OFFER: Exactly What You Want

I see that in freecycle a lot.  Except it always has a second line.  The second line is either "but not in your size" or "when you're out of town and can't pick it up."

Freecycle, for the uninitiated, is a local free exchange.  One is set up in a community and people post OFFER to get rid of stuff, TAKEN when someone picks it up, WANTED if they need stuff and RECEIVED when something they want becomes theirs.  WANTEDs are discouraged.  Someday, I'm going to get a list of everyone on the list by posting OFFER: 2010 Ferrari.

So when I'm home I see "OFFER: Two Garbage Bags Full of Women's Clothing."  Wow.  People don't freecycle junk (as a rule) so I read further: "Dresses, skirts, tops.  Most are XL but some are 18 or 1X."

Sometimes, the last line is Petite, small, some 2s.

Or I'll be in Arizona or somewhere else and it'll say "size 12 tops, size 8-10 skirts, must pick up today."

Or I'll be home and I'll see the TAKEN before I even see the OFFER.

One recent offer:

2 nice black dresses, (YAY!) both size 18. (BOO!)

Or

OFFER: 6 Women's Skirt Slips  (OK, I'm interested)
Sizes range from size 12 to 2x, 3x, 4x. (maybe not)

Or

OFFER: Women's shoes, size 11
A pair of brown flats and a pair of black wedge sandals with stones along the top.

Gone before I had a chance to read the offer.  By the way, I scored a few pair of 11 or 12 shoes ~ none were really nice or useable.  But I wonder if there are other women like me on the list.  (I almost forgot: I scored these platforms that someone bought for a costume and wanted to get rid of.  I want to know the story behind that!  I'm sure they were for a guy's costume.)

Here's one I liked:

OFFER:  3 Bali Bras, New in packages.
2 size 42 D
1 size 40 D

Not my size, but I really wanted to meet the owner!

They've offered gowns, bridesmaid's dresses, prom dresses, business suits, but mostly I pass.  There are women who can use them for an affair they wouldn't be able to go to, or a new job while they're down on their luck.

One of the most frustrating:

OFFER: ladies clothes size 10 - 14
Business clothes, dresses & suits. Current style.

Irresistable.

I copied the message to a new message on my Meg e-mail account, to be a bit more anonymous and imply they'll be taken by a woman.  I started typing my response.   I remembered to copy the sender's address into the To: field and...

It's a friend of my wife.  I know her too.  She knows me.

The most recent was OFFER: red skirt and I had to look.
Jones New York red, 100% pure wool skirt. Originally a size 14, has been altered to a size 2-4. It's 18.5 inches long, about 13.5 inches at waist, and 17.5 inches at hip line. In excellent condition(worn maybe a couple of times).

Why oh why couldn't they alter it down to a 10 or 8?  A thirteen inch waist?  Are they kidding?  Babies are born with bigger waists!

Recently, I saw:

OFFER: 4 women's Banana Republic shirts, size L
3 of the same shirt in black, teal and deep purple - stretchy shirt, size L, scoop neck with applied crescent detail around neckline.


1 grey ribbed knit shirt, size L, with scoop neck and ruffle, button detail down the front.


Great shirts in new-like condition.

The grey one is a bit scoopier than the others.  I tried the grey one and the purple (as representative of the other three) with a padded bra to see if they were too low or too see-through or too unwearable for some reason.  They're nice, they're stretchy, they're almost but not quite too low, they have 3/4 sleeves and they're hanging in my closet.  I think one will make it to Tucson.  I've been looking for solid tops to wear with patterned skirts.  I have many of those.

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