Etiquette

1. Provide your Approximate Location: Try to list this in the body of your email: 'I've got a couch and live live in west Port Coquitlam. Nearest intersection: Shaughnessy and Lougheed.' (This helps people decide whether your item is worth the trip for them.) However: to protect your privacy, NEVER give out your home address or phone number in ANY post to the entire group! Interested list members should contact one another by replying to a specific Tri-Cities Freecycle post, at which point you can exchange relevant contact information as needed OFFLIST (see rule 6, directly below).
   
   
2. Send responses to group message posts only to the person posting, not to the entire list. It keeps down the sheer number of list emails. If you'd like to get in touch with someone who has posted, to either request an item they've offered or to offer up something they've requested, simply reply to their message. Your reply will go directly to them, not to the Tri-Cities Freecycle list.
   
   
3. Contact/Pick Up. Arrange as you like, generally, 1st responded, 1st served, if a charity responds, you may want to give them a 1st shot. Arrange pickup with one person only, rather than "it's on the porch, whoever gets here first gets it." Also: only give your phone number to one person at a time or ask for the recipient's phone no. Otherwise you'll get swamped with phone calls.
   
   
4. It is permissible to provide a link in your post to photos of an item offered, or something similar to an item you're seeking.
   
   
5. Do not post the same item more than once every 2 weeks.  If you haven't had any responses after three WANTED posts, it is suggested that you explore options other than Tri-Cities Freecycle to obtain the items you need. If, on the other hand, you have posted an OFFER three times for the same item with no takers, it is suggested that you donate the item to the charity of your choice, or dispose of it by other means (sometimes, alas, someone's trash is just trash).
   
   
6. If you have a problem with another member's post, or his/her actions off-list, you are requested to NOT take public potshots at them via the list. Email a moderator privately and state your case. We have found that public flame wars are not only counterproductive, they interfere with the normal operation of the list and annoy almost everyone.
   
   
7. A few brief notes on Freecycle etiquette: First and foremost, "Be nice and be considerate!" When you arrange to pick up an item from another Freecycle member, it is basic good manners to accommodate them as much as possible in terms of scheduling, and then be punctual; they are, after all, giving you something you need and asking nothing in return except that you will SHOW UP WHEN YOU SAY YOU WILL. (Leaving someone hanging is never a nice thing.) Also, unless the donor tells you otherwise, assume that they would like you to come by as soon as you can to take away the item; no more than three days after the offer is made is usual. (Think of it as the Three-Day Rule.) If someone claims your item but puts you off more than once for what you consider to be inadequate reasons, you are well within your rights to re-post your offer for the item. It is a good idea for both parties to exchange phone numbers when arranging a pickup time for an item. If you can't meet a previously made appointment to pick up an item, YOU MUST GET IN TOUCH WITH THE PERSON WHO OFFERED THE ITEM TO YOU AND LET THEM KNOW, or be considered the kind of person who gives Freecycle a bad name.
   
   
8. A final word about safety, or, rather, two words: Be aware! It is up to each individual Tri-Cities Freecycle member, when arranging for pickup of a Freecycle item, to be appropriately aware of the potential risk of having a `stranger' come to your home to pick something up. Tri-Cities Freecycle as a listserv assumes no responsibility for this risk. If you, for example, are a single woman living alone, you may want to say that you'll leave the item on the front porch while you are not at home. Another alternative would be to arrange for the hand-off to be made in a public place, like the mall or your church. Use your own best judgment, and let common sense rule.

"Changing the world, one gift at a time".