Sign-ups are now open for the 2012 Valentine's Swap!

SWAP DATES:
Sign-ups & wishlists December 26th - 31st (open to 25 swappers) CLOSED
Partners sent out by January 2nd (Monday afternoon) SENT
International shipping deadline Thursday, February 2nd
US/same country shipping deadline Wednesday, February 8th

This will be a fast swap, please DO NOT apply to join if you are not prepared to start shopping right away or you think you will be late on shipping. International are encouraged to ship as soon as possible. If you have a difficult wantlist or are extremely picky about condition this is probably not the swap to join as there will not be a lot of time for others to hunt down difficult or mint ponies.

This swap will have two levels, $10 or $20 (remember, shipping is extra!)
• First time swappers and swappers with less than 10 feedbacks are welcome to apply for the $10 level.
• If you have 10 or more feedbacks you are welcome to join the $20 level.
• Feedbacks must be from SELLING or TRADING, buying doesn't count.
For International purposes the $10 swap should be approximately equal to the value of 2 MIB G3 ponies, the $20 swap equal to 4 G3/G4.

PLEASE READ:
If money is tight for you please DO NOT apply to be in this swap. $10 may not sound like much but you need to be prepared to spend 2-3 times that amount by the time you factor in shipping the ponies to you, buying extras, wrapping and then shipping out the finished box to your partner. Same with the $20 level, you will be spending up to 2-3 times that amount.

SWAP INFO:
The Valentine's Swap will be focused on ponies! Please spend your full swap amount on ponies from your swappers wantlist. This is NOT a random swap so ponies MUST be from your partners list and they MUST be in very good condition unless your swapper is requesting baits or is not picky. The only extras that are suggested are to include a small selection of candy based on your swappers tastes (included on the wantlist form) and a Valentine's card with your name so that they know who the gifts are from. Please wrap your swappers gifts according to the holiday. Any other extras you include are up to you.

I will be available at ALL TIMES throughout the swap if you need help with shopping, have questions or whatever - just send me a PM!

To sign up please complete the form below and send it in an E-MAIL to: mlp.swap @ branduin.com
(Please NO PMs for sign-ups but you can definitely contact me by PM during the swap)

Please copy one of the lines below and use it for the subject of your sign-up e-mail!
$10 Valentine's Swap 2012
$20 Valentine's Swap 2012

Please post below to let me know that you've sent in the form so that I don't miss anyone! I will e-mail you back and add your name to this thread once approved!


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2012 VALENTINE'S SWAP FORM
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Screen Name:

Swap level ($10 or $20):

References for SELLING or TRADING (link to Arena, TP, eBay or other feedback):

Real name and full shipping address:



Willing to ship international if needed? (keep in mind shipping will be higher!):


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Please list any other swaps that you are involved in currently:


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OPTIONAL SECTION:
Do you currently have any ponies for trade/sale that are in very good/excellent condition? List what you have available and I will try to match you up with someone who has one or more of those ponies on their wantlist if at all possible!
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5.
(add more if needed, only very good+ ponies please!)


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*** Please specify LOOSE or MIB for any G3 - G4 ponies on your list! ***

*** Check the Price Check Archives or ended eBay listings to make sure ponies on your list aren't valued at over your swap level (meaning don't put baby Leaper on your list, no Mimics, don't ask for G3 Beach Belle or G4 ponies only seen on Taobao) ***


WANT LIST:
<note for next year to edit this>(please fill in a minimum of 20 ponies within your swap value, a link to your wantlist may be included but not substituted for the list)
*** Include G1, G2, G3/G3.5 or G4 in front of ALL pony names to avoid confusion since many names are used in multiple generations! ***
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
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15.
16.
17.
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20.
(add more lines if needed)


Please list a little about what conditions are acceptable to you. Are symbol rubs okay, initials on the bottom of feet, are you super picky, etc:



EXTRA INFORMATION
Favorite type of chocolate (white, milk, dark):
Names of favorite candies:
Any allergies to food:



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Participant list:
Chipsterj
DazzleSurprise
Dusky
emery
Eskara1862
EvilMuffins
gazzy90
Kittykat7
lilgryphon
lishe
lovesbabysquirmy
mercynova
SailorEarth
Sternenstaub
stopxmotion
Summer-Blade
Sundaygirl
teacher316
ThriftyPony

SWAPPING GUIDELINES

WHAT TIME AND COSTS ARE INVOLVED WITH A SWAP?
When you join a swap with a certain cost level please understand that that value is for PONIES ONLY! The extras (like candy) will cost above and beyond the value of your swap and shipping cost will be extra also. You can expect to spend 2 to 3 times the amount that you sign up for so please be prepared and don't sign up if money is tight.


HOW DOES A SWAP WORK?
When you join a swap you will submit a wantlist of ponies that you would like to receive as well as some extra information about things like your favorite type of candy. Once all swappers have submitted their wantlists the swap organizer will then assign you a swap partner. In most cases you will not be sending to the same person who is sending to you. Your identity is kept secret until your swap gift is received so don't contact your swapper or post who you are sending to on the forums. You will shop for that person and make them up a special package based on their wantlist and the information they provide about the extra goodies.


YOUR WANTLIST
When making up your wantlist please only include ponies that are at or under the value of the swap level that you joined. For G3 ponies please include MIB or loose so your partner knows which to send. While you are taking part in a swap it's a good idea to not buy ponies for yourself which you included on your wantlist. You may end up with doubles as your swap partner might be buying them for you as well!


GOING SHOPPING FOR YOUR SWAP
Once you have the information about your swap partner it's time to shop. The ponies that you buy should reflect the value of your swap level. If you are buying G3 ponies at the store be sure to check for factory flaws as well as you can through the packaging. If you are buying G1 ponies from Arena members or from eBay be sure to ask for extra pictures and detailed descriptions so that you can be sure you are getting very good condition ponies. Ask about haircuts, tail rust, non-removable marks, pindot mold, cancer, etc. Get the best condition ponies that you can, you are going for very good condition to near mint unless your swapper lists something to the contrary like wanting bait ponies or So Softs for deflocking. If you are having trouble finding ponies on your swapper's list please PM the swap organizer for help!


THE EXTRA CANDY AND GOODIES
The extra items and fun stuff that you include with your gift is above the cost of your swap level. These need not be expensive but please include a few small items and candy with your pony gifts. Stores like Dollar Tree or similar that offer items at $1 or 99 cents are a great place to look for extras. Please try to get extras that go along with what your swapper likes. If all else fails though please include extras that correspond to the holiday the swap is geared for.


WASHING PONIES
We all love to send nice clean ponies as our gifts but sometimes we don't have enough time between receiving a pony and the deadline of the swap. If get a pony at the last minute please do not try to wash it as it may not get totally dry by the time you box it up to ship. Your swapper would rather receive a pony who is not perfectly cleaned or styled than one that has developed a case of tailrust while in the mail (it has happened before). Please do not wash any ponies unless you have at least 24-48 hours for them to air dry. The best way to do this is to either sit the pony in a glass with the tail hole down and the tail curled inside the glass or prop them butt down on a small towel so that any water that might be inside them can drain through their tail hole and be absorbed by the towel.


WRAPPING AND SHIPPING
When you wrap your swap ponies do not use any colored tissue directly touching the ponies as the color can transfer. Putting each pony in a small plastic baggy is a good solution and then you can use any color of wrapping or to wrap them in plain white tissue beforehand. When you pack your gifts for shipping please use a sturdy box so that nothing gets damaged in the mail. NO BUBBLE MAILERS! In the US the post office does offer flat rate boxes in a few sizes which is a good choice if your box is fairly heavy.


BEFORE YOUR SHIP YOUR GIFTS
If you have a camera or camera phone available please take a photo of your wrapped goodies and post a teaser photo in this thread. We wanna drool on your pretty wrapped gifts!
When you package your gifts be sure to include a card or note with your screen name on it. It's also a good idea to include a 3x5 card with both addresses on it just in case something were to happen to the outside of the box.


SHIPPING DEADLINE
Please box up your packages carefully, this is a gift and should be treated as such. Please use extra padding so that the gifts will be secure inside the box and won't be tossed around in shipping.
When you ship your package please PM the swap organizer to let them know.
Please do your best to ship out your package on or before the set deadline. If you are still waiting for ponies to arrive please contact the swap organizer before the deadline arrives to let them know that you will be a little late. Once you do ship your package please PM so that we can contact your swapper and let them know its on the way.


AFTER YOU RECEIVE YOUR GIFTS
If you have a camera available please take some photos and post your pictures in the Brag section. If you are the first person to receive their gifts please start a brag thread for the swap, otherwise add yours to the one that is already started.
If you are not happy with your gifts in any way please do not post it on the forums. Contact the swap organizer right away so that they can deal with it.


LEAVING FEEDBACK
Once you have received your swap gift please leave a feedback for your partner that sent you the gift. Include which swap it was from so that other people will know that they have participated in swaps before. If you have issues with your swap presents please contact the swap organizer before leaving feedback or posting about it on the forums. Issues need to be dealt with through PM and the swap organizer will handle that and keep you posted.

If at any time during the swap something happens that will prevent you from being able to fulfill the obligation to your swapper you need to PM your swap organizer IMMEDIATELY.

Here are links to previous Valentine's Brag Threads so you can get an idea of the type of wrapping and extras which people include for their partners:

mlparena.com/Forums/vi...28071.html

mlparena.com/Forums/vi...90515.html

mlparena.com/Forums/vi...44974.html

sounds like fun! Ive never sold before so have no feedback and I wouldnt trust myself anyway at the minute to organise a gift box for someone,but good luck to all the swappers

Oh I can sign up for this! I think

I emailed you.

i want so bad to join this, but i'm a little tight on money so i better play it safe and pass.

Oh I'd love to join but focusing on the army swap now so will have to give this one a miss sadly!

Sent you a mail!!

Any chance of a random swap happening anytime soon, rather than a wishlist swap?

I'd love to participate in another swap but I don't have much luck without Paypal shopping for things online.

I wish I could take part

Just sent in my e-mail! Swaps are so much fun, but I try to do only one or two a year. I think a Valentines swap sound awesome =)

Blarh! Emailed you. I so want to do this, I haven't been in a swap for ages and the opportunity to RAOK people gives me warm fuzzies.

Cute idea~ Money is a little tight right now so I probably won't be participating. I would hate not being able to put together a good package.

Maybe next year I will participate. I hope everyone who does has fun and gets some nice ponies!

I would love to join, but currently have no feedback. I was in the newbie swap though, but I've never sold anything. I guess I should think about it a little before commiting, because I want to make sure I can devote a lot to my box.