I think if you’re giving something away, you should be able to put whatever strings on it you want.
For example, awhile back I was trying to get rid of a large weightlifting frame in my garage (it was fairly complicated, with pulleys and whatnot, so taking it apart wasn’t really an option). I put an ad out saying it was free to good home, but that the picker-upper would need to bring a friend (it’s heavy), a truck (it’s big), and that they’d need to accommodate my schedule. Oh, and that the freestanding bench in the pic wasn’t included.
I got a lot of replies, most of them single uncapitalized sentences of the “ill take it” variety, a few idiots (“can you deliver?” “is bench included?” “will it fit in the back of my VW Bug?”) and one note from a very nice guy who said he could bring a truck and a friend that afternoon. He was probably the 10th note I received, but he was the one who I ultimately picked.
He showed up on time with his truck and his friend (they were both big beefy bodybuilder types), they picked it up, put it in their truck, and that was that. He did ask if I’d sell him the bench too, but graciously took no for an answer and didn’t push it.
Usually when something is a hassle to sell I’m happy to give it away to a good home, but if you want it, you’re going to accommodate me. I’m not going to accommodate you to give you something free.
You poor poor thing, always subjected to so many petty annoyances. One day someone wants to bring their own chair to work; another day some asks a question about something you’re trying to give away. However do you do it?!?
Why the hate for Hotmail? I’ve had a Hotmail address for at least 10 years, and in that time, I’ve had to switch ISPs half a dozen times…which means losing the address associated with those ISPs. Yeah, a random string of letters on Hotmail or any other free email service usually screams “BAD NEWS!”, but heck, it’s not Hotmail specific. And I’ll be damned if I change my email service every couple of years, just because my ISP went belly up. I have a lot of friends and family who know this address. I had my Hotmail address for years before gmail was even conceived. I also don’t like the idea of gmail searching my emails in order to target ads to me.
Wow indeed. I totally sympathize with the desire to not waste time/money acquiring a set of furniture that’s in bad shape, but there are polite ways to ask the same questions. Also, someone looking for free stuff has to gamble a bit.
As do I. Which is why I included several pictures INCLUDING one that is a close up to the damage on one of the pieces. I just thought it was funny that he complained about the set having problems and wanted a set that was not only free but completely free of any damage. That’s just odd in my mind. Typically I would assume not many people give away furniture in pristine condition.
Heh. I was extremely pleased to find a very nice dining table with five chairs for a couple of hundred dollars. There was a bit of damage to one of the leaves, and the table is missing a couple of pieces. But for the price, well, I don’t really think I can complain. I was amazed that the set had so few problems, in fact.
Some people are going to look at a free listing and be happy to get something for free. Other people are going to look at the same listing and grumble that it’s not perfect. I see no reason to give the grumblers the free items. Most of the things that I’ve offered for free have been very gratefully accepted, including some stuff that I thought that NOBODY would want.