Why do people do it?

I have two items up for sale at the moment. Had an enquiry about one this morning asking lots of questions and leaving two contact numbers. I called both numbers, both 'unavailable'. I left my number. Shortly afterwards I got a call from someone who said 'Why are you calling me? I don't know you. F* off! It was of the contact numbers from the enquiry to my ad. If the enquirer should call again I think I'll tell them it's been sold, I wouldn't want to sell it to them now.

I've often had people fail to collect sale items. Or ask to view something and then not turn up. It's so rude.

Yes BlueBelle, it does make you wonder how some people manage their lives doesn't it?

A week ago I had a lady ask for an item and we made a time of 5 pm for collection 5 pm came and went…. at 9.30pm I got a message saying ‘now leaving’ I answered ‘ok see you soon’ ( I wasn’t really happy with 9.30pm but wanted to sell the item

Anyway she must be coming a blooming long way because she still hasn’t arrived

As an update, I message the person on Friday afternoon stating that someone else was. hankering. after the item and she should collect before Saturday evening. She promised to come Friday evening when passing, again another no show!

The item will go to a new home tomorrow with someone who I know has genuinely wanted it for some time and will appreciate it.

Thanks everyone for sharing your stories and comments.

We have a local 'Reuse or Repair' page, where people offer things they were going to throw out that someone could recycle in some way. It's often things like odd rolls of wallpaper that children could draw on or use for paper mache, or yoghurt cartons for seedlings, tiles to break up for mosaics - that sort of thing. People are ingenious with their upcycling projects, and it's good to see things that would otherwise go to the tip get a new lease of life.

Once a week we can put up items to freecycle, such as an old TV, baby things, kitchen gadgets etc. The same couple of people pounce every time. They can't possibly need everything they take - everything from furniture to books to electricals, so presumably they sell them on, which is completely against the ethos of the site. Admin has tried restricting 'takes' to one a week, but that means that genuine people can miss out on things. For a while they tried asking people to message the giver, so that they could decide in private who got it, but that led to issues, too. It's really frustrating, and despite the numerous 'some people' threads, the 'takers' keep doing it, and others worry that it is they who are being talked about.

Elegran that is very funny and I hope it is what you said to him.
We have advertised items for free and they have been taken away gratefully by people so have not experienced any annoyances, but our son says he has been very angry when people do not turn up or turn up and look at the item then say no thanks.What more can you do than take photo and say it is free.

I once put a desk chair out like that with a sign saying free.
When it was still there a week later I changed the sign to £5. It went that night

On my way home earlier someone had put two desk top fans on their gateposts with a sign saying 'FREE'. I bet people will be too polite to take them,

I think people reserve things they aren't sure about because things generally go to first comment.

It's happened to me a few times and I shortly afterwards saw someone who ignored my reply taking a different version from someone else.

I think it's a bit like when you see bits in a sale rack and carry around all the options you like then decide what to keep at the end.

Just going through exactly the same thing. People letting you down.
We put in an advertisement to give away two duvets. Woman said she would come to collect. She didn't arrive at the appointed time. Then wrote 7 hours later she had been in bed all day. She then said she would come on Thursday [day before yesterday]. Guess what? No show, no excuse, no apology. What is wrong with these people? Reliability is obviously not their strong point.

We offered DH's violin for sale on Freegle. He had had it since school days, and not played it since then either.

Next time we visited our local auction rooms, there it was for sale. It fetched £20.

Now if we think anything we have would sell at auction we put it up for sale ourselves.

I had a mental picture of you running up the motorway with your trailer on a bit of string Elegran made me laugh.

A friend advertised a wardrobe on a free site. A couple turned up in muddy boots, didn’t offer to take them off - and made a terrible mess of her cream carpet. She had to pay to get it cleaned!

Very annoying, PollyDolly. Just advertise again or take it to a charity shop.
As an aside, I volunteer at Barnardo’s and it really tickles me when we’re asked if we have clothes items in a different colour/size!

I advertised a luggage trailer, as I had no car, and there was no way I could tow it. Someone wanted me to bring it to a point halfway to his house - he lived about 75 miles away. Did he expect me to run up the motorway pulling it on a bit of string?

A number of people who offered to "take it off your hands", presumably free, as a special favour . . .

It’s a new thing joy I ve sold on FB for years and it’s only been happening the last couple of years I do wonder if they just do it for the hell of it almost like a prank you know knocking on the door and running away
Thankfully you get some good people too but having had two no shows this week and one show you just have to bite the bullet

I had a lovely experience when, some years ago, I advertised a sofa on Freecycle. A young woman, moving into her first home after leaving her parents’, rang up. Not only did she and her rugby playing boyfriend manhandle it downstairs (I live in an upside down house) but sent flowers and a bottle as a thank you along with a photograph of it in her new home.

I also have had this experience. I now put on the listing "No holds, first come first served"

My friend put her things on a site and someone came round with their curtains to make sure they matched.
Just be careful of the sites. I posted about this a few months ago. We got a letter about a neighbourhood sharing site and what we had available lawnmowers and stepladders to lend etc. I could not place the name or the house and somehow it did not ring true.
I asked a friend and she said it was a scam,the chap had used his middle name and dropped part of the house name and was being evicted!!!!
He has finally gone leaving old mattresses etc.in the garden and if we had been silly enough he would have had all our names and e.mail addresses etc.

Dempie55

martinthebandit

Always put a price on the items, even if it’s only a couple of quid, when they turn up to collect tell them it’s not to bother paying as it’s free.

Seems to weed out lots of the ‘I want it but will never collect it’ gang

Yes, I do the same. Always ask for a fiver, it stops all the time wasters, half of whom just want some human contact, I think. You can give the money to charity.

That’s an excellent idea everything for £2.00 then give it to them free.

martinthebandit

Always put a price on the items, even if it’s only a couple of quid, when they turn up to collect tell them it’s not to bother paying as it’s free.

Seems to weed out lots of the ‘I want it but will never collect it’ gang

Yes, I do the same. Always ask for a fiver, it stops all the time wasters, half of whom just want some human contact, I think. You can give the money to charity.

No disrespect intended VBOOO but it does make me laugh when people put “no time wasters” on an ad. As if a time waster is going to red it and think “oh well I wont bother then’.

I had a massive sort out and put stuff on Freecycle and another local sight. The amount of people asking no demanding dimensions of specific items and photos really annoyed me.

We have a lodge on a holiday park, and I was getting rid of a sofa bed and matching chairs. I didn't want anything for them, but needed rid in time for the new ones to arrive, as there was nowhere to store them even temporarily, so I described them with photos and said we would be there until x date (over a week later) if anyone wanted to come and look.

One chap replied, wanting measurements other than the ones I'd given, a photo of the sofa bed when opened up (with further measurements), was it comfy, was there head support, etc etc. It was quite comical, considering it was free and we were all on a holiday park - he could have walked over to come and sit on it. Each time, I replied with a cut and paste of the bit where I'd said 'we are here until X date if you want to come and see them'. Talk about entitled ?

Had exactly the same thing the other day. Had 4 takers for an old bathroom cabinet, free on FB Marketplace, all with arranged times (their choice) to collect - eventually the 4th person took it away! I even stated "no timewasters".

I freegle anything that is not suitable for a charity shop so asking payment doesn't come into it. I just expect collection within 48 hours/