Early this month, Brian took benefit of the time off he had for the vacation weekend to do a little cleanup within the laundry room/workshop. Though you can't have the ability to tell it from the picture, he really got rid of pretty masses of stuff, sending a few to the trash and some upstairs for me to list on Freecycle.
So over the last few weeks, I've made numerous Freecycle posts and treated several one-of-a-type Freecyclers, and the experience has reminded me of a few element I've notion for some time: there without a doubt need to be a code of etiquette for dealing with humans on Freecycle. It might appear to be the rules of polite conduct on Freecycle are pretty an awful lot similar to they're anywhere else and shouldn't want explaining?However reputedly they do, on the grounds that so many human beings violate them all of the time.
Since it appears that Miss Manners has one way or the other managed to overlook this precise region, I guess it falls to me to fill within the gap. So proper here are my proposed Rules of Freecycle Etiquette.
Rule 1: Provide a clean description.
When you provide an object on Freecycle, describe it as in reality and particularly as possible. Include a photograph for any object that humans may pick out primarily based in part on seems, or any item this is hard to explain in reality in writing. Also, provide as an entire lot element you could in the item description, which include dimensions, color, cloth, and brand and model wide variety. Providing all this information up the front saves humans the hassle of e-mailing you to invite for info?And it allows you with the aid of way of having rid of the risk for you that someone will request an item, display up, determine they do now not just like the appears of it, and decrease again out.
Rule 2: Respond to messages.
If someone contacts you about a Freecycle placed up?Both to request an item you have posted, or to offer some aspect you have requested?You have got an responsibility to answer. Even if the item they're inquiring for isn't available, smooth courtesy needs that you inform them so.
Yet seemingly, maximum Freecyclers do no longer trouble to increase this not unusual courtesy to others. Many instances I've asked for an item and sincerely been left anticipating a solution, and it's as a substitute worrying. I have no manner of understanding whether or not I should be trying to plot my schedule around deciding on up the object or not. Whenever a person contacts me to invite for an object that I've already promised to someone else, I usually reply to tell them so, and they typically respond with some thing along the traces of,
Rule 3: Express your intentions.
When you first contact someone about a Freecycle post, your message should state specifically what you want from them. If your message simply says, "Hi, is the bureau still available?" the other person has to e-mail you back to ask, "Yes, do you want it?" and then wait for your reply before you can start the process of making arrangements for a pickup. If you had simply said, "I am interested in the bureau, if it is still available," you could have started making arrangements right away.
Now, you might argue that this isn't really necessary, because obviously, anyone asking about the bureau must be interested in it. So in theory, you could simply respond to "Hi, is the bureau still available?" with "Yes, when would you like to pick it up?" But unfortunately, experience has taught me that this isn't a reasonable assumption. Often, my reply of "Yes, do you want it?" meets with no response—which suggests the answer is "No, not really." If I had instead replied with, "Yes, when would you like to pick it up?" I would have been left waiting for a reply that would never come, and being forced in the meantime to turn down other people who are requesting the same thing because I've already promised it to someone else.
In fact, it's better still if you go one step further and state in that first message not just that you are interested in the item, but when you would be able to pick it up: "I am interested in the bureau, if it is still available. I could pick it up Monday evening, if that's convenient." Including this information in your first message saves another round of back-and-forth messages. I have taken to putting in my posts, "If you are interested, please state in your first message when you can pick it up," in the hopes that this will save time—yet even then, most people ignore the request.
Rule 4: Be specific as to place and time.
This is kind of an extension of rule 3: when you offer to pick up an item, be as specific as possible about when you will be there. If you say, "I will come by some time on Saturday," or worse yet, "some time next weekend," then I have no idea when to expect you. If the item is too big for porch pickup, I'll be effectively held captive in my house all weekend waiting for you with no idea when you'll show up. If I'm leaving it out for porch pickup, this is less of a big deal, but it's still a minor inconvenience not to know how long the item will be out there.
By the same token, if you're the person offering the item, provide clear information about where your house is and what they must do to retrieve the item. I give not only my address, but a description of the house and a couple of landmarks they can use to help them find it. I also tell them if I want them to ring the bell or if I will leave the item out for porch pickup, and if it's the latter, exactly where the item will be: "I'll put it in a bag labeled 'Freecycle' and tie it to the railings of the side stoop." This may seem like overkill, but even with these detailed directions, some people still have trouble finding an item I've left out for them, and they either ring the bell or e-mail me later to say they came by and couldn't find it. But I can at least minimize the problem by being as specific as possible.
4. Honor your obligations.
If you have promised an item to someone, make sure that item is in the stated place at the stated time. If you said you would leave it out for porch pickup, make sure it's out there by the time the person is supposed to arrive; if they're coming to the door, then make sure you're home at the time they said they'd be there. And, obviously, if you have promised something to one person, don't give it to someone else instead just because they could come pick it up earlier. If you're not willing to wait until Tuesday, then don't promise the item to someone who can't come until Tuesday.
Likewise, if you have promised to pick something up at a given time, be there at that time. Don't assume that, just because the item is free, it doesn't really matter if you keep your promise. Even though there's no money at stake, you are still creating inconvenience for the person who posted it and has been forced to stay home waiting for you, or else gone to the trouble of hauling the item out to the porch only to see it sit there unclaimed.
Of course, emergencies do happen that can prevent you from showing up as scheduled. Your car breaks down; you have to stay home with a sick child; you're forced to work late. If something like this happens and you can't be there when you promised you would, SAY SO. It only takes a minute to send an e-mail to say you can't make it and attempt to reschedule. That way, the person can at least leave the house instead of sitting there waiting and wondering if you're ever going to show up. And if you can't arrange another suitable time for the pickup, they at least have a chance to withdraw their offer and give the item to someone else, instead of being stuck in limbo with an item they can't get rid of and can't give to anyone else because it's already promised to you.
5. Post a "taken" message.
After your item has been picked up, remember to go back to Freecycle and post a new message to say the item is now taken. Otherwise, it will still appear as an available item, and people will waste their time and yours asking you about it.
If everyone could just follow these five simple rules when using Freecycle, I think it would be a much more pleasant experience for everyone—givers and receivers alike. If you think there are any other important rules of Freecycle etiquette that I've left out, let me know in the comments.
