Why do other people get to control whether my dropbox is full or not?

[MilesSmiles]

Hi there,

I can't help but notice that when someone sends me a dropbox link to something they've uploaded to their own PAID dropbox account, it tells me that the files are also in my dropbox, taking up space there as well. 

I don't really want a dropbox. I just have it because of the unfortunate situation of other people having it. Needless to say I'm NEVER going to pay for more space just to download a file from someone that they already have paid to send me. How is dropbox going to send me emails saying "your dropbox is full" when that simply isn't possible because I have never uploaded a single file? why do files uploaded by others count against my dropbox space? How do I block other users so they can't DDOS (for lack of a better term) my dropbox by simply sending me a few files?

Thank you in advance for any help or suggestions!

[Lusil]

Hello @MilesSmiles, thanks for posting your questions here. 

Since storage is calculated by the total amount of data in an account, and shared folders are a part of it, they take up space in every member's account. 

Out of curiosity, do you want to be able to just preview the contents of the folders in question, or do you want to edit them as well?

Give me a nudge whenever you have the chance to check this out, cheers!

[MilesSmiles]

All I want is to be able to download the file. I'm a sound editor, and people send me sound files to mix. Typically zip files full of .wav files or of folders of .wav files. Each time a client sends me a project, it's usually between 250mb and 1gig. 

I need to download the file or folder, work on what's in it, then send a single file back, which is usually small enough to be sent as an email attachment. 

So no, I don't need to edit any dropboxes, just need to download their contents when they are sent to me. 

Thanks for answering, by the way!!!

[Rich]

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@MilesSmiles wrote:

So no, I don't need to edit any dropboxes, just need to download their contents when they are sent to me. 

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Ask them to send you a shared link to the file or folder, instead of inviting you to join a shared folder. You'll be able to download the content without even needing a Dropbox account.