Important Swap Items

[bassman]

I think that is a good idea also Paul. I remeber when I first came to FAOL. I did not know anything about swaps or how to run them. I had to learn by asking a lot of questions. I know some got tired of me asking. It would have been nice to have some sort of guidelines to go by. John

[ol' blue]

Yep. It can boil down to just 2 things for tyers and swap hosts:

1) Communicate. Post when you mail, post when you receive. Post your questions. It might help someone else, too.
2) Be on time. If you are late, you affect everyone else.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Very few will mind, and most remember being new at this, too.
Another thing to do if you are considering hosting a new swap would be to go read a few swap posts from start to finish. Boring, but you will start to see the normal order of things and how they transpire. And start small on your first swap. Keep it to 6 or 8 so you can keep a handle on things, then you can really expand things after that if you want to.
If you don't have a camera, ask for a volunteer to take pics for you. Most times, someone will be more than happy to do it.

[bassman]

ol'blue, has brought up some very good points that should be very helpful to all of us. Thanks a lot. John

[ol' blue]

I thought I'd add another suggestion after a recent swap I did. When you send your return package, address it yourself or include a preaddressed label for it. I had one entry that hand wrote on the original package, didn't write the return info down anywhere else. I can't read the writing on the original package, so can't send it back to him. I have tried to contact him several times, but haven't received a response. So his package of flies are still sitting on my desk waiting for his info to ship back to him.

[bassman]

Very important idea. I always address both envelopes myself. I also put My online name and the swap name on both envelopes. John

[bassman]

When you are in a swap always try to mail you flies to the swap host 7-10 days before the end of the swap, so that they will reach the host by the deadline. As the deadline date is the date for the host to receive the flies not for you to mail them. If this is done everyone will receive their flies back in a very timely manner. John

[FishnDave]

I just signed up to join my first swap. I'm pretty excited!

What sort of box/envelopes do you like to use for sending the flies, so postage can be minimized? Can anyone post a picture?

Thanks for the help!

[bassman]

I always try to match the box for the flies I will be getting back. Most folks use Altoid tins. I do find them a little small some times. I buy the small utility lure boxes at Bass Pro or Walmart. For envelopes Most use an appropiate sized manila envelopes. To fit the size of your box. I like to use the bubble padded envelopes. I purchase mine at Walmart. Hope this helps. John

[TyroneFly]

Here is a link to the brand of mini storage boxes I use for sending/receiving my flies. I picked mine up at Michael's craft store on sale at 2/$1. They are strong and sturdy and stockable as well. http://www.craftamerica.com/storage_...ers_page_6.htm

I have the 5 Compartment Plastic Mini Storage Container. Great for small flies to streamers.

When sending I use 2 different size padded mailers. One for returning (SASE) and the other slightly larger for sending. This method has worked great for the swaps I have entered.

Congratulations on taking your addiction to the next level. Have fun!

[6wt8wt]

What does the swap host do? Does he mail the fly you made back to you or does he send it back to someone else?