Frequently Asked Questions and DO's and DONT's:
Question: What do I bring?/ What do I not bring?
Answer: CLEAN, unused, or gently used items for babies and kids ages
0-14. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make sure your items are things that YOU would want to take home - Clothes, shoes, books, movies, small toys, baby stuff, walkers, bouncers, highchairs, portacribs. Email me if you have any questions! I can't stress to you enough how important it is that you WASH your stuff before you bring it! I take stuff for donation after the swaps and I can't donate stuff that is dirty and yucky. So, DON'T bring clothes with holes or stains, don't bring games that don't work or toys that are broken..in other words.... don't bring your junk :) - it will not be accepted. Try not to bring stuff out of season - I am not going to turn it away, but remember, I am one person - charities don't want bathing suits and shorts in December - and I end of having to store all of this stuff after each swap. At this time, no cribs (although you can post those online here). Again, email me if you have any questions about what you can and can't bring. If it is heavily stained or has holes in it - throw it in a bucket in the garage and use it for rags to wash the car. There is a point when clothes wear out! :)
Question: How does it work?
Answer: You can drop your items up up to any time prior to a kid's swap - there is also a drop off time on the day of the event- see upcoming events for times. You drop your stuff & get a ticket (keep the ticket you will need it to get in to the kid's swap- this is how I know who brought stuff to swap), sign in with your name and email & pay the $5. All clothing items should be clean and in good condition and on hangers (you can get hangers from JCPenney ) -if getting hangers is an issue for you - email me, I am collecting extras :) so you can hang your items when you get to the swap. When the swap starts, show your ticket & go in (with your own bag) & collect what you want from the swap. It's that easy. Hopefully you find a bagful or more of stuff to take home ~ take hangers too if you brought them with you (or you can leave them with me until the next kid's swap).
Question: I don't have anything to swap, can I come?
Answer: If you are a new or expecting/first time mom you are welcome to come if you don't have anything to exchange (you obviously wouldn't yet... but you will!) - you can pay the $5, and there is plenty of newborn stuff to go around. Other than first time moms though, we give priority to families that bring stuff to swap. However, you are still welcome to come after a certain time and "shop" and take home what you need - as long as you make a donation, and come at the designated times (10:45 for Nevada County or 11:45 for Rocklin). If you want to come regularly, I suggest just making sure you have a few things to bring to each swap - with my girls, I know I can always open their closets and find a few things to bring to the swap every month.
Question: Why do you charge $5?
Answer: The $5 goes towards running the swaps. Basically it takes a lot of time, energy, and money to organize, promote & put on these swaps. My first priority is to have an event like this that gives back to communities, and in order to grow and make them more efficient, we need to, as a community, invest a little into projects like these. My vision is to make the swaps like a ongoing consignment shop - except everything is free to take - no credit for the stuff you bring in, no picking through your stuff and not taking certain items etc.. Of course, I can't be open all the time ~ but I want to be available at least on a quarterly basis, if not more, for you to come and exchange your stuff ~ and be big enough that there is a lot of stuff to go around. I also want the swaps to grow and expand into other communities. I LOVE doing the swaps and want to continue to grow, but I can't do it on my own. I am more than willing to work with anyone that can not afford to pay $5- as I want everyone to be able to attend- I really want this to be about helping each individual community. The funds go towards printing costs, marketing, storage for in between the swaps, paying off the tables and racks, web hosting & maintenance & general administration. Thanks for understanding. And, thanks so much for all of your support and donations already.
Question: If I volunteer, can I take stuff while I am sorting?
Answer: Volunteers may choose up to 5 items prior to a swap starting.
Question: I can't make it during the time of the swap - can I come early to get stuff?
Answer: Unfortunately, no. It's not fair to the other moms waiting. The swaps start at a certain time and no entry will be permitted (except for volunteers) until the swap begins. Everyone that brought stuff to swap will be allowed to enter at the same time. People who did not bring items to swap will be allowed to enter 45 minutes after the swap begins - this gives priority to the people who brought stuff to swap.
Question: I am interested in volunteering, do I just show up?
Answer: No, you must email me first and register with me so that I am expecting you. It's awesome to have the extra help, but gets confusing when people are helping and aren't on the list. Other moms start asking questions, and we can't really have anyone sorting and helping unless the have pre- registered. all you have to do to register, is shoot me an email.
Question: If I bring 10 things can I only take 10 things?
Answer: I thought about implementing a "take what you bring" system, but if you think about how time consuming it would be to count everyone's stuff on the in and on the out - I don't know if it would be worth it. Use your best judgement. If you bring 2 things don't take 8 bags of stuf home with you :) If your kid is 2 years old don't take size 4 stuff just because it's "cute" or a brand name you like. Don't hoard stuff. Take what you need. Bring it back when you are done. The bottom line is I really want this to be about the community, about moms getting together and trading their stuff with other moms. If somebody really needs something, let them have it. I truly believe all of us, we have enough stuff to go around. We just need a place to meet and exchange!
Question: I brought stuff but I didn't see anything I wanted - can I take something at the next swap?
Answer: I would be willing to bet that by next swap, you already have another bag of stuff to bring - but if you don't find anything you want at this swap - I will be happy to stamp a card for you to bring back to the next swap.
Question: I would like to start a peace. love. swap. Kid's Swap in my community - can you help me?
Answer: I would LOVE to!! However, first read over the entire website, and check out the blog to see if we are on the same page- are you interested for the right reasons? Do you have the time to get one going- I can help you do it, but you or your mom's group has to be willing to put in some time and be able to run it on your own. If you think you are interested., Let's talk - EMAIL ME so we can chat about the possibilities.
DO's and DONT's
DO:
-Have Fun
-Bring your kids - but keep them close - it gets crowded!
-Clean your items before you bring them in
-Bring your own bags if possible - try to bring re-usable bags
-Come back every month- there is always new stuff
- If you find stuff to take home, make the $5 donation
-Join the Yahoo group and post online
- Become a fan on Facebook
- Put fliers up at your kid's daycare center/school and tell your friends.
- Support the sponsors that sponsor the events :)
DON'T
-Bring in junk - I can't take heavily stained items to charities - heavily stained clothes make great rags!
-Hoard Stuff, and don't take stuff that that is way too big for your child - let someone else have it, they will bring it back when they are done
-Don't sell items you get at the swap - - you won't be able to come back if we find out this is happening
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