Lots of forums and websites offer swaps. Usually you have a
sort of sign up so that you can be assigned a swap buddy. The most popular
sites I know to do somewhat regular trades are Ravelry and Craftster.
I'm fortunate to have a permanent swap buddy, Sweety Darlin'
of Sweety Darlin' Designs. We met around a year ago online and have been
swapping stories, crafting tips, business info, and goods ever since. She's the
kind of gal you enjoy texting until your phone dies.
During one of many (usually daily) texting sessions the
proper etiquette of online trading and swapping came up. We found ourselves in
agreement that there's a lot of confusion about how to best go about it and a
lot of worry about finding yourself having given up things only to get nothing
in return. This is a problem we've decided to team up about and create a
special blog post for you covering the proper etiquette for an online trade.
Be respectful
In everything you do you should strive to be respectful of
the person, their time, their work, and their process. Trades are in the same
ballpark as favors, someone has decided to do something for you and in return
you will be doing something for them.
Be courteous and polite
Kindergarten rules always apply! If someone doesn't want to
make a private trade with you, they don't have to. Be an adult and be a
gentleman or lady when proposing a trade and through all of your
communications. Keep in mind that your tone and cantor do not always translate
in the written language, so make sure that your correspondence could not be
read in any way that would be deemed rude or pushy.
Clarity
All parties involved in a trade need to have terms that are
clear and agreeable to them. Sometimes you agreed terms can be a little loose,
you don't have to create a contract worthy of notarization unless that's what
both of you want.
Example of loose terms:
Before Saint Patricks Day I sold Sweety Darlin' a pair of green, high-heeled,
sneaker boots that never fit me the way I prefer (in fact she mentions the shoes in one of her bog posts). I told her I had shoes for
sale, she looked, chose a pair she liked, I sent them to her, told her the
final total, and waited until she Paypaled me the money. Because we were
trading with a friend, and someone we felt comfortable and familiar with, no
terms of "pay by this day or else" were set. I got the shoes out to
her quickly and she paid me quickly. It was all just a matter of common sense
and common courtesy.
More defined terms can still be simplistic… Such as….
The total for the amazeballs sneaker boots will be $45. I
have them ready to ship via priority mail which should take 2-3 business days.
Please keep this in mind when rendering payment, so that the item arrive sin
the time frame you need them. However if payment isn’t received in two weeks
and no arrangements made I will offer them for sale to other parties.
Time
For most of the trades I've been involved in, the item I was
supposed to end up with was not time sensitive. If what you want to trade for
is time sensitive then you need to make sure anyone you approach would have
ample time to create whatever the item is. A hand-knit sweater will take longer
to make than say . . . handmade sidewalk chalk.
If time is a factor then it may be best for you and the
person you trade with to come to an agreement about how long each of you will
take to hold up your end of the bargain.
Example of time:
The most recent trade the two of us are working on between each other is for
some clothes for my little girl. None of the items Sweety Darlin' will be
making are in sizes that I have any worry of my daughter no longer fitting by
the time they arrive. What does she get in return? Money and shoes, because who
doesn't need money and who doesn't love shoes!?
Cost
Now here's where things can get uncomfortable no matter how
well you know the person or persons you are swapping with. All trades will
involve material and labor costs for one or both parties.
These costs can include:
Labor
If you're trading a finished item manufactured by anyone other
than yourself you can really only factor in cost because you didn't make the
item. When the item you are trading for needs to be created specific for the
trade appropriate labor costs occasionally apply. This is not the case with all
trades but it's a factor worth being aware of before asking someone to trade.
Time
Production of items can be slowed by things like family,
commissioned work (goods that are being bought and paid via the traditional
routes), jobs outside of the crafting community (maybe you're trading with
someone that only crafts by night and is a sous chef in a busy restaurant - you
never know).
Materials
What are you trading for? A hand-knit item? Pieces of custom-made
clothing? Hand-made jewelery? Between friends this is one of those costs that
can sometimes fall subject to "the friend price". You may be getting
a better deal than any customer could hope for because not only are they
getting something in return but there are other costs that the two of you are
factoring in to create an agreeable trade.
Shipping
It is common practice when doing a trade that each party pay the
shipping costs for the item they are sending. Since shipping costs will be
incurred both ways it is disrespectful for one party to ask another party to
pay shipping for both parties. This also makes the trade inequitable.
Packaging
For most this is combined with shipping but if for any reason the
packaging necessary to ship your item is something that could create an issue
then this is something you need to discuss in the terms of your trade.
Example of packaging differentials:
The transport of packaging of a piece of furniture or a finished canvas painting
may bring up a possible packaging discrepancy when the other trader is sending
you a piece of precious metal jewelry. This is something that needs to be discussed
and the beginning of your agreement and not the end when everyone has already
created their piece.
Acceptable End Results
In the end people need to realize that a trade is exactly
that - a trade and that if it isn't of equal value or agreed upon sacrifice by
both parties then it really isn't a trade. You should never seek to make
excessive profit from anyone trading raw materials for your goods.
We leave you with one final example:
If you handmade
a dress and you are trading for raw fabric, then there is a equitable
calculator for that process. You paid $10 for the dress materials. You
typically sell that dress for $25 to cover labor and profit. You are trading
for $20 in raw materials which will result in a total of $50+ in final product.
Therefore you take a little hit on labor, but the overall trade you end up with
more profit. Because you effectively
paid $10 for $20 in raw materials which creates $50+ in profit, that is a good
margin.
Here is how
it works if you are being a little too pushy. Same dress has $10 in materials
and another $15 in labor and profit. You are trading for a total valued cost of
$45 in raw materials. You are getting way more than your product is worth and
the profit you make on the final product from those raw materials will increase
equally. However the person on the other end has not gotten their money’s
worth, because they paid $45 for a $25 item. No one wants to lose money.
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