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Unexpected response to barter offer....

Lucille

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I have heard that sometimes, very large gardens can impede the sale of a home, when the new owner is not a gardener. (Is this true)
So I sent some notices out to local gardening groups, telling them in exchange for an hour or two of weedeating and tidying up the gardens, they could dig and take bunches of plants, which I listed. These included daylilies, bamboo, and roses and shrubs.

The only email response so far is from a lady who told me to:

Dig them myself and give them to her group for their fundraiser
Hire a wetback
Not worry because my house wasn't going to sell anyway right now.

I'm somewhat at a loss as to why I haven't gotten more responses, and am not really happy with the response I did receive.

I'd love feedback. Back when I was setting up my gardens if I was offered some really nice plants in exchange for an hour or two of yard work, I'd have jumped at the chance.
 
I'm looking forward to hearing some insights as well.

We're getting ready to move, so are moving out a ton of stuff. I've been going through something similar with everything we're trying to get rid of. For example, I'd just purchased about $1500 in rabbit cages that had barely been used three weeks. Even trying to donate them to rescues, which I went to after trying unsuccessfully to sell them for pennies on the dollar, people just aren't wanting to have to do ANY work. They wanted me to clean them up, and then bring them to them and set them up. This was in the breath after they told me how desperate for caging they are and how they have no money. I finally found a rescue to come get them, and thankfully I wasn't expecting anything in return because I haven't seen hide nor hair of the promised receipt for my taxes.

People just don't want to work, even when it's skewed way in their favor.
 
I would definitely trade weeding time for free plants! I think there are a lot of kids out there who wait for a thread they can jump into and act like idiots. New national pastime. It's a shame you've not gotten positive responses, seems like a great deal to me. I also think, around here at least, a huge garden would be a plus when selling. Maybe because we have too much water and Texas has not enough?

Noelle
 
I would think landscaping and gardens would be a huge bonus to selling a house. I'd certainly pick a house with established plants over one with just grass and shrubs.

And I'd totally do minor yardwork in order to get free plants, especially roses and lillies! Bamboo not so much, I do see it listed for free a lot. But geez. The reply was downright rude and I'm afraid I would have posted on that site again with her commentary posted in bold for all to see her attitude.

As far as even rescues crying for cages but not bothering to even collect or set them up... it figures. I've had the same sort of issues when I shut down my grooming shop. I decided to give all the METAL kennels away, complete with pans and in very good condition to a rescue. I called four. The first three complained(yes, complained in whiny gimme tones!) that I wasn't going to load all 20+ kennels up and bring them out the couple different places to set them up and were they sanitized and clean and did the pans have any scratches, could I repaint the pans and cages before I brought them out?

No, seriously. All those were actual requests from the first three. Not ONE of those agreed to pick up the FREE kennels. The fourth rescue immediately asked when would be a convienant time FOR ME, that they could come to pick up the kennels. I was thanked repeatedly and they did bring a trailer to load whatever I wanted to donate to them. When I pointed out a couple of the best ones that I was keeping(for my own use), they didn't quibble or fuss, just avoided those to take the others. They even swept up the stray dust bunny clumps of hair in my parking lot from them carrying out the cages. I ended up giving them gallons of shampoo(some really pricy vet shampoos), sanitizers, disinfectant concentrates, brushes, a box full of brand new collars, leashes and harnesses, a case of treats... in short, about a couple thousand dollars total worth of stuff.

I would have had to store all of it if I kept it, and even with my personal pack of dogs, there's only so much stuff I can use! I was happy to give it away... but I wasn't going to haul it, clean it and kiss their butts in order to donate it! I swear, I see more and more "entitlement" people who think that they deserve to have everything handed to them on a plate, even when it's a donation for no reason. I had one of the first rescues call me a week later to complain that I had NOT delivered the kennels! I told them outright I wasn't bringing them a load of donations and that I would be calling a different rescue, but I guess she'd already decided what I was going to do and when! The nerve.

People drive me crazy. And just when I think I've seen it all... they one-up the last person.
 
A few months back I called a homeless shelter to pick up a sofa and chair in very good condition that I wanted to donate. I put it on the porch, and they came while I was gone. They left a note on the door saying the furniture had dog hair on it and thanks anyway. I did clean it before putting it out; maybe I missed a few hairs.

Noelle
 
dog hair is a medical allergy issue. it'd be just their luck to get the homeless guy with a severe pet dander allergy or something. lol
 
i just place what i dont want in the alley and usually gets taken away by someone who needed it...last thing i put out was a toy box and all it needed was a bit of thread on a corner and it was gone the next day...but when it comes to free plants then why not go dig em up...i pay alot for plants at local nurseries so id jump at the chance for free plants...as long its plants id want and or need
 
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