Dear Fellow Freecyclers,

We always want to make our OFFER sound like it's a great item to have. There's nothing wrong with that. You want someone to take something and you want them to feel good about having it. Make sure you're telling the truth.

This following story comes from a Fellow Freecycler who wishes to remain anonymous:

I answered an offer for a drafting table. I was planning on buying a drafting table but there was a post for one sounding exactly like what I wanted so even better! She said it was a complete metal drafting table. I agreed to come pick it up at her convenience and got there on time. When I got there, her and her son had a bunch of stuff just strewn all over the driveway and yard... and her garage was still packed from floor to ceiling with furniture. She said they didn't have a yard sale and they'd been "at it" all day with the stuff. She had set out the drafting table top, which was wood not metal, and then said she couldn't find the legs but the legs were metal and they go with the table. She said she would email me when she found the legs. It's been two weeks. My wife has already yelled at me for taking the drafting table top and trusting this person. But I thought it would be ok since this is the moderator.

On my local list, if someone did that, the moderator would want to know so she could kick them off the list. I could not imagine how frustrating it must be when the moderator pulls unethical and dishonest stunts like this.

In this specific case, the OFFERer should have waited until she had all the pieces together before posting an OFFER for a complete drafting table. It obviously was not complete. She made no attempt to clarify that the Fellow Freecycler could possibly pick up an incomplete piece of furniture and to make sure they were okay with spending the gas to do just that. She was also dishonest about the materials the drafting table was made from and did not attempt to clarify this information before the Fellow Freecycler picked up. What's even worse is that the Fellow Freecycler said they picked up the table at her convenience, meaning she set the time for them to come to get the furniture she OFFERed. Since the Fellow Freecycler took the available piece in good faith and it's been two weeks with no word from the OFFERer, I recommend that the wooden drafting table top be returned to the OFFERer's home and placed where it was originally picked up from the yard or driveway. If the OFFERer has a problem with this since it's not good form in the Freecycling guidelines, this supposed moderator could take a nice, long look in the mirror and consider setting the example for a standard. I have a suspicion that the Fellow Freecycler's wife would agree with me.

As Always,
Me

Dear Fellow Freecyclers,

Honestly, I can't believe I have to write this letter. Unfortunately, as was probably the case for why there are warning labels on toothpaste to keep out of your eyes, I am now prompted by reality to beg of you all to please don't OFFER expired food on your local Freecycle list, especially if it is over a year expired. Just don't do it. I know it probably looks "okay" to you but food has expiration dates for a reason and if your local food pantries would not accept the rancid treat, you should just throw it away or add it to a compost heap.

Please don't make me write a painful letter like this again. Also, don't run with scissors.

As Always,

Me

Dear Fellow Freecyclers,

This is a special letter for moderators on how not to annoy the piss out of the entire group.

Be consistent. Consistency with your own rules and those suggested by the Freecycle Network help keep your yahoo-based list going strong. People know what is expected of them and others.

Keep regular hours. If you choose to moderate your list, keep daytime hours, at least for approving posts. While there are many ways that members can silence devices and not be bothered while sleeping at night, it's annoying to have 30+ emails from a single list awaiting in the morning. A solution to that may be switching to Digest, however, since some posts were time-sensitive to the previous day, it just seems like a better solution is not to live nocturnally if you're going to manage a list of people who don't.

Remove psychos. I don't care how much crap someone gives away, if they disturb others with unsettling behavior, get rid if them!

Do not allow 10+ posts from the same person OFFERing or WANTing items. They can condense in consideration of their fellow Freecyclers and, as moderator, it's your job to make sure that they do.

Refrain from editing posts when the post does not contain restricted information. Definitely remove phone numbers and addresses, but leave the cross-street information and item descriptions. These are standard in Freecycle posts and people look to them to know important information before responding.

Now, this is in no way a complete list of tips on how not to annoy the piss out of your Freecycle list. There are special kinds of moderators who find new and unusual ways every day. I hope this is a good start.

As Always,
Me.

Dear Fellow Freecyclers,

PLEASE REFRAIN FROM USING ALL CAPS FOR YOUR POSTS TO YOUR FREECYCLE GROUPS BECAU... <*ahem*>

Please refrain from using all caps for your posts to your Freecycle groups because regardless of whether all caps is interpreted as yelling or a sign of psychological instability, it is annoying for everyone to read. Your post may attract special attention but not the kind of positive attention that would reward you with the item you want. Studies have shown that comprehension of bodies of text written in all capital letters is lower than that of text written in with grammatically correct capitalization or even that of bodies of text written in all lower case.

There are unhinged people on Freecycle lists. These are people who steal, who harass other Freecyclers and who generally cause problems. Even if we assume that the Freecycler who writes in all caps is not any kind of threat or danger to anyone, the use of all caps implies an urgency or importance to the Freecycle post that trumps all other Freecycle posts. This is against the rules and the spirit of Freecycle.

So, for the love of all, just write like a normal, critical thinking human being.

As Always,

Me.

Dear Fellow Freecyclers,

It's been a while but, thankfully, my freecycle lists have been normal and uneventful. Today I do need to write about one recommendation for the posting of WANTEDs:

BE HONEST

Please be honest. It is true that if you are requesting something for your own personal profit, you are less likely to be given the item, however, do not lie and say you need the item for a project when you don't. Furthermore, do not think people are not smart enough to see that you are lying when your list username reflects that you sell that particular item.

As Always,

Me.

Dear Fellow Freecyclers,

Every Freecycle group list, whether it is located on a list site like Yahoo!groups or if it's a part of the Freecycle.org site groups, has at least one moderator.

Moderators handle complaints, questions, and posts. They make sure members are informed about Freecycle rules and general safety precautions.

If you have a good moderator, thank them. Send them an email. Tell them they make the list rock. Let them know you appreciate the time and effort they put in to making your local list a positive and organized experience.

If you're on a good Freecycle list, hug your moderator today!

As Always,
Me.

Dear Fellow Freecyclers,

If you have not been prescribed a medication, you cannot legally take that medication. This is Legal 101, Medical 101 and Freecycle 101. Sometimes people do it, anyway. Sometimes it's not a big deal for many reasons... maybe it's the exact same medicine that is prescribed to them but they're just taking a pill from the amount prescribed to someone else (but it's the same pill), maybe practical knowledge makes it obvious that it's okay to take that medicine for that particular condition... whatever the reasonably justification it's still illegal. It's just as illegal as giving someone a controlled substance that a physician would never allow them to take. The circumstances are different but the law governing both situations is the same. You cannot take medication that has not been prescribed to you.

In light of this law, Freecycle does not allow freecyclers to provide prescription medication to each other. The organization and individual lists simply do not have the authority to subvert the law. The same goes for alcohol, tobacco, firearms and pornography.

I can hardly believe the ridiculous OFFERs that inspire these posts.

Furthermore, if you are caught making this illegal mistake, do not throw a temper tantrum at the person who kindly and respectfully let you know. If you are the list moderator who approved the post with this illegal item, do not lecture the person who kindly and respectfully let you know about minding their own business.

Next time, I call the police.

As Always,
Me.

UPDATE:
I have been kicked off of that particular Freecycle list. I was also harassed and threatened by the Freecycler who tried to dish out illegal prescription medications to the public to a point where I had to recite her address back at her and threaten to call the police for her to back off. People can be ugly. And, remember kids, Just Say No!