by bit so it's up to them to make use of the object.

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. So