IF...
...someone gives you something that is in much poorer condition than you
expected, or whose condition has been misrepresented, you don't have to
take it. Say "No thanks" and leave it. Chances are, no matter what
condition it's in, someone else can use it.
IF...
...someone says "No thanks" and leaves the item you've offered, don't be
offended. Perhaps you haven't described it well enough, or it's not
quite what they expected. Someone else may need it, so offer it again
with a more complete description.
IF...
...you respond to an offer and you don't hear back right away, don't
bombard the offerer with follow-up emails. Members have the right to
give their items to anyone they choose in their own good time and
sometimes can't respond to each email personally. Keep an eye out for
the TAKEN message, and, if it doesn't appear in a day or so, you can
follow up with a single email expressing interest again. After that, let
it go.
IF...
...you post a WANTED and you have been blessed with it, post a RECEIVED
message, so that people know your need has been filled.
IF...
...you post an offer and have gifted someone with your item, post a
TAKEN message, so that people know the item is no longer available.
IF...
...you find you've worn out your welcome with people you've dealt with
in the past, or you are no longer getting responses from other members,
you may want to review the way you present yourself in emails and in
person. Are you a little abrupt? Too persistent? Did you forget to say
thanks, by email or in person? Did you miss appointments? Word gets
around.
IF...
...you've had great experiences with a particular member, make sure that
word gets around about that, too.
IF...
...you're going to crosspost to other lists, please post to your own
area first and to local lists a little bit later.
IF...
...you say you're going to pick up an item at a given date and time, do
it. Sometimes, things happen and there are legitimate reasons to be late
or to miss appointments. Even so, it's possible a member might really
need to move an item out of their house and may opt to give it to
someone else rather than wait for you or reschedule. That is their
privilege and you should regard it as a missed opportunity, not a
personal insult or a poor reflection on their character.
IF...
...you pick up an item and the offerer is not home, follow up with an
email confirming you received it and saying thanks.
IF...
...you've got comments or complaints about messages you see posted or
about the conduct of other members, please contact the moderators. We
can send out a general ADMIN notice (like this one) to remind members of
the rules and etiquette or, if necessary, contact an offending member
privately. We can't know where improvement is needed without feedback.
IF...
...you receive an email from a moderator, it means concern has been
expressed about your activities. Please take it in the spirit in which
it is intended: with a view to improving the Freecycle experience for
everyone.
IF...
...someone sends you an email and you're not sure how to take it, assume
it was meant the best possible way. This will help you feel better about
other members and prevent you from firing off angry emails.
IF...
...you're still tempted to write something you might regret later,
remember this adage: read twice, post once. Better yet, wait a few hours
before pressing send. Do you still want to phrase things quite that way?
IF...
...you've got something nice to say about Freecycle or about another
member, we'd like to hear about that, too. It's great to hear when
things are working well!
IF...
...you've never made an offer, try it! It feels wonderful to lighten
your load and bless someone else with a gift.
QUICK GUIDE TO CORRECT SUBJECT LINE FORMAT
ON CARDIFF FREECYCLE:
OFFER: item (location)
TAKEN: item (location)
WANTED: item (location)
RECEIVED: item (location)
Please include your location in your posts
Please don't use NEEDED, PENDING, FREE, PROMISED, PRAISE, etc!
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