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- May 31, 2014
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This is such a lovely and kind, heartfelt and helpful post, Meaganola. Thank you for taking the time to post it. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />Swapping or saving for a gift is definitely the way to go! MUT is in the middle of the first summer gift exchange (for Reasons, we ended up doing two rounds, and one is wrapping up while the other is still a little over a week from ship date! Next year, there's just going to be one big Midsummer exchange), and Secret Santa is right around the corner. I've found my swapping for some things has ground to a halt because now I look at some of this stuff and think, "Hmm, maybe I should save this for my fairy godchild/kiddo!"
ANYWAY. Swaps! We have a a few dedicated spaced to choose from for this.
Sample Society-focused thread where you post within the thread: https://www.makeuptalk.com/f/topic/132884-sample-society-swaps-trades-2014
General subscription/sample-oriented swap subforum where you create a thread dedicated to your swap list: https://www.makeuptalk.com/f/forum/320-subscription-box-swaps/
There are other swap subforums, but since we're talking about subs and samples here, those are probably your best bet.
The up sides to posting in the thread: It's very easy. Post a brief list of what you have out of the current box and what you want, and that's that. There's quite a bit of traffic in the box swap threads, especially when boxes are loaded onto accounts and/or received, so quite a few people probably see your post since they're all going directly to that thread looking for a particular item! The down sides: There's *so much* traffic, that it's easy as a reader to skim past something or see something, think you'll go back to the post to PM the member, and then forget about it as soon as you read the next post. As a poster, it's easy to have your post end up buried in twenty other have/ISO posts as everyone else receives their boxes. And you can't edit your posts in those threads after 24 hours.
The down sides to creating a thread: Uh... It can be annoying to have to remember to maintain a long list? The up sides are so numerous that they far outweigh the down side. You have *one* post to maintain. You can put a link to your swap list in your signature. You can edit it as many times as you want. Members can "like" a post there, and they will be notified whenever you edit it, so if you regularly swap with a particular person, you will get notified when they add stuff from their new boxes. If you know how to create a thread in the general discussion area, you know how to create a swap post!
Uh... Yeah. There was something else I was going to say, but then I got distracted in the swap section with tracking down tutorial stuff, plus the turbo-boost-level strong coffee just kicked in (and kicked my headache in the teeth! Yay!)! If you have any questions, just let me know. I know I'm forgetting something major and obvious, but I'm drawing a blank.
I guess I'm the MuT member who marches to the beat of a different drummer. In my head, if I don't want it, then I don't think anyone else would either..
It's a fatal flaw in judgment but it's probably rooted in early childhood. I would GIVE my unwanted things away. Or put things in big bundles for next to nothing in trade because I totally lack judgment about " Value".
If I don't like an item or items I receive, then I have NO idea whether or not someone else would or anything.
It's part of being an only child whose mother never ever shopped for or talked about makeup or skin care, I think.
My own internal system is extremely varied. It's not about prices, it's about what appeals to me. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />
And I am so thrilled over a brand new little plastic peach that contains Tony Moly hand cream that it's insane. And I am obsessed with Ruffian blue nail polish.. no rhyme or reason and price means nothing to me at all. I can buy anything i want. It's just an unusual trait of mine.
I just can't. The guilt would keep me awake nights.