Swap Rules (updated 06.03.2024)

Crafty Shenanigans Craft Swaps
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General Swap Info

Organizing a Swap

Participating in a Swap

General Swap Info

Organized swaps take place on Lettuce Crafts in the Crafty Shenanigans board. Swaps come in many shapes, sizes, and forms, but the basic idea is that you make a great crafty package that meets the swap’s theme and requirements and takes into consideration your partner’s wishes and preferences. You send the package you created to your partner and they send the package they created to you! Swaps are lots of fun; they can motivate you to create something really great and it’s often a fun challenge because there’s a certain theme to follow. Plus, you get something original in return!

‘Swaps are started when a qualified LC member decides to take on the task of organizing one according to a specific set of rules. The member who decides to organize a swap (the Swap Organizer) is in charge of that swap. They will create a sign up thread, pair partners, make sure everyone receives a package, start up the Swap Gallery, and give everyone feedback.

‘Swap Moderators are in place to assure that the swaps are running smoothly. The Moderators are amazing LC members who have volunteered to help keep an eye on swaps and answer member questions. Swap Moderators love swapping on LC and are here to make sure that the swap rules are followed, that swaps are completed, that feedback is given, and that any problems are worked out as amicably as possible. In every swap, the person who starts the thread (the Swap Organizer) is ultimately responsible for the swap they are hosting. Swap Moderators are in charge of assisting with swapping in general and troubleshooting if necessary.

Swaps do run smoothly most of the time, but here and there we’ve run into problems with people flaking on their swap obligations, so it’s important to follow the rules below.

If you have a specific question, comment, or problem with swapping and need Swap Moderator assistance, the best thing to do is contact a Swap Mod @gozer, @geekgirl, or @Kwality570 or all at once at @SwapMods.

Swap Organizer Rules

New rules about being an organizer (9.1.21)

Swap Organizer Conditions

Conditions you must meet in order to organize a swap

  1. You are at least 18 years old.
  2. You have fully read the Swap Rules.
  3. You have successfully completed 2 swaps as a participant.
  4. You are not organizing more than 3 swaps right now.
  5. You must recruit a co-organizer or send all details to a Swap Moderator if your swap has more than 25 participants.
  6. You must be able to update and complete the LC swap spreadsheet for your swap in a timely manner.
  7. A swap moderator will be assigned for each organized swap. Please contact your assigned swap organizer if you need help resolving issues, have questions, etc.

Starting Your Swap

  • Start the official thread for your swap using the swap sign-up form. Be sure to include all the appropriate details and tag the post as “swap-signups”.
    Example:
    Zippered Pouch Swap (signup 6/2 - 6/16 ; send outs 7/15)
  • Approve members who want to participate. Before accepting a participant for your swap, check the Current and Completed Swap List to make sure the member is eligible to swap:
  • The swapper is at least 16 years old.
  • The swapper has been a LC member for at least one month.
  • The swapper has posted at least 15 times on LC.
  • The swapper has completed one swap successfully before signing up for multiple swaps at a time.
  • The swapper is not currently signed up for more than five swaps.
  • The swapper does not have any negative feedback.

*Note: Use the Current and Complete Swap List by Swapper to check eligibility.

  • Post a list of approved members in the main swap thread and update the list when you approve additional swappers.
  • Update the LC swap spreadsheet for your swap so that the swap moderators can update their records.

During Your Swap

  1. When signups are closed for your swap, change the tag for your swap thread from “swap-signups” to “swaps-closed”.
  2. Post the list of assigned swap partners and send out questionnaires.
  3. Check-in with your swap participants during the swapping period to make sure everyone is alright.
  4. Post reminders about swap deadlines as needed.
  5. Start a swap gallery thread (with the tag “swap-gallery”) to showcase photos for your swap.
  6. Update your swap participants list in the swap thread when swappers have sent and received swap packages.
  7. Keep the LC swap spreadsheet for your swap current with updates on send out dates, received dates and tracking #s.
  8. If a swap participant has not mailed out a swap package 2 weeks after the swap deadline, please contact your assigned swap moderator for assistance.

Completion of Your Swap

  1. When a swap participant has fulfilled all swap obligations, you may leave feedback for the swapper by updating your LC swap spreadsheet with appropriate feedback (noting any applicable comments about communication, meeting swap deadlines, etc.). As long as the swap participant has met the swap requirements, the swapper will receive positive feedback. Negative feedback is reserved for swap participants that either have not sent the proper amount of swap items or have not sent at all.
  2. When all your swap participants have received feedback for the swap, close your swap and mark the swap as complete by updating the title of the swap thread to indicate that the swap is finished. Then change the tag to “swaps-completed”.
    Example of Completed Swap title:
    COMPLETED - Zippered Pouch Swap (signup 6/2 - 6/16 ; send outs 7/15)

Participating in a Swap

Conditions in order to participate in a swap

  1. You are at least 16 years old.
  2. You have been a LC member for at least 1 month.
  3. You have posted at least 15 times on LC.
  4. You are not signed up for more than the swap limit. If you have never swapped on LC, you may only sign up for one swap. Once you have completed that swap successfully, you may sign up for up to five swaps at a time.
  5. You must be the sole user of the account. This means that if you swap, you cannot let friends or family use your account also. You are responsible for any Negative Feedback that occurs under your username.
  6. Other requirements as posted by the swap organizer.

Joining a swap

Swap Organizers can set up swap specific rules about age limits, communication requirements for the swap, etc. The Swap Organizer has the right to choose who may participate in the swap, and may exclude anyone for any good reason such as poor feedback comments, a history of sending late, etc.

In each swap signup thread, there is a list of questions you must answer and send to the organizer in order to join the swap. When you see a swap you are interested in joining, copy the form, fill it out in full, and send it to the organizer of the swap via Message. In addition, you must post in the signup thread. The thread is a major means of communication for the organizer and the swap participants.

Participants must post pictures of what they receive directly to LC (no links) in a timely manner.

Please think carefully before you join a swap about whether you will truly be able to fulfill your end of the swap by the deadline that is given. Read through all the rules and make sure you are comfortable with them. If you have any questions, send the organizer a private message or post on the thread to clarify. Make sure you know exactly what’s expected of you before you commit.

NEW RULE:
All packages will be sent with proper postage at the time of sending. Be advised that the receiving party will be responsible for all additional taxes required by their country to obtain a package once it has been sent.

Swap Sizes

Here is a general guideline for item sizes in a swap

By Size AND Time:

  • Extra Small – under 1 hour – ATC, bookmark, vinyl decal, fridge magnet, stickers, masterboards, earrings.
  • Small – 2+ hours – pouches, ATC trios, TM patch, small artwork, dishcloth, set of 4 notecards, simple necklace.
  • Medium – 3+ hours – small amigurumi (6” or less), tote bags, basic scarf, hooplas (outline or felt), earring & necklace set.
  • Large – 4+ hours – amigurumi (over 6”), intricate scarf, intricate hoopla, art quilt.
  • Extra Large – 5+ hours – Purse, shawl, blanket, lap quilt, woven towel.

There will be exceptions in the case of more complex designs and patterns. These are just examples, use your best judgment on your craft.

The times listed are suggestions and should not be the only thing used to determine the swap size. For example, if you are a new or slow knitter and it takes you five hours to knit a basic scarf that should normally take three hours, this does not make the item an extra large. That item would still be a medium. Please refer to the list of items for comparison.
Cost can also come into play. If you create a necklace using precious stones/gems and silver or gold findings, that would bump the size of your item up.

Dry times, run times for machine embroidery, die cutter machines, cook times, etc. do not count towards the craft time.

If you have any questions about where your craft would fall, contact @geekgirl , @gozer , or @kwality570 with either an image or description of the craft and we can help you categorize it.

Mailing Packages

Items that are not allowed in swap packages:

  • Anything that is illegal in the U.S. or wherever you are sending your package to or from.
  • Any items that have a legal age requirement to consume in the U.S. such as tobacco, alcohol, pornography etc.
  • Mixed CDs containing copyrighted music or similar, including copied software, CDs, DVDs, etc.

Mailing your swap items to your swap partner:

  • All swaps packages must be mailed directly to the participant or responsible party.
  • Due to our use of Swap Angels for lost packages, we do not allow all packages to be sent to one person for distribution (example, Swap Organizer).**
  • For packages sent within the U.S., you must use package tracking when you mail your package. Send the tracking number to the Swap Organizer and to your partner so that they can record it. This tracking number is your proof that you actually mailed your package.
  • If your package is lost in the mail or your partner disappears without reporting that they received, you will still get Positive Feedback if you provided a valid tracking to your organizer. Package tracking is for your protection!
  • If you send internationally, you must keep the receipt you get for shipping the item. The receipt should have information about where the package is going. Photograph or scan the receipt and send it to the organizer and your partner when you report that your package is mailed.
  • Exception to the tracking rules: some shipping places (like the US Post Office) won’t do package tracking/delivery confirmation on packages that are too thin, such as normal envelopes. Because of this, papercraft swaps are exempt from the tracking requirements, BUT participants are required to resend if for any reason their package is not received.

What if you can’t make the deadline

  • If for any reason you are unable to fulfill your commitment by the swap deadline, it is crucial that you let the Swap Organizer know via PM as soon as possible. If the swap is still in the signup stage and partners have not been assigned, you may withdraw from the swap with no penalty. A swap mod will remove your feedback.
  • If the swap is past the signup stage it is up to your organizer to decide if you can have your feedback removed. If they think the feedback should stay, you may receive Negative Feedback. Keep in mind that Negative Feedback is reversible. Later in this guide, the process for reversing Negative Feedback is explained.

What to do when you receive your Package

  • As soon as possible, send a PM to both the Swap Organizer and your partner and let them know that the item has arrived.
  • You must post photos of what you received on LC (no links) and a description of what you received from your partner in the Swap Gallery thread that the Organizer created.
  • Make sure to thank your partner!

Receiving Feedback

  • After your partner has received the package you sent, the Swap Organizer will post Positive or Negative Feedback, along with any applicable comments about your communication and your participation in the swap. As long as you meet the swap requirements, you will receive Positive Feedback. The Swap Organizer is responsible for including accurate comments about your participation. Poor communication or late sending will be noted.

  • If you are unable to meet the deadline within two weeks of the stated send date, but are still in communication, you will receive temporary Negative Feedback that will be changed to positive once your partner has received your package.

  • Angels will be called for after two weeks without communication and three weeks with communication (with organizers discretion)**

  • 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 and you will not be allowed to sign up for any more swaps until you send a package of equal size/value to the Angel who sent the replacement package (or recipient depending on activity of users). (Change starts for all packages requiring an Angel for swaps started AFTER 6/1) A new questionnaire will be provided for you. Although your Negative will be changed to Positive so that you may swap again, the original comments about your performance will remain and you will be on “probation” and only able to join one swap at a time for your next THREE swaps.

  • If the swap has been over for quite some time and you still do not have feedback, please PM your Swap Organizer and ask them to update it as soon as possible. If you do not get an answer, open a swap-related Help Desk ticket. *Help Desk still under construction. Please send a message to the swap mods.

***heck (note: I never realized the rules ended with “heck”, but I found it funny, so I left it - @gozer)

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:+1: looks good to me!

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Would you be able to add a list of what consists of the differ swap item sized (ie - small = 2 hours or less, $5 or less)?

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Done. :slight_smile:

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Thank you, @racky!

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Nice to have a point of reference for swaps.
And yay! We have swaps going on…exciting times indeed.

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If I was a swapper on craftster do I still have to be a member on here for 1 month and post 15 times?

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obviously late reading this, but I just noticed the clickable link now at the top of each page that says, “Open Swaps” and I am so excited to see that – what a great feature

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A question. Or observation maybe… If I send as a letter internationally (from Sweden) there’s no information about where the package is going. It just has a date and says ”postage” or ”stamps”. If I send as a package there might be more info, but it’s been a while since I used this option since packages are handled with other packages and my 1 kg package could easily be squished under a 50 kg package. I was warned by a postal worker I know to be careful with that option :laughing:

To my understanding the only other way for me to be compliant is to purchase tracking, because in that case I get a larger receipt with tracking number and the adress it’s going to.

Is that the only option for me in order to follow the rules, or could I send without tracking and resend if it goes missing? Adding tracking can easily double or triple the postage, more if it’s something small/lightweight.

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In this case, I would snap a quick picture of the package or letter with the receipt. That should do as proof of sending.

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Thanks! I’ll do that if I can’t fit tracking in the swap budget.

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This says 18 years old in 1 spot but 16 in another, which one is correct?

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You have to be at least 18 to organize, but 16 to join.

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Yep! What she said. 18 to organize, 16 to participate.

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Awesome, thank you!

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My brain immediately “that’s what she said!” :joy:

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:rofl:

When we decided to open swaps, we added these additional guidelines about being a swap organizer. We forgot to add them to this page. They are now included in the swap organizer guidelines on the first post.

  • You must message @gozer, @loves2experiment and @kittykill before opening a new swap. The reason for this is so that you can be assigned a swap mod liaison and have a spreadsheet set up for your new swap.
  • Verify that the members signing up for the swap are in good standing (this can be done once you have access to the spreadsheets)
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Man it’s been a LONG time. I joined when craftster closed but haven’t said anything cause I find the forums difficult but hope to start figuring it out so I can join in the fun again (was mlsocci74 on craftster).

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Welcome! Hope you have fun in the new place. I had some difficulties using the new forums at first, too. But now I post all the time and it feels easy.

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