Here’s the deal folks, if the stuff I was freecycling was new and in excellent shape I’d either be selling it or keeping it not giving it away.
I posted 4 wooden dining chairs on FreeCycle earlier today. I did not say the chairs were new or in ‘like new condition.’ I did not even say the chairs were in excellent shape.
I said they were in good shape. Considering they are probably at least 30 years old–they belonged to my grandmother who has been dead for 5 years and in nursing homes/adult foster care homes for at least another 5 years before that– in my opinion they were in damn good shape.
The person who picked them up was really rather rude. He criticized the chairs repeatedly, tested each one for wobbling, and then had the nerve to say ‘oh well, they are free.’
Yeah well that’s the point of FreeCycle, isn’t it?
Maybe he should have gone to FreeCycle.org and read up before expecting something that’s being given away for FREE nada zero zilch nothing to be in excellent like new never used never even breathed on or even looked at very hard condition.
And then he acted like he wanted to see the five chairs–one of which is literally an antique and worth a pretty penny–that I was keeping for myself so he could pick and choose from them. I DON’T THINK SO!!
If he wanted something in like new/never used condition, perhaps he should have gone to Bed Bath and Beyond, Amazon.com, Lowes, or Home Depot and bought himself some NEW chairs. Then again those chairs would have cost him anywhere from $53.00 EACH to $105.78 for four chairs.
Heck, I could probably have sold these chairs for $5.00 to $10.00 each. $20.00 – $40.00 in my pocket and no rude comments, sounds like a heck of a deal to me. ROFL!!
There are times I really really wonder why I continue to participate in FreeCycle.
The stress of no-shows, threats to steal everything that isn’t nailed down, and rude people complaining about FREE stuff is starting to outweigh the benefits of making sure stuff doesn’t go to the landfill.
I could take things to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. I’d get a tax write-off, I’d be in control of WHEN the stuff actually left my house/vehicle, and I wouldn’t have to listen to rude comments about the condition of the items.