Meeting safely

Almost every meeting on Gaeci goes well. People giving things away for free tells you something about them already. But you are meeting a stranger, and a few simple habits are worth having.

Pick a busy place

Arrange to meet where there are people and light: by a metro station, outside a supermarket, in a cafe, at a bus stop, by a pharmacy. Cameras nearby are a bonus.

Daytime beats evening. If evening is the only option, choose somewhere well lit.

Don't give an exact address up front

Put only the city and district in your listing. Name the exact meeting point once the claim is confirmed and you have spoken to the person.

If the item is small, you never need to give your address at all. Meet at the metro.

If it does have to be at home

Sometimes there is no way around it: a fridge, a sofa, a wardrobe. In that case:

have someone with you — a friend, a neighbour, a relative;
tell someone who is coming and when;
agree that the item is brought out to the landing or the door, rather than the whole flat being viewed;
do not invite people further in, and do not show where things are kept;
if someone arrives with company you were not expecting, you are perfectly entitled to say "not today".

Large items

Furniture, appliances, building materials — a category of their own.

Agree in advance who carries it and how. A giver is not obliged to bring a wardrobe down from the fifth floor.
The receiver should come with a helper, and with tools if it needs dismantling.
Talk through in advance whether it fits through the door and into the lift, and whether you need straps, a trolley, or a van.
Measure the item and put the dimensions in the listing — it saves everyone's time.
Do not agree to haul something heavy alone. You only get one back.

Inspect the item on the spot

Items are handed over as they are. Take an unhurried look:

plug appliances in, if there is a socket available;
check that everything is there: remote, charger, fixings, keys;
notice smells and signs of damp — mould is not always visible;
check for insects, especially in upholstered furniture, mattresses, and clothing;
if something is wrong, it is better to decline politely on the spot than to take a problem home.

Declining is fine. Nobody will be offended if you say thank you and explain.

Protect your own details

Never give anyone your SMS code. Never. To no one. Not to "support", not to a "courier", not "to confirm the claim". We never ask for the code.
Do not send or accept money transfers. Everything on Gaeci is free — if someone asks you to pay, that is a violation and grounds for a report.
Do not send photographs of documents or bank cards.
Do not follow links "to confirm receipt" — we have no such links.

Trust your instincts

If someone is rushing you, pressuring you, getting annoyed at questions, demanding an address before the claim is confirmed, suggesting an odd location, or writing anything that makes you uncomfortable — do not go. You owe nobody anything. Cancel the claim and report it using the button on the listing.

"Something feels off" is a good enough reason.

If you are rehoming an animal

Ask where the animal will live, whether there are other animals, and who will care for it.
Do not hand an animal over "as a gift" for a third person you have never met.
Agree on a photo update in a week — people who are serious agree easily.
Take your time. Waiting for the right person beats giving to the first one.

Turn up, or say so

If your plans change, just send a message. Even half an hour before. The other person may have cancelled something, taken time off work, or travelled across the city.

Silence and no-shows lower your karma. But karma is not the point — the point is that someone lost their evening for nothing.

If something goes wrong

There is a "Report" button on every listing and every claim.
Describe briefly what happened. We will look into it and will not reveal who reported it.
If you are being threatened, or your safety is at stake, contact the police. Emergency number in Georgia: 112.

Thank you for doing this calmly and decently. That is exactly why the platform works.