[Beth E]

Hi, just wondering if anyone has ever held or attended a swap party (baby and kids' clothes, toys, etc).

How do they work, and were they easy to organise?

I have a few people interested in attending, but not sure how to start..

Any ideas?

thanks!

[iheartu]

Lol thought this was going to be another swinging thread :D

Sounds like a great idea though

[Beth E]

I know, sorry to disappoint!

Everyone I mentioned it to so far has laughed or looked hopeful, lol..

[asdf89]

We used to do these all the time in high school.

You bring all your clothes that you don't wear/want anymore but are still wearable. Then empty all the bags into the middle of the room and go through piece by piece to see if anyone wants it. If noone wants it, it goes in the op shop pile. If one person wants it, they get it. If more than one person wants it, it gets put to one side and at the end (once all the clothes have been gone through) the contenders try the item on and see what they think/who it looks better on.

Super fun way to get some new clothes. I imagine this method would suit kids clothes/toys etc (just have to come up with a new way to decide who gets an item when more than one person wants it)

[Beth E]

That sounds OK. Simpler than giving out tickets etc that I saw suggested on the net..

But what if some people bring lots of stuff and some people bring one thing? Or doesn't it matter?

[Zeppelina]

Have been to one, and held one clothes swap party - not kids clothes though, just my (and other women's!) clothes.

It was fairly simple - set a date and a time, invite a few people (not too many as there just wasn't enough space!) and get everyone to bring any clothes that they no longer wanted but that were still in wearable condition.

Once everyone had arrived, we spread our stuff out around the room, each claiming one corner or part of it, and then everyone went around and looked at/tried on stuff. At the end, the 'bargaining' happened - some things were easy as only one person wanted the item, others were more difficult as two or more people were interested in the same item. In this case, it was a case of what each interested party had to offer in return to the owner of the original item.

I would definitely do it again, it was great!

ETA: it didn't matter who brought how much, really.

This post has been edited by Zepellina: 06/01/2013, 08:43 PM

[asdf89]

With our parties it didn't really matter - you're bringing stuff you don't use anymore so it's not like you're losing anything you value. I had one friend who would only wear a dress once, and quite often brought stuff still with tags on.

Also we used to hold them quite regularly (once a term if I remember) so it would even out over time. Also we would semi-self regulate - so if you noticed your pile of new clothes was bigger than the pile you brought, you'd calm down a bit.

[Beth E]

So if it is a mix of things (not just clothes), does it need to work any differently? I just worry that some things may be "worth" more than other types of things, if you know what I mean?

Do you need to swap clothes for clothes, toys for toys, home things for home things?

Sorry to be dumb!



This post has been edited by Beth E: 06/01/2013, 08:52 PM

[asdf89]

I would think not. You're going to be there for a long time trying to achieve an equal swap for all goods. I didn't look at it like 'This is a $20 top... so if I take those $15 pants I need to get something else to break even'. If someone has something they want to get a certain value for, they should sell it. In my previous example, the friend who would bring new stuff never expected to get new stuff back - my mother wouldn't have let me give away brand new clothes!

Also if someone brings a car full of toys, they might not want to replace them but get some new clothes instead.

The idea is to have a fun time with friends, laughing about poor fashion choices (or noisy toy regrets etc), and come away with some new stuff. If you take items you would be happy to give away/give to charity (and make sure that's what others do too) it should work out alright.

[Beth E]

Yes, I see what you mean and I agree..

Will just make it clear to people that is the way it will work.

Thanks heaps for your advice!