please NO first come, first come posts.. please

please NO first come, first come posts.. please First email.. fine.. but NO first come first serve.. Why? Please read the following that is posted in the files about Wild Cat Postings.. --------------------

Hello to you all!

We just wanted to bring attention to some postings in the Freecycle ATL community. We don't encourage "Come-n-get-it", "It's at the curb", "First come, first served" type posts on Freecycle(TM). We truly *do* understand, however, WHY some may wish to post in that format [due to NO shows] These are what is considered "Wild Cat" postings.

What is a "Wild Cat" post?

A "wild cat" post is one where the poster states, "here is what I am giving away, it is at XYZ address. Come and get it" Or the poster offers the item to the board, then, after receiving several replies, they send an email to all the respondants with their address and whoever gets their first, gets the item.

These "Wild Cat" postings [Come and get it, First come, first served] encourages a bunch of members to travel to one place, (we are a pretty large group) only to find the item is no longer there. The first person that arrives tends to take the items. Thus all the other members will have expended fuel unnecessarily. Worse yet, if person A gets there and is loading the items and person B gets there, expecting to get the items, it can lead to fights and other ill will.

Since we are an environmental group, first and foremost, this waste of gasoline doesn't really work within the Freecycle.org mission.

This also applies to "It's at the curb", or "I saw this item, hurry and get it"

If you wish to choose the first *email* you received, that is up to you, even though it's best to wait a pinch to see other replies and choose.

Sometimes these posts slip on the board, but it is **not** advised. Feel free to post to the board and choose ONE individual person, and then go from there.

While we may want an item out of our possession.. asap, think of the situation a member is in, when they prepare to pickup the item, Drive to your pickup destination, ask for the requested item, only to hear:

"Oh, that item? well, it was already picked up"

Doesn't feel good.

So, remember: - appointments should be made for pickup

Please make sure your postings aren't in the "First come, first served" or similar format as it may be subject to deletion.

thanks SO much for your cooperation and your continual support of the board!

Respectfully,

Freecycle ATL list owner and moderators.