SWAP FAQ - Revised 12/8/10

[sweets4ever]

SWAP FAQs

Each question links directly to a post containing the answer. Simply click on the question to be directed to the appropriate post. To view all of the FAQ's at once, click here.

01. What is a swap? / How do I participate in a swap? / How can I organize a swap?

Swapper questions:

02. The rules now say I have to be 16 to swap. I’m younger than that but I’ve already swapped! What do I do?

03. I want to swap but I'm a newbie and all the swaps say I have had to do one or two swaps previously.  What does this actually mean?

04.  Will my personal information/signup form be shared with anyone other than the Organizer(s) and partner(s) in the swap?

05. May I let someone else use my account to swap?

06. When is it OK to withdraw from a swap?

07. What is the typical size of swap packages?

08. What are points as they apply to swap requirements?

09. I should have gotten Positive Feedback but my organizer gave me Negative! (or) I should have Positive, but my profile still says In Progress months later! (or) I have comments that are inappropriate (such as "Sent late") on my profile.  What do I do?

10. My partner in a swap flaked.  How do I get a Swap Angel?

11. Our organizer disappeared! Help!

12. The gallery is up, and I don't want to miss anything. Can I post a comment just so I'm notified when the first photos go up?

13. I have Negative feedback.  How do I clear it up?

14. How do I become a Swap Angel?

15. What are the requirements to be a swap angel?

Organizer questions:

16. There is a member who wants to participate in my swap but they have not been a member for a month yet, but will be before signups end.  Can they join my swap?

17. I'm entering feedback for a few people in my swap. Do I have to enter everyone's name again if I just want to update a couple of people?

18. A participant in my swap has double feedback! What should I do?

19. I need to add my co-organizer to the feedback I’ve already entered. How do I do that?

20. Someone flaked in my swap, what (as an organizer) am I supposed to do?

20a. Someone in my swap received their package but did not post photos in the gallery. May I give them negative feedback, even though their partner received from them?

Other questions:

21. Am I allowed to do a personal swap with another Craftster member?

22. What is “Pinterest”?

23. I have more questions regarding swaps.  Who do I ask?

[jungrrl]

01. What is a swap? / How do I participate in a swap? / How can I organize a swap?

Go HERE and read about the basics of the swapping process.

[jungrrl]

02. The rules now say I have to be 16 to swap. I’m younger than that but I’ve already swapped! What do I do?

If you’re under 16 and you’ve already successfully completed a swap, you are still allowed to swap on Craftster. Just open a Help Desk ticket (make sure it’s marked Swap-Related) and let us know.  We’ll add a note to your profile letting organizers know that you’re still allowed to swap. If you’d like, you can let us know when you will be turning 16 so that we can take away at that time, otherwise we’ll just remove it after 3 years.

[jungrrl]

03. I want to swap but I'm a newbie and all the swaps say I have had to do one or two swaps previously.  What does this actually mean?

This doesn't mean you have to have already participated in one or two swaps.

The "one swap rule" means that while you are participating in your very first swap you are not allowed to sign up for any more until that first swap has been completed.  After that time, you are allowed to participate in up to five swaps at a time.

The "two swap rule" refers to organizing eligibility.  Before organizing any swap, a member must have participated in two full swaps.

Unless the swap specifically states that first time swappers are not allowed to join, you will be eligible to join if you have met the one month/15 posts minimum.

[jungrrl]

04.  Will my personal information/signup form be shared with anyone other than the Organizer(s) and partner(s) in the swap?

Yes, but only in the rare instance that the Craftster staff (Moderators/Admin) needs to investigate a situation and/or assist an Organizer during a swap.  If your information is provided to Craftster staff, it is done so privately and will not be shared with anyone.

[jungrrl]

05. May I let someone else use my account to swap?

No.  If someone else uses your account to swap and flakes, you are responsible and will have to reverse the Negative feedback.  There are no exceptions to this rule.  Membership is free and easy. Please encourage your friends, sisters, brothers, etc. to set up their own account.

[jungrrl]

06. When is it OK to withdraw from a swap?

Please don’t commit to a swap if you are uncertain that you will be able to meet the swap sendout requirements. Signing up for a swap is a commitment. We do understand that sometimes things come up and you may need to withdraw from a swap. If you withdraw before the signups are closed, a swap mod will remove your feedback with no penalty. If, however, partners have already been posted, it is up to the organizer of the swap as to whether you are allowed to withdraw without having to take negative feedback. If it is early in the swap and your partner has not started crafting for you, it’s possible that you may be allowed to withdraw with no penalty, but please don’t count on it. Every situation is different.

[jungrrl]

07. What is the typical size of swap packages?

There has been a bit of confusion as to what is a large, medium, and small item.  So here's a handy dandy guide.  This is a guideline ONLY: a rough estimate of sizes described by time it takes to make package, by physical size and by cost:

By Time
-Large = 3 or more hours
-Medium = 2 or more hours
-Small = 2 or less hours

By Size
-Large = A shawl, a shirt, a skirt, a set of jewelry with four to five items, a purse
-Medium = one single necklace or bracelet, a scarf
-Small = Earrings, stickers, wallets, pouches, bookmarks

By Price
-Large = $30 or more
-Medium = $10-$30 dollars
-Small = $10 or less

Remember, the important thing is that you and your partner agree.  If you want to make each other a purse for a shawl, go ahead.  Just make sure you're being fair, you communicate with your partner and you meet the guidelines outlined in the Swap Guide as well as additional guidelines setup by the Organizer of the particular swap. Think to yourself with each item you include: would this seem like a large item to me if I received it, or is it more on the medium or small side? Obviously, each project is different.  These are just suggestions. Send something that you are proud of and that you would be happy to receive.

Lately, the mods have been presented with several help desk tickets about swap partners receiving "partial packages" with the promise of the rest of the package to come. Please be aware that sending a "partial package" does not exempt you from the rule which states: "If you do not meet the swap requirements, either by not sending the proper amount of items or by not sending at all, you will receive Negative Feedback." If you have not sent a package that meets the swap requirements to your partner by two weeks after the send date, you will receive temporary negative feedback until the package is received, even if you are still in communication with your swap organizer and partner. Therefore, if you have not completed a swap package, wait and send the entire package at one time. "Partial packages" are not acceptable.

[jungrrl]

08. What are points as they apply to swap requirements?

A few organizers like to use a points system. A swap may be described as a "5 point or 7 point swap".  This is allowed, but it is not a Craftster regulated system. If you are uncertain of what exactly a points system type swap entails, please contact the organizer of that swap for details.

[jungrrl]

09. I should have gotten Positive Feedback but my organizer gave me Negative! (or) I should have Positive, but my profile still says In Progress months later! (or) I have comments that are inappropriate (such as "Sent late") on my profile.  What do I do?

If you have any concerns with your feedback and your organizer is not helping with them, please do not hesitate to open a Help Desk ticket!
Help Desk (make sure you select the category "SWAP-RELATED")

If you are requesting an In Progress feedback be changed to Positive, please include in your ticket proof that your package was received: either a link to a post where you partner states the package was received, a copy of a Personal Message from your partner that states the package was received, or a valid tracking number.

[jungrrl]

10. My partner in a swap flaked.  How do I get a Swap Angel?

First off, you should contact the organizer of the swap.  Please allow the organizer some time to respond or to post, but if nothing is done in two weeks, please open a Help Desk ticket.  A Swap Moderator will post a call for a swap angel, and add appropriate comments to the non-responding organizer's feedback.

[jungrrl]

11. Our organizer disappeared! Help!

Unfortunately, this can happen from time to time.  There are a few ways to fix it and if it does happen to you, please have someone from your swap open up a Help Desk ticket and a Swap Moderator will assist.  Most likely, we will ask if someone from the swap would like to fill in as the organizer.  If no one wants to, then a Swap Moderator will do so (in terms of feedback, looking for Swap Angels, etc.)

[jungrrl]

12. The gallery is up, and I don't want to miss anything. Can I post a comment just so I'm notified when the first photos go up?

No. Please don't post messages such as...

"Just posting to get notifications!"
"Lurk!!"
"Posting so I get updated!"

Posts such as this add unnecessary bulk to threads.  Please use the Bookmark feature, if you would like thread updates and don't have anything to discuss in the gallery thread just yet.

[jungrrl]

13.  I have Negative feedback.  How do I clear it up?

The process for reversing Negative Feedback is covered in the rules. You can view that information by going here and selecting "More information on Negative Feedback" under the "About being a participant in a swap" section.

[jungrrl]

14. How do I become a Swap Angel?

Browse through the "Calls for Swap Angels" board here.

If/when you find someone that you would like to angel for, PM the organizer that made the call for an angel and tell her/him that you would like to angel for that person! If you are selected to be the angel, the organizer will send you the information for the person you are sending to and will give you a shipping deadline. Once your angel package has been received,  have the organizer contact the Help Desk to let the swap mods know.  They will extend your FOC status for one year, or, if you are redeeming negative feedback, they will update your profile to reflect that you have fixed that negative.

[jungrrl]

15. What are the requirements to be a swap angel?

Anyone who is 16 and older may be a swap angel, even if they haven’t been a member for a month or made their 15 posts yet. Being a swap angel will NOT count as their first swap. A member who currently has 5 swaps in progress may also be an angel. 

[jungrrl]

16. There is a member who wants to participate in my swap but they have not been a member for a month yet, but will be before signups end.  Can they join my swap?

In a way, yes.  Ask them to simply wait until their month anniversary comes and then sign up.  Just make sure they haven't signed up for another swap and it just hasn't been added to their feedback yet!

Under no circumstances are these members allowed to join before their dates are up and the signup date is over, but you may, as organizer, choose to extend signups to include a new member who would be eligible within a day or two of your original signup close.

[jungrrl]

17. I'm entering feedback for a few people in my swap. Do I have to enter everyone's name again if I just want to update a couple of people?

No. You don’t have to enter everyone’s name in the feedback form each time you add or update. As long as the basic information (like username, swap name, and swap start day) stays the same, it will update the user regardless of what order they appear in the form.

[jungrrl]

18. A participant in my swap has double feedback! What should I do?

Contact the Help Desk. Make sure you select "Swap-Related" and ask that the extra feedback be removed.  Review the Feedback Primer to get tips on avoiding duplicate feedback in the future.

[jungrrl]

19. I need to add my co-organizer to the feedback I’ve already entered. How do I do that?

Contact the Help Desk. Make sure you select "Swap-Related" and ask that your co-organizer be added.

[jungrrl]

20. Someone flaked in my swap, what (as an organizer) am I supposed to do?

If it has been two weeks since sendouts, you have had no communication from a swapper, and their partner has not received, give the non-sending member negative feedback and call for a swap angel for their partner on the Swap Angel board.

[jungrrl]

21. Am I allowed to do a personal swap with another Craftster member?

You are allowed to, but just as with Organized Swaps, we have to encourage you to be careful with giving your address out over the internet and please remember that neither Craftster nor the site administrators or moderators are responsible if anything happens to your package or if you do not receive a package.  No feedback is given for personal swaps, and there are no angels in cases where one partner never sends.  Personal swaps are "at your own risk." Do not advertise for personal swaps in a post. If you are available for personal swaps, please note that in your signature or indicate that in your profile. If you're interested in doing a personal swap with someone, contact them through a private message.

We do have quarterly Personal Galleries in the Swap Gallery board. The current gallery will always be found at the top of the gallery board.

[jungrrl]

22. What is a “Pinterest”?

Many swappers have what is known as a Pinterest board, and will have the url posted in their profile, or they may refer to Pinterest in their swap signup form. Here is a link to Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/
The Pinterest website is not affiliated with Craftster.

[jungrrl]

23. I have more questions regarding swaps.  Who do I ask?

You can talk more about the swap process on this board. If you have a question about a specific situation or you just want to ask the Swap Moderators, you can always submit a question via the Help Desk! Please use the Help Desk to ask swap-related questions. It is best not to PM a Swap Moderator, as they may not be available to answer your question.

[rackycoo]

20a. I am an organizer. Someone in my swap received their package but did not post photos in the gallery. May I give them negative feedback, even though their partner received from them?

No! As long as someone sends a package that meets the swap requirements, they will receive positive feedback. While we hope that everyone will post photos of what they receive, it is NOT a swap requirement.