“No shows”… the bane of freecycling and FullCircles

How to Avoid “No Shows”
   by Eric Snyder – Team FullCircles

No-shows are a problem throughout the worldwide
freecycling movement. There are people who pounce on
every item that looks remotely valuable, and
immediately send a quick “I’ll take it” just to get
dibs on being first. They don’t wait to decide if they
actually want the item or not; they just hit ‘Send’ as
fast as they can. They’ll even arrange a pickup time
– and then, if they decide they don’t want it, they
simply don’t show up.

When you post an offer, you’re free to select a
recipient by any means you like, as described in the
rules. However, if you want to avoid being stood up,
we strongly recommend *not* simply giving your item to
the first responder. Instead, we urge you to follow
this tried and true method that will practically
eliminate being stood up. It may sound complicated at
first — but that’s part of why it works! Give it a
try and see how freecycling can be pleasant and fun
instead of worrisome and frustrating… really!

Here’s what to do:
 First, collect responses for a whole day. Then look
over all the replies and choose someone who took the
time to write a polite message that names the item and
tells a bit about why they want it. For example: “I
would really like to have the purple plastic petunias
you offered. My daughter’s room is painted purple and
she loves petunias. Please consider us. Thanks. “The
person who is polite in their e-mail request is much
more likely to show up when they say they will, and to
notify you if something prevents them from keeping the
appointment, than the person who just says, “I want
the flowers, send me your address.”

Then send your chosen recipient a note telling them
they can have the item. But don’t send your address
yet! Say something like this: “You may have the
petunias! You can pick them up any day after 6:00;
when would you like to come? I’ll give you my address
when we have an appointment set up. I’m on Jones Road
near the mall — if you need directions, let me know
where you will be coming from.” Again, evaluate the
response for courtesy. Look for something polite, like
this example: “I can come for the petunias Tuesday
around 7:00 — is that okay? I’ll be coming from big
town. Thank you again!” If they have taken the trouble
to e-mail back and forth with you this much, and have
remained polite and appreciative, then they are very,
very unlikely to stand you up … unless they get lost
or unexpectedly tied up!

Remember, not all no-shows are deliberate. Some
people aren’t good at following directions and can’t
find your house, or they got called to a late meeting at
work, or they have a flat tire, or any one of many
other reasons why even someone with the best of
intentions may not show up on time. For that reason,
when you give them your address, it’s a good idea to
give them your phone number as well. They can’t notify
you of the delay in a timely way if they have no way
to reach you until they finally get home hours later,
exhausted from the meeting or changing the tire.

Using this method will almost eliminate the
frustrating annoyance of no-shows. But just in case, be
sure to save all the replies you get –even after you
post your “TAKEN” message. That way, in the rare event
someone does stand you up, you can choose another
person to give your item to without having to start
all over with a re-post. Then, after the item has
actually been picked up, you can safely delete all the
other requests, and enjoy picturing your gift being
enjoyed by the polite, friendly person you gave it to!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope that helps,

Eric Snyder
Team FullCircles
================
 Adapted from:
Freecycle_Sullivan
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Freecycle_Sullivan