ePlaya

Here on the eplaya, we are an extension of the playa, and Share Resources is our gifting forum.
No sales are allowed, nor rentals, nor links to your etsy page or craigslist sale (at this time). Telling about your friend's RV for sale is not allowed.
Pointing out a good sale or commercial site (not your own or one you shill for) is allowed.
Informal rideshares are allowed here, although posting a specific list of prices is not preferred. Those details should be handled privately.

This is the internet, and all participants here must be as cautious as they would be on any other online forum. Just as we have sticky threads in the ticket forum on how to purchase a ticket safely from third party sources, we also have put up this thread as a reminder that caution is a part of any transaction. This is a burner community, yet from the amount of spammers who must be deleted, there are many non-burners and those who would take advantage lurking here on our board.

So, what is Safe Gifting?

If you are offering a gift on the eplaya, be specific on the terms you would like to pursue in relation to the pick up of the gift, such as "local only".
If the gift is to be shipped, be specific about who pays the cost of that, and whether payment for shipping should be made before or after, and in what form.
This is the tricky part, if the shipping is expensive, do you want to get stuck with it if the other party does not follow through?
Specify how long you will hold the item if the other party cannot pick it up in a timely fashion. Who pays for storage if the pick up is delayed? When is it time to give it to another recipient who can follow through?

If there is to be an exchange of personal contact information, use the usual caution you would when handing over your name, address, email address or phone number to a complete stranger. We do have a useful Private Messaging feature here on eplaya. Do not post your complete email address or phone number, as it will be up here forever. This is a public forum, open to the world.

If you specify "Pick up on playa": can they find your camp? How will you deal with a spare bike or playa coat if the other party never shows?
Do you expect the item to be returned to you? If so when? What arrangements will be made if they can't get it back to you?

If you see a gift being offered, and it is just what you need, be a gracious recipient.
Pick it up promptly, offer to pay for shippng and negotiate payment before you expect the item to be shipped.
If you know you can't pick it up and the giver wants a quick local pick up, then perhaps it is not the gift for you.
If you can't afford to ship the item, perhaps it is not the gift for you.

On the eplaya, you will often see offers of "Hey, I can bring a bike for you" or "I have room in my truck" and so on. When entering such an arrangement, understad plans fall through and you may end up without a resource you were counting on. It happens. If you make an offer of goods or services, do your best to follow through, and if you cannot, do your best to let the other person know in advance so they can make other arrangements.
If someone makes such an offer, ask whether you must supply expenses such as gas money.

If someone asks you to do something you consider illegal or inadvisable, you should refuse. You should also contact a moderator if it is posted on the forums, so we can look at the request, confer with admin, and decide if it remains or is removed.
"Register a car for me" is one from the past which was removed.

If someone asks you for a gift out of the blue, it is up to you to help them or not. It is okay to ask them for references if money is exchanging hands and you feel unsure.

If you feel uneasy about a gift transaction at any time, it is okay to back out.
If somone is demanding a gift from you, it is okay not to give it to them.

Stay safe and enjoy gifting!

What about just bringing tons of water? That's the best gift out there if you're truly trying to survive in the desert!

Sounds sensible but people already generally bring more water than they need.
Tons of water gets dumped at the end of the week or "gifted" to DPW.

If you really want to bring a gift, a huge empty waste water container that people could dump their dirty used water into would be awesome.

LOL, and haul it away....

really? a gift is a gift? some people are just hard to please i guess

I "gifted" an unopened bottle of Patron to DPW last year. Much better than water.

lilkuu wrote:really? a gift is a gift? some people are just hard to please i guess

Not hard to please, practical.

This is where "white elephant" originates. Too much of a good thing. Too much water is actually a problem at Burning Man. People bring a lot, with intent to share, then when they haven't gifted it all away, decide to just leave it with DPW or other camps. Sometimes without asking. Now that water could be poured out if it isn't used, making a muddy mess, and someone still needs to haul away the empty containers. If it is used for washing or showers, then the greywater must be hauled away. Logistics mean too much water is not a thoughtful gift.

A gift of water is good in theory, and on a small scale. If someone walks into our camp dry, we can fill their bottle, or gift them one of ours. If we have extra, we take it home. When 50,000 burners drop off spare water in bottles or containers, it becomes a burden at the DPW collection point. When a camp has limited room in the trailers, and a case of heavy water appears as a "gift", it is a burden to puzzle it into the packing strategy. If you bring water to share, and have leftover at the end of the event... take it home. Pour it out in a truckstop if you must, but never leave it on the playa, unless someone asks for it specifically.

Never gift something which will be a hassle to the recipient. That's part of good gifting, knowing that your gift may be rejected, and choosing when and whom to gift. Graceful rejection, one hopes, but some folks don't like or need more schwag, some can't eat the food you offer, some don't have time for your poem or dance, some don't need the extra set of hands at the moment. Some don't need water, or a hug. Gifting is as much receiving as giving, one must be sensitive to both sides of the interaction.
Smiles are fairly universal!

Last year DPW stopped accepting water Monday morning.

i usually give a shit, but i certainly wont take any.

FIGJAM wrote:Last year DPW stopped accepting water Monday morning.

First Day?

Second Monday!

Do they even drink water during the event?

Yes, but only when frozen into little cubes floating in alcohol.

what good is money in the desert? are you serious? i would welcome any gifts, give me anything i'll accept it.

lilkuu wrote:what good is money in the desert? are you serious? i would welcome any gifts, give me anything i'll accept it.

Are you serious? I think you should come out to BRC first then say that!

lilkuu wrote:What about just bringing tons of water? That's the best gift out there if you're truly trying to survive in the desert!

Hey Lilkuu, and welcome to ePlaya! I'm joining the majority opinion -- everything in Black Rock City is primarily a matter of transportation. Small quantities of clean water may be sprinkled/scattered on the ground, making no puddle or mud, and that's it. Everything else must be hauled out of there.

I have long wanted to bring "tons of water" and put it to good use, such as for a swimming pool. (I have a driver license for 18-wheelers, including tankers.) In 2006 there was a large water slide, all home made, I believe. Tons and tons of water, indeed. But public pools and showers are no longer allowed, for hygienic reasons, I expect.

Now... you bring me a ton of water (250 Gallons), and I can put it to good use, and evaporate it, rather than haul it out. For 2014 I'm building a "misting booth" -- a bicycle-pedal-powered circle of misting nozzles that people can stand in or walk thru to cool off. Most of that water will evaporate before it reaches the ground. I still need to figure out the flow rate, but for now I'm figuring 30 Gallons per day, and operate each day until that daily ration runs out. So if you bring those ten 30-gallon barrels, by prior arrangement, so I don't have to make room for them in my bus, that would indeed be a welcome contribution.

I'm rambling, but I'm trying to use an actual example.

I enjoy gifting the most valuable gift of all, my opinion.

Any gift? I'd be happy to give you my waste. It's a gift. Heck, it came from within, it's very valuable.

theCryptofishist wrote:Any gift? I'd be happy to give you my waste. It's a gift. Heck, it came from within, it's very valuable.

That's not a gift you fucking bum and you know it. That's just pure trash bro. You don't have to accept any gift, that's up to your discretion always. If you want to give trash away as a gift, that's your choice.

Elliot wrote:

lilkuu wrote:What about just bringing tons of water? That's the best gift out there if you're truly trying to survive in the desert!

Hey Lilkuu, and welcome to ePlaya! I'm joining the majority opinion -- everything in Black Rock City is primarily a matter of transportation. Small quantities of clean water may be sprinkled/scattered on the ground, making no puddle or mud, and that's it. Everything else must be hauled out of there.

I have long wanted to bring "tons of water" and put it to good use, such as for a swimming pool. (I have a driver license for 18-wheelers, including tankers.) In 2006 there was a large water slide, all home made, I believe. Tons and tons of water, indeed. But public pools and showers are no longer allowed, for hygienic reasons, I expect.

Now... you bring me a ton of water (250 Gallons), and I can put it to good use, and evaporate it, rather than haul it out. For 2014 I'm building a "misting booth" -- a bicycle-pedal-powered circle of misting nozzles that people can stand in or walk thru to cool off. Most of that water will evaporate before it reaches the ground. I still need to figure out the flow rate, but for now I'm figuring 30 Gallons per day, and operate each day until that daily ration runs out. So if you bring those ten 30-gallon barrels, by prior arrangement, so I don't have to make room for them in my bus, that would indeed be a welcome contribution.

I'm rambling, but I'm trying to use an actual example.

That would be really cool! That definitely brings back memories of standing in long lines at Disneyland or Universal Studios in the hot California summers for hours! That would be a colossal waste of water though and would much rather drink it!

But one man's trash is another man's treasure!

"Safe Receiving".

That's a radio thing.

Being from Canada, I usually try to gift things that you guys don't get (or, something that is rare to come by in certain areas,) in America. This includes Ketchup Chips, Wine Gums (delicious chewy candy,) Aero Bars, etc.

I also try to bring something that anyone/everyone could use. So I brought 250 lighters to the playa, and if anyone asked me to use a lighter, I would give them two. One afternoon I arrived at Camp Shitshow and noticed they only had 2 lighters for a camp of 30-40 people, and both those lighters were duct taped to the kitchen table, so I went around and gave everyone a lighter. Most people (especially smokers,) are pretty stoked when someone gives them fire when before, they had none.

This year I'm going to bring those again, but also a few different trinkets. I talked to a couple artist at the flee market and was able to get a lady to make me a bunch of Burning Man effigy earrings and now I just need to think about what I can get a metal worker to do for me... Effigy bottle openers perhaps? Suggestions?

remi wrote:... So I brought 250 lighters to the playa...

This year I'm going to bring those again, ...

... Suggestions?

Thank you for inviting suggestions.
Seems to me that... facilitating tobacco addiction may not be such a "safe" gift. Frankly, I am alarmed at how many burners are smokers. In my other social circles, smoking is close to unheard of, and I would love to help my smoking burner friends quit also.

That's my suggestion, and no discussion is necessary; thank you for reading.

Hey everyone,

What is this about this new rule making people apply for a permit to share food or alcohol now? My father mentioned this, and I have not been able to find anything on it here… Is this slander? hearsay? or truth?

It's a truth but it's not new this year like a lot of people seem to be thinking. There's a thread about it here

Not new. No permit is needed for sharing of alcohol (unless your mixers include fresh fruit or other stuff the health department would have an issue with), but bars ARE required to make sure alcohol isn't served to minors (check ID and make sure they're legal to drink). Jovankat's link will point you in the right direction for food permit info, and there are many, many threads about running a playa bar here on the site.

Wait... They dont have ketchup chips in the states?!?!?

Monkeystyle wrote:Wait... They dont have ketchup chips in the states?!?!?

Sure they do. It might be a regional thing, though. Herr's in Pennsylvania makes them. Personally I think they're nasty, but to each their own!

I've seen ketchup chips around, but they are nowhere near as common as BBQ chips.