Shop the Swap 63 **Discussion Thread**

[underthemountain]

Hmm, do you think we really need to add points in?  I think that if everyone is offering good quality items that others want the points will flow naturally.  If things aren't selling then you need to reassess your prices and/or what you are offering.  If we posted our wishlist it would give others an idea of the kinds of things to craft for their shop. 

[Avesthel]

My opinion is yes, I think the swap works better with a little bit of extra points.  

Sometimes it could be about what you are offering/prices, but not always.    I remember at the beginning when it was 3 points per person on average that people tended to sit on their 3 points and not spend so they didn't risk going below the 3 point mark so they could leave the swap and not be 'stuck' in it.   The little bit extra made it easier for the money to start flowing and people to feel a little less reserved about saving their points.  Which made the swap a lot more fun.    


And YES!  Wishlists are a great inspiration!  

[A2K]

When I first joined sts, I sat on my three points, but I am not afraid to spend to zero any more.  If I need to leave the swap, I know people will help me raise the points.  I think most of us have let our shops get stagnant--- a break will really help, I think!  Plus, asking folks to join.  If there is someone out there doing work you love, invite them to sts!!!!

[alteredmommy]

I think the reason we have sat at around 3.5 (since I took over in round 7) was that earlier flakeage/leaving without paying back to 3 pts was not addressed through the point system.  Once we started the inflation fund and used it for extra/not enough points we always hovered around 3.5 even with very few swappers as in the last couple of rounds.  We actually ended this round at an average of 3.6 even though so many people were well above that.  Starting from scratch with 3 points with an inflation fund of 3, I would think the swap shoould always sit at around a 3 point average if under/overs are kept track of.

 I'm really not sure how we ended up with such an excess of points at the end of this round because there was only one person with 0, 3 people with 3 pts and everyone else had between 4-7 pts yet like I said our average was 3.6.   There is something at work that obviously we are not taking into consideration.....

[ptarmic wumpus]

Wait, didn't we have point raffles a couple of times before? Those may have contributed....

[alteredmommy]

yeah but the points from the raffle came from the inflation fund which came from  points previously in circulation....

[ptarmic wumpus]

If some people leave the swap with less than 3 points, then the points that they are missing are left in the group pool. If some people leave the swap with more than 3 points, and the extra points are raffled back into the pool, then the total points in the pool will always increase and never decrease. The only way for the group pool to decrease is for people to leave with more than three points with no compensating measures taken....

At the very beginning (round 1), people did not have three points, everyone had 1? point to start, and all items cost 1 point, iirc.  The change to 3 points happened very early, round 2 or 3, and there was a multiplier on the number of points that you had at the end of the previous round. It is possible that some inflation happened at that point also due to the multiplier.

Here was the first round, if anyone wants to see how the rules have changed:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=161047.0

[alteredmommy]

I can see that scenario before the inflation fund because that is pretty much what happened.  But once we started the inflation fund, it was treated as another swapper with points going in and out as required so points over and under would not be floating around the pool.  Although by then it was likely already skewed towards inflation...

As for the average, if I add up the ending points that the 15 swappers in the last round have and average them I come out with 4.5.  The spreadsheet says 3.6 so there is something being taken in account that is not currently on the spreadsheet....prob ably the low point people in the early rounds.  So theoretically if a strict control on points is kept, this shouldn't happen again. hopefully hehe.

[underthemountain]

Hi everyone!

I changed my name today to underthemountain. 

Rox

[alteredmommy]

Please let me know if any of these claims have been received, thanks

A2K to alteredmommy  - drawstring bags   alteredmommy   sent 07/13/2012   
atsuko to pseudo_pix  - zipper earrings, black    pseudo_pix     sent 07/05/2012
atsuko to pseudo_pix -  Lego heart necklace, yellow and dark red   sent 07/05/2012
atsuko to A2K - animal cards, tags, tiny note cards     sent 07/14/2012

loves2experiment to alteredmommy -   bunting and bell cup cards   sent 07/13/2012
RubyTuesday to craftaddiction -  4 nail files    sent 07/06/2012