Dear Fellow Freecyclers,

Hi again. Do you have a dozen things that you'd like to give away after Christmas? Things you cannot exchange or things that are being replaced by a new gift? Freecycle is a great place to give these things a new home with someone who could use it or would appreciate it.

When you have multiple items, here's a tip, please don't create a separate post for each item. The art set and the vase and the briefcase and the rubberband ball and the old ceiling fan and the bucket and the random figurine can all be listed in a single post. You just think of a summarizing subject, like, Office and Household Items and then list them in the post. People will respond to which ones they want or you can even dictate that one person take all. Then they have to freecycle what they don't want from it and it's all out of your home at once.

I know you're thinking that it's not really fair because there could be a separate person for each individual item. Well, let me put it this way: How earth-friendly is it to have seven separate people driving to your home for one thing each when one person could take both the art set and the rubberband ball? The point of Freecycle is to save items from the landfill, not increase pollution and not waste time, money or resources. This is why we set an exact time for someone to take something instead of just setting stuff out at the curb and telling the whole group blankly to come and get it. So, by grouping items, you're being earth-friendly and saving people time and money.

You will also stop irritating me because I received yet another long list of emails from you via the freecycle list because you need to make sure that rubberband ball goes to someone special.

As Always,
Me.

Dear Fellow Freecyclers,

You know the freecycler offering a turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls and green beans as a complete Christmas dinner? Let's all try to be that freecycler next time. True class.

As always,
Me.

Dear Fellow Freecyclers,

Pseudonyms are fun! We can protect our identities and families from a large and unpredictable local group while becoming known under a nickname that reflects our interests, shows we're proud parents, or just reflects on an aspect of our personality. With this in mind, it's probably not a good idea to choose the nickname "psycho".

As always,
Me.

Dear Fellow Freecyclers,

You know that guy who only offers crap and you don't know it until you open the message or, even worse, go to pick up the item? Oh, you know...

OFFER: Carpet Remnant
... and it's a 2"x7" moon-shaped scrap

OFFER: 5gal bucket
... and it has a hole in it (that's not the one at the top that's supposed to be there).

Actual post:
OFFER: Plastic painting trough
A large plastic painting trough that you use for painting walls. It has a crack in it so it leaks and it needs to be cleaned. Pick up asap. No no shows.

Okay, so, don't be that guy. Sometimes one man's trash is another's treasure but sometimes you've just got trash. Be a big boy and throw it away.

As Always,

Me.

Dear Fellow Freecyclers,

Here are the subject classifications: WANTED, OFFER, RECEIVED, TAKEN.

THANKS is sometimes used in replaced of RECEIVED, which is what one posts after getting what they posted in a WANTED. TAKEN is posted by the person who posted the OFFER after it is taken by someone. If you respond to an OFFER, don't post a THANKS. Not only does it create yet another Freecycle post that doesn't need to be there, it lets us all know that you are the one who has it, which can be dangerous on a list of over 5000 people, some of whom also asked to pick up the OFFER that you took.

This might seem trivial but there has been a history of people placing themselves in precarious situations because of Freecycling. The organization, both nationally and locally, encourages a set of safe guidelines for giving/receiving property, including meeting in a neutral location so private residences aren't known. This is to keep everyone safe. When a THANKS is posted in response to an OFFER, it lets every unstable person who felt they needed that particular thing know that you are the one who has it, who took it from them. Also, on account of a THANKS post being so unnecessary, I've actually heard someone on the cafe group describe it as "bragging". There's just some kinds of people you don't want to piss off.

Thanking people is good manners, so send the person a private email to say, "Thank you."

As Always,

Me.

PS. As a related point, when you post an OFFER and it is successfully picked up by a fellow Freecycler, do not include the person's name in the TAKEN post. With all the reasons previously stated above, minus the paranoia about "bragging", it's just not cool to put someone else's name out there without their consent.

Dear My Fellow Freecyclers,

Are you burdened with an enormous population of neglected, ignored, valueless, cheap McDonald's Happy Meal toys? Me, too. Don't freecycle them. Do the world and, more importantly, both you and your child a favor by not purchasing a Happy Meal that provides these cheap toys that provide no educational or entertainment value. McDonald's, and all these fast food restaurants, need to receive the message that parents will not purchase these unless there's something of quality, both in food and toy, for their children. By chucking the toys into a bin until you've had enough and decide it's a good idea to just give them all away to some stranger, who is likely grandparents that will bore their grandchildren by offering them as toys during visits, you continue a cycle that keeps the fast food places pleased as punch: you give them money for their useless crap.

If a business is not offering something worth keeping, stop buying it. Your child may love the new Kung-fu Panda movie and thinks s/he would love a toy of Po; but, does your child want that child of Po? Obviously not, because two minutes after opening the plastic bag, it's forgotten on the floor of the car. These corporations are more than capable of providing the same quality kids meal product as Chik-fil-a and they would do it without the homophobic agenda.

So just stop. Don't buy them, don't offer them, don't keep them in existence.

As Always,
Me.