Our Second Annual Swap

I admit. I was completely terrible about taking pictures this year… meaning I didn’t take any. Oops! But nonetheless, I thought you all deserved a swap update!

This past weekend, my friend Jessica and I hosted our second annual swap.

Invitations: We sent out a save the date about six weeks in advance to give friends a heads up to start cleaning out their closets and attics. Then about three weeks before, we sent out an Evite. Actually the picture above is the Evite invitation we used. How awesome is that? They actually have an Evite invitation for swap parties!

We invited about 15 friends, hoping no more than 8 would be able to come. Too many people at a swap makes it difficult to manage, but 10 might be doable. We ended up with 5. Keep in mind that post-spring cleaning means a summer swap, which means busy schedules and travel plans. Also don’t be offended if less than usually would come to your party actually attend. Swaps are not for everyone, and that’s okay.

Items to bring: Basically my rule was: “Anything goes, but please make sure it is in good condition and that you think someone else may actually want it.” …I added that last part about someone actually wanting it because last year people brought all sorts of items from their attic, and Jessica and I were stuck toting it all to Goodwill after. Great to donate. But not great to have cars full of trash. Also we asked that people really bring things they want to swap or donate – no “I am glad for someone to take this, but if I don’t find something I like, I might take it back.”

I would also ask guests to bring a tote bag or box with them to take their treasures home in. The same bag or box you used to bring your items in will do.

Organization: The rooms we used had specific places for different items. For example, there were places for houseware and miscellaneous, kitchen, clothes, purses and shoes, and books and DVDs. In the future, I plan to have a section for kids’ toys as well. We did not have a clothes rod either year, though that would have been helpful and made things prettier! (If you have a clothes rod, provide hangers for guests to hang up their clothing items. You can ask people to leave the hangers when they leave.)

How to swap: As I said, everyone would come in and place their items on the designated tables. After guests arrive, have a muffin and tea, and mingle a bit, we had guests draw numbers. The person with the number 1 was able to have the first choice of the item they wanted to take. Then number 2 goes… etc. We did three rounds of this. After that it was a free for all. By this point most of the “most coveted” items are taken, so it’s fair game.

Notice that we did not do a perfect trade type swap. Someone could bring 10 items and leave with 15. We weren’t that picky. Remember one of the rules above was to only bring things you really didn’t care if people took home or if they were donated. Now that said, almost no one leaves with more than they came with, or the same amount for that matter. Many of the items go to donations. Now you could do a different method for this. I believe Real Simple has some other options you could look into. See this article. This method worked best for us.

Leftovers: We already had a Goodwill drop off in mind, that we knew was open, to take the items to. (We learned from last year’s mistake… we drove around for an hour and a half looking for an open Goodwill drop off station.) So guests helped us to load items in the car after the party, and off Jessica and I went to drop off the rest of the items. We found treasures and donated too!

My treasures this time around? I actually took several clothing items, but that was about it! Another friend was excited about some outdoor chandeliers she found for her patio! And another was excited about getting several new purses! And another friend even found a maternity dress! Great deals all around!

Verdict: Swap #2 was a success! Read about Swap #1 here.