What the heck is wrong with people?

[RexHavoc]

Yesterday, after a less than satisfactory yard sale, I took what was left over, except what I reserved for the Salvation Army, and put it out for a "curb alert" on Craigslist. I figured better to go to someone who could use it than into the landfill. We had numerous books, as well as cds and other items of limited value, obviously. Well I wasn't ready for what happened then....it was like the locusts swarmed. I thought we might have some browsers who would look through the books and pick out what they wanted, but no, greedy people were shoving armloads into their vehicles.....one person picked up the entire crate full of cds and took off with them,(jokes on them, I already took them to the cd exchange and those were what they didn't care to take). Within hours all was gone, including the shelving units the stuff was on (shelves were not offered...one nice gentleman asked and was given permission to take a shelf). Lesson learned, Craigslist is a powerful thing, use it wisely! :mad::frown::rolleyes:

[kongjie]

To me, that's a better conclusion than the yard sale antics where people ask how much something is, you say $1, and they want to know if you can do any better.

[Doc4]

To me, that's a better conclusion than the yard sale antics where people ask how much something is, you say $1, and they want to know if you can do any better.

Answer: "I think two dollars would be better, but it's up to you." :tongue_sm

[luvmysuper]

Keep your eyes peeled.
That stuff will show up on E-Bay tomorrow with a BIN price of $4000.00

[wbw0126]

That's ridiculous! Some people are nuts. A guy used to live near me that collected TONS of garbage. His yard was like a junkyard. He got in trouble with the town because of chemicals, rodents, etc...I remember he pulled into my driveway and took all this random stuff.

[Walter Sobchak]

Crazy! People are crazy. I know a guy who stopped at every McDonalds he drove by today and got a free Iced Mocha at each one.

K, fine, it was me. But I'm normal, I swear.

[ClubmanRob]

No, in all likelihood it will show up BACK on Craigslist within the week for some outrageous sum. Such is the case with everything I give away using Craigslist.

Best one is when I went to give away a free mattress. I started getting calls within two minutes of posting it, and had it set up for pick up on the first call. (I didn't know that mattresses were in such high demand!) Anyway, a woman called wanting it, and when I told her it was already spoken for, she told me to call her back if the original taker never showed up. So, about a week later, the same woman called me wanting the mattress. By this time it was just a distant memory, and I told her that the original person picked it up not long after I first spoke with her. She then tells me that not only did I promise her the mattress, but I swore that I was going to deliver it to her myself! I told her that she was mistaken, and I hung up on her. Then she posts an ad on Craigslist stating that I was racist, and prints my phone number and address. Nothing ever came of it, but I had to flag the ad over six thousand times before it was pulled.

Bottom line- never, ever post your address on Craigslist and try as best as you can to not include your phone number in the ad. The same crazies in real life also happen to read Craigslist.

[HankG]

Perhaps they were greedy, but at least all the stuff you didn't want is now other peoples' problem instead of yours.:tongue:

[luvmysuper]

Perhaps they were greedy, but at least all the stuff you didn't want is now other peoples' problem instead of yours.:tongue:

Until the CD guy gets "takers" remorse because there's nothing of value there, and drops them back off while he's at work.

Man I'm cynical.

[FLTiger]

No, in all likelihood it will show up BACK on Craigslist within the week for some outrageous sum. Such is the case with everything I give away using Craigslist.

Best one is when I went to give away a free mattress. I started getting calls within two minutes of posting it, and had it set up for pick up on the first call. (I didn't know that mattresses were in such high demand!) Anyway, a woman called wanting it, and when I told her it was already spoken for, she told me to call her back if the original taker never showed up. So, about a week later, the same woman called me wanting the mattress. By this time it was just a distant memory, and I told her that the original person picked it up not long after I first spoke with her. She then tells me that not only did I promise her the mattress, but I swore that I was going to deliver it to her myself! I told her that she was mistaken, and I hung up on her. Then she posts an ad on Craigslist stating that I was racist, and prints my phone number and address. Nothing ever came of it, but I had to flag the ad over six thousand times before it was pulled.

Bottom line- never, ever post your address on Craigslist and try as best as you can to not include your phone number in the ad. The same crazies in real life also happen to read Craigslist.

WHERE'S MY MATTRESS, ROB! :mad:







:lol:

[wbw0126]

[QUOTE=Walter Sobchak;1332425]Crazy! People are crazy. I know a guy who stopped at every McDonalds he drove by today and got a free Iced Mocha at each one.

Did you drink em all too? gee wiz

[Austin]

I have left items by the curb to be picked up by normal trash collections the night before. The next morning it's gone.

[garyg]

Wow, hillbillies in Florida? Hope some of mine moved down there .. but no, either I put something by the curb so some will pick it up (that doesn't happen), or some dog leaves me some ..

[krevo]

I'm a regular craiglist user myself. Whenever I list stuff for free, it's curbsided and then the add it placed. It's usually gone in a heartbeat.

[gollum83]

Answer: "I think two dollars would be better, but it's up to you." :tongue_sm

I've tried that before. Got me nothing but one heck of a dirty look and a good laugh. :biggrin:

[mmack66]

I have left items by the curb to be picked up by normal trash collections the night before. The next morning it's gone.

+1. You should see the folks around here when bulky trash pickup day rolls around.

"One man's trash is another man's treasure."

[TimmyBoston]

I have left items by the curb to be picked up by normal trash collections the night before. The next morning it's gone.

Me too. Crazy hoarders.

[liege]

[QUOTE=Walter Sobchak;1332425]Crazy! People are crazy. I know a guy who stopped at every McDonalds he drove by today and got a free Iced Mocha at each one.

Did you drink em all too? gee wiz

How many iced mocha's did you say you drank?

[gone down south]

You guys should come around here, I WISH our trashpickers would take everything with them instead of tearing all the bags open and leaving trash strewn around the street behind them.

[Kratos]

You can't dig through trash here. It's one of the easiest(filthiest?) Ways to get people's information.

[tg16]

[QUOTE=Walter Sobchak;1332425]Crazy! People are crazy. I know a guy who stopped at every McDonalds he drove by today and got a free Iced Mocha at each one.

Did you drink em all too? gee wiz

I didn't sleep for a couple of days.

[Nishnabotna]

I don't see what the problem is.

[castlecraver]

At least they had permission to take your stuff. We have swarms of trash-pickers around here, and despite my repeated calls to the police department, they're still going strong. Every week, the afternoon before trash day they'll come around and unabashedly tear into bags and dig through dumpsters. It makes me sick -- honestly, if it's still got some use, I'd have sold it or given it away instead of tossing it in the Hefty alongside my spoiled food and used kleenex.

[Gravy]

A buddy of mine bought his first house and completed the picture by getting the family their first puppy. Well at some point in its first year at the house the young dog got sick all over some shag carpet in a side room of the basement that had not been fixed up yet. My buddy did not discover what the dog had done until a couple days later and decided to just rip up the old carpet and take it to the curb as it had close to a dozen dried, smelly stains.

Much to my friends surprise, shortly after taking that roll of carpet to the curb someone stopped and threw it in their van.

I wish I could have been there when they unrolled it.

[Kratos]

I don't see what the problem is.

I guess the OP's main issue is that when they could have obtained the items and possibly benefited someone besides them selves, it was a no-go, but when it was all about them and what they could get for free, it was "clear for take-off."

[Fnord5]

A buddy of mine bought his first house and completed the picture by getting the family their first puppy. Well at some point in its first year at the house the young dog got sick all over some shag carpet in a side room of the basement that had not been fixed up yet. My buddy did not discover what the dog had done until a couple days later and decided to just rip up the old carpet and take it to the curb as it had close to a dozen dried, smelly stains.

Much to my friends surprise, shortly after taking that roll of carpet to the curb someone stopped and threw it in their van.

I wish I could have been there when they unrolled it.

It's too bad he didn't have a slightly decomposed pig in there.:biggrin:
Practical joke anyone? :lol:

[mmack66]

I guess the OP's main issue is that when they could have obtained the items and possibly benefited someone besides them selves, it was a no-go, but when it was all about them and what they could get for free, it was "clear for take-off."

I understood it as the OP being repulsed at the ridiculous behavior of the scavengers that stopped by to pick up free stuff. In either case, I am not sure I would have expected some civilized affair.

[82R100]

There are a lot of very desperate people out there/here.

- Chris

[tlanning]

WHERE'S MY MATTRESS, ROB! :mad:







:lol:


You promised to DELIVER IT!! we know where you live :w00t::001_tt1::biggrin:

[Shane27]

Its getting to the point where I might have to purposely break anything that could possibly be of value before putting it in the trash :(

[Nancy Boy]

Answer: "I think two dollars would be better, but it's up to you." :tongue_sm

OK. LOVED THAT.:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

[Eman]

I put a old mattress and box springs on the curb and no one touched it. The next day I put up a sign saying $10.00 for the set. It was gone that night.

[Kratos]

I understood it as the OP being repulsed at the ridiculous behavior of the scavengers that stopped by to pick up free stuff. In either case, I am not sure I would have expected some civilized affair.

Hell no. Look at how people act at sales and what-not. A guy got trampled to death not too long ago at a Wal-Mart. People make me sick.

[82R100]

I have given away several non-broken items, just because they weren't worth the hassle of a garage sale and I wanted someone to use them. I just put them out a little earlier than usual with the trash and attached a hand-made sign indicating that it was free for the taking.

I hold no ill will towards people looking for stuff to use. In our old neighborhood, my neighbors used to joke about the things they'd rescued from each other's piles (lawnmowers, etc.).

[SavantStrike]

Its getting to the point where I might have to purposely break anything that could possibly be of value before putting it in the trash :(

That's messed up...

If it has value, donate it to goodwill or something. Around here I see all sorts of goodies thrown away that shouldn't be tossed. For example:

Someone a few streets over bought new bikes for their children for Christmas. The old bikes must not have made the cut because they were at the curb.

My neighbor got a new lawn mower. His old one was still ridiculously awesome and worked fine (he is severely OCD about his lawn and mows it several times a week, he has the best lawn toys). He intentionally drained it of oil and ran it dry so it would be of no value to anyone else.


You can't dig through trash here. It's one of the easiest(filthiest?) Ways to get people's information.

Actually I'm pretty sure that's legal (although gross) as I know LEO's can dig through trash once it's curbside without a warrant. There are apparently rules about these things but once the trash is outside the curtilage it's fair game. My bet is anything strewn around in this area during a trashfest could also be considered litter at that point though.

The posters on here who have trash pickers ripping through bags and dumping trash on the ground have it rough. That's just blatantly disrespectful.

I don't really see any problem with someone picking up old trash that is separate from other garbage though (like an old shelf or desk or something). It's not like the original owner had any interest in it any more. I once snagged a nice pair of speakers and fixed them that way :biggrin:.

[mmack66]

Its getting to the point where I might have to purposely break anything that could possibly be of value before putting it in the trash :(

:confused:

[mmack66]

I have given away several non-broken items, just because they weren't worth the hassle of a garage sale and I wanted someone to use them. I just put them out a little earlier than usual with the trash and attached a hand-made sign indicating that it was free for the taking.

I hold no ill will towards people looking for stuff to use. In our old neighborhood, my neighbors used to joke about the things they'd rescued from each other's piles (lawnmowers, etc.).

+1. A lot of this stuff wouldn't even be picked up by the trash collectors where I live. Certainly not lawn mowers and mattresses and such.

[HankG]

Value to someone willing to dig through trash bags is not necessarily the same as value to a goodwill store. All the local places around here have severely restricted what they accept.

[crocto]

your local library can always benefit from a nice donation of books.

[Walter Sobchak]

[QUOTE=wbw0126;1332510]

How many iced mocha's did you say you drank?

Ok, here's the thing. The A/C compressor in my car has seized and I have to drive pretty far some days. So on Monday it was hot and I drove about 200 miles to see customers of mine in several different towns. While I was driving, I heard on the radio that McDonalds was giving away free sample Iced Mochas:001_tt1:...so, being the resourceful intellectual that I fancy myself to be, I decided that I didn't need to fix my A/C right away if I could cool myself down with free Iced Mochas all day.:cool:

Being a business owner, and a slightly moral man, I generally don't take gross advantage of the spirit of promotions like this. But hey, it's freakin' McDonalds. They have more money than the Saudi Empire and fewer morals than San Quentin.:ohmy: I didn't feel bad about it at all, just somewhat overly sugared up and caffeinated!

Over the course of about 4 hours I passed about 4 Mickey Ds and thus had about 28 ounces of free Iced Mochas. Worked like a charm. I stayed pretty darn cool all afternoon. Of course by the time I got home I really needed to get to the bathroom. I jogged past my wife, awkwardly balancing my laptop bag and the four empty mini iced mocha cups. First to the trash bin, then to the bathroom.

She said, "Do I even want to know?" :confused:

I subconsciously half shouted in a triumphant, jittery, gotta-pee/lots of caffeine voice, "Free Iced Mochas! SO GOOD! Gotta Pee!":001_07:

She replied, lovingly, quizzically, slightly subdued, and with one eyebrow raised, "There's something wrong with you.":mellow:

That's how I know she loves me.:biggrin:



**Sorry, not trying to hijack the thread. I guess my point is that sometimes people go crazy for free stuff, but maybe they all had bad A/C compressors in their cars.**

[Mycon]

[QUOTE=Walter Sobchak;1332425]
gee wiz

I'm sure he did :lol:

[Topgumby]

Since I started placing my used DE blades randomly in my trash, the trashpickers are not a problem.:devil:

[Gravy]

Whether or not curb side trash put out for paid professional pick is open to the public or more specificaly, plain view for evidence has been debated in courts.
I'm not sure what the end ruling was for the courts but I am sure that if I put something out for trash pickup, that I intend for trash pick up, it does not get sorted through by anyone.
If I want to sell stuff, I'll sell it.
If I want to give stuff, I'll donate it.
If I want my personal items going to a dump, why should I expect them to be open to the public? I'll even concede to the LE part.

But I would bust my stuff up also if people kept going through MY trash.

[_JP_]

A buddy of mine bought his first house and completed the picture by getting the family their first puppy. Well at some point in its first year at the house the young dog got sick all over some shag carpet in a side room of the basement that had not been fixed up yet. My buddy did not discover what the dog had done until a couple days later and decided to just rip up the old carpet and take it to the curb as it had close to a dozen dried, smelly stains.

Much to my friends surprise, shortly after taking that roll of carpet to the curb someone stopped and threw it in their van.

I wish I could have been there when they unrolled it.


It's too bad he didn't have a slightly decomposed pig in there.:biggrin:
Practical joke anyone? :lol:

A friend of mine pretty much did just that. She likes to hunt and fish, and also had trouble with scavengers going through her trash for cans or whatever they could find to convert into money. She started including the
carcasses of whatever she shot, or caught on a line. And for good measure, added in the poop from her German Wirehair retriever (big dog!) to the mix. The scavengers learned quick and left her place alone. :9898: No more trash strewn about.

[Kratos]

Here it's against our city ordinance to dig through people's trash. You won't always get a ticket for it. It depends on the situation, and your history. Looking through trash for evidence of crimes is a slightly different animal than looking for personal info to commit fraud. I'm not sure which side of the court the ball's on these days.