Since Norm got it started with swap postage tips, I thought I’d share a few other swap tips, but feel free to post on this thread any other swap tips you might have.
“Toe tags” are just as important as proper shipping and postage and can be interpreted many ways. The main point is to attach something with some info about the fly and tyer. Very irritating as a swap Meister to get a box of loose flies with no form of identification
Norm got me started a few years ago printing recipe cards which now always include my name&handle, pattern name and recipe. I buy packs of 250 business cards at the close-out stores whenever I see them, and have never paid more than $3 for 250 (10 cards per page). Avery templates are downloaded free for all the major word processing programs. Type up one card and print 10 per page. You’d be surprised at how much you can really print on a business card. Now, if you don’t have a printer, then all this is a moot point.
I also use small 3"x4" zip-lock baggies found at most craft stores, also for about a penny or 2 per bag. For swap flies, I staple the hook to the card and put a staple through the hook eye and attach to the card then put in the baggie. A very clean look, and for most flies this protects the fly more than it smashes it.
Some might think this is a lot of extra work, but like many tyers, I try to show a little pride in my flies, especially for swaps. The cards can be typed and printed faster than writing out 12 slips of paper with your name and pattern on them, then having to cut them out.
do you use the entire business card per one fly? if so, does this get in the way when putting them back in the (sometimes small) boxes you are returning to the original swapper?
I use MS Word, size 6 font and cut them out of paper, but would like something in a template…I am thinking return address labels might work…they are small.
I use the avery return address label template found in Microsoft works to print toe tags on a sheet of paper and then cut them out and attach them to flies. I admire the beautiful photo tags with recipes that some people do but I really am not computer savvy enough to do them.
i use the busines card method per one fly on some swaps and yes it doesnt always fit in a small box or tin. in that case i’ll slip it in the envelope with the supplied box.
i like to photograph my swap fly. then i put it on one side of the business card and then the recipe on the other side of the card.
Yes, when I print business cards, it’s one card for each fly and each card has the recipe listed (hook, thread, tail, under body, body, wings, hackle/collar, eyes, head (epoxy etc), whatever. Anywhere from 5 to 10 parts& materials listed give or take.
This is why when swapping, one should not assume a little tin will always be enough. After getting my first swap fly in a business card sized baggie (probably from Norm) I made sure that from that point on, the container I send my flies out in will be big enough for the biggest possible fly in that swap times the number tyers in that swap. As a swap Meister, you either stuff the flies in whatever the swapper sent, or go get a bigger envelope, and not many Meisters will go to that trouble.
As the Swapmeister of “Beginners Only Fly Swap”, I supply the members of the Swap with the following.
1 - Cardboard Russell Stover " Chocolate Candy Box", minis chocolates that I force on my grandson. I enclude a mailing label attached to the top of the shipment box with the members true name and address. I also include a red rubber band for securing the lid on the shipment box. I also include a plactic bag for the flies w/ toetags to stored inside during shipment.
1 - 8?" x 11" sheet of printed cardstock “Toe Tag” with their FAOL Handle.
5 - Preprinted Addressed 6" x 9" Mailing Envelopes
5 - Preprinted Addressed 6" x 9" Return Mailing Envelopes
U.S. Postal Service frowns on metal containers for shipment, since 9/11, that is why I use the cardboard boxes instead. They are very sturdy and with lighter weight, help on reducing the mailing costs. The label on the shipment box is two fold purpose, for my use when sorting flies, and backup if the mailing envelope becomes damage, the box has a address that the recovered box can be sent back to by the U.S. Mail Recovery Center.
heres a couple i did, the lower swap card did not go in a baggie for obvious reasons. is this overkill? sure it is but i take pride in what i tie and make an effort to make it look good. this is MY method and it may not be suitable for others
obviously you cannot send a dry fly in a baggie
heres some more toe tags
theres are just pieces of paper that were made using a word document software, then printed out and cut into strips etc
