Spoil Us, (Local) Goodies Swap #3 - Updated

Hillo, and welcome to the third (local) goodies swap! Each of these swaps will have a varying list of things to send. This swap I'll make the list a little shorter, as some swappers here and there have indicated they'd like to join but that the previous swaps were a bit too big. The swap will still be big, though - that's basically the point of it - but it will be less big.

Before I get to the list, let me give you the rules:

Swappers with a rating of 5 can join. No unrated swappers and no swappers with a rating below 5. With all the time and money involved, the risk of flakers should be minimal.

I can't angel this swap but I keep an eye on the participants list. I will send out reminders when the send deadline is nearing, and I will give swappers unofficially 1 more week to send the package if they haven't already. If they don't meet the unofficial deadline, and no explanation is given and his/her swap partner is not informed of this, the swapper in question will be put on my ban list and will not be able to participate in any swaps I host and will host in the future. I really don't mean to be a nag or anything, but I want to make as certain as possible that your time and money won't go in vain.

UPDATE August 21, 2013:

If I get the idea you're going to flake after I've assigned swap partners, I will do what I can to remove you from the chain and have the parcel that was meant for you sent to the person you're flaking on. That way you won't receive anything, so there would be no point in flaking. Therefore, swappers, if you get the idea someone is going to flake, please send me a message (well before the deadline. It's not much use when almost everyone have already sent their parcels out). This isn't a watertight anti-flake procedure, but I do what I can.

MOVING ON...

I also have a request. Of course it isn't mandatory to comply, but I would love for you to send photos of the swap you receive, accompanied with a short or long note. You can send this to [email protected]. (You can also tag me on Flickr.) I'd like to put the photos and your thoughts on a blog, because I think it'd be a fun idea to have it all together, so we can see each other's swaps and read what our partner had to say about them. You can also send pics of the swap you send (which will be published after you receive a rating). Please include your username, country, swap partner's username and country, and the swap title if you do. (Photos can be made with a camera, phone, webcam - anything. Doesn't have to be high quality.)

Link of SULG blog: http://spoiluslocalgoodies.blogspot.nl/

If your swap partner happens to be someone from your town or country, try to make the swap as local or as personal as possible. You'll see what I mean.

Now, the list:

PAPER:

• 3 photos of your town, street, house, neighbors, favorite place to hang out, favorite pet, anything having to do with you and your surroundings. Don't write on the photos (front or back) but include a note about what the photos depict. (You can take the photos with a camera, your phone, anything really, as long as you took it yourself.)

• 5 pieces of local ephemera (flyers, folders, coupons, forms, etc.)

• 2 local recipes. Does not have to be traditional, can be modernized or influenced by other countries. Just make sure to add a picture. The recipes can be clipped from a magazine, or a family recipe, or a local restaurant. Doesn't matter, but your swap partner should be able to see what it looks like.

GOODIES:

• 3 local food products. Can be anything. Just make sure it's properly wrapped, packaged, and unopened. It can't break or go bad in the mail. (For example: single cookies crumble in the mail, and cheese in an opened pack will go bad. Make sure this doesn't happen.) Also, if you send small, single wrapped items - like a candy bar or a sour ball - send at least 3, and that will count as 1 product. If you send 1 candy bar, you have not met the requirements of this swap. A chocolate bar counts as 1 item if it's 15 cm / 5.9 inch in length, give or take. All items have to be store bought.

• 1 local souvenir, store bought and sender's choice.

• 1 book in your language. If your partner is from the same country, send a book about the history of your town, or about a certain aspect of your town, or a book you loved as a child, or a book that's changed your life - anything. Also, include a note about why you picked this book. This does not have to be store bought. It can be second-hand, from a thrift shop, your grandmother's bookcase, or... well, anywhere. The book can be paperback, hardback, thick, thin, big, or small.

• 3 bags of tea/hot cocoa/coffee.

• 1 Bath & Body product, store bought. Has to be completely new, and packaging/wrapping must not have been opened. If the packaging is not sealed but it's completely new nonetheless, include the receipt.

• 1 Wishlist gift, store bought.

• 1 accessory, like sunglasses, a scarf, a chihuahua (kidding), a bracelet, etc.

• 3 random items. Entirely sender's choice. Does not have to be store bought.

Nothing you buy can be under 1 euro, 1.32 USD, or 0.84 GBP. Nothing you buy can be over 10 euro, 13.12 USD, or 8.49 GBP. Currency calculator: http://www.x-rates.com/calculator/?from=EUR&to=USD&amount=1.00

DON'T MAKE THE PACKAGE TOO EXPENSIVE. Please keep in mind that the receiver has to pay a tax if the value of the package exceeds a certain limit. Ask your local post office or call the Ministry of Finance or google it!

Everything you send has to be clean, unused (or if used, in a good state) and unopened. Hats, scarves, gloves, jewelry, clothes, that sort of thing, leave the price tag on. (You can use a pen or black marker to cover the price if you like.) If it comes without a price tag, include the receipt.

If you send stickers, you have to send at least 5. That counts as 1 item.

If you send notepad paper, letter paper, etc., you have to send at least 5 sheets. That counts as 1 item.

A used notepad only counts as 1 item if it has at least 5 sheets in it.

However, if you send a used notepad AND notepad sheets, they count as 1 item. If you send notepad sheets AND stickers, they count as 1 item. If you send a used notepad AND stickers, they count as 2 items.

Before sending, please check if the country you're sending to allows the goods to be imported. You can check this at your local post office, and otherwise, Google is your friend.

Remember you have some control over the shipping costs and the overall value of the parcel. The goodies do not have to be expensive, and they do not have to be heavy (shipping costs). Of course there is a minimum spending limit, but you do not have to spend more than that.

To prevent getting surprised by the shipping costs, please ask at your local post office or search Google before you sign up or before you start gathering the goodies. Here in the Netherlands it costs about 18 euros to ship overseas, and that's for parcels with a weight below 2 kg. If the parcel weighs more, we pay more. I assume it works the same way in other countries.

In other words, shipping costs will be much higher than postcards, letters, or your average swap. However, the weight of the parcel determines whether you pay minimum shipping costs or more. Please, keep this in mind.

If you have any questions, leave a comment. If it's urgent, PM me. :) If you have suggestions for the next swap, I'd love to know as well! What would you love to get from another country/town/swapper? (Though if it's a request to make the swap a little less big, there is no point. This is a big swap, it was intended this way.)