How long after deadline do you wait for the stragglers to arrive??

[SewSassyNClassy]

I signed up for my first swap, mailed my blocks on time, but have yet to get anything back per the schedule posted for the swap. When I did some checking around I realized my organizer had 12 other swaps going. That's too much for anyone under the best of circumstances and intentions. If I do try another swap, I will do a little more checking before signing up. I have volunteered to take over hosting responsibilities, not sure what else I can do.

Just another lesson learned I guess.

[knitnoid]

This get's long. Sorry about that, feel free to skip it.

The thing to remember about swap deadlines is what the deadline is? Is it the date the item is to be at hosteess house or the date the items are to be postmarked. Throw international swappers into the mix and you had additional time to consider.

When I host a swap - and I don't do many, I set the deadline to sign up, including a time. i.e. Sept 20th 10 PM CDT. If the message is received afterwords, unless there is extreme circumstances, that's the sign up deadline.

Then there's the deadline to get the item to the hostess. Depending on the swap, I usually give a date due to me, along with when this means the package has to be mailed. Due to me Oct 1st - means the package has to be in the mail by Sept 26th for US swappers and probably Sept 19th for international swappers.

Finally, I set a date for when the swap will occur - and this is generally 2 weeks out from the due date -- Oct 15th. This way, if someone forgot, there's still time to get a package to me, or, if they thought Oct 1st was the postmark date, there's time to let the package arrive. Most importantly, it gives me 2 weeks to get the swap done before I'm late.

One of the things I do is request the mailing address, e-mail address and phone # of the swapwer when they sign up. I'm not being nosy, just trying to make sure that if something goes wrong I know why. A year ago I called a swapper to see where her package was. Swore her husband had mailed it. It showed up about 3 days later -- postmarked the day after I called -- her husband had forgotten to mail it. This past year, one of my swappers cut off her phone and internet since she was traveling for a couple of months. Could not reach her, so semi-sorted with out her (this is a centralized year long swap). No one on the lsit had any idea where she was. Finally sent a custom postcard, wishing for a response from whoever was checking her mail. We got a response (she was camping thoughout the state for 45 days!)


Having said all of this, I know that the swap I'm currently in was due June 30th. It was extended out to July 7th and then there were still a few straggler. They posted appoligize and we all accepted the appoligy and said that's OK, just send them in when you get them done. Additional stragglers were waited on, the hostess moved, lost her job, and found another, but she finally gave up and sorted them on Sept 3rd, with the intention of mailing them on the 6th. In her life she goes to the Post Office once a week on Saturday. She overslept the 6th and missed the noon cutoff (forgivable given all that is going on in her life), but it was going to be the 13th before she could get back to the post office. The note today says the blocks are in the mail. I don't don't know about you, but I don't have any more time today than I did 2 months ago to put a quilt top together, so as long as I get my blocks I'm happy.

BTW -- if you get past all the deadlines and everything happens on time, the hostess then has to deal with postage. Anything with STAMPS over 13 ounces MUST be handed to a postal clerk and cannot be dropped in a mail box. A centralized swap, with one return date is not so bad -- go to the post office with every thing all at once -- you just have to deal with postage not being correct and having to pay out of pocket.

Ok -- I guess I'm off my soapbox now.

[swakins]

I have done a number of swaps, mostly on other groups. First if a hostess sets a date, any extension is a courtesy, not to be expected. If I am late(and I have been), even with a good reason, the hostess can say no and I would not be offended. It's not her fault my kid got sick, my job got worse, etc. And just because my life is not so good at the time, I can't expect others to have to accomodate me. I hear so often that my life got busy, but really, who isn't busy. If someone (and this is not a reference to anyone!) says they are busy watching their sister's kids every day, well is that harder than the person who doesn't have someone to watch their kids and is flying solo. If someone had a sick husband, is that worse than the person who got sick herself.
If you are too busy to swap, accept that fact, enjoy sewing when you can and don't penalize the others for your lack of time.
I consider being accepted into a swap a privilege, not a right, and as such, I am obligated to earn that privelege.
OK, now I will step down off my soap box.
Sue

[zfatcat]

Beth, I agree it can be frustrating. I think if you sign up for a swap and you're going to be late, let the hostess know. Life happens. If you change you mind, that's okay too. Just make sure you back out so the hostess doesn't hold up the swap for everyone else. A little courtesy goes a long way. Communication is the key to success. Lori =)

[sewcarolyn]

as Quilter 7 said "Having said that I might add that perhaps it would be prudent to have everyone PM their e-mail addresses or home address to the hostess at the beginning of a swap so there is another way to reach an individual."

that sounds great......

It would have helped when I was a guest host for a swap this summer...and I still have 1 here because I haven't received the $ to mail it out yet. I say this as I am sewing blocks due on the 19th

and Beth I sent you a pm I need your address again...

and like everyone I have one more I am doing in the immediate future and then need to break until after Christmas. I plan on using 1 I am waiting for as a gift and to finally do something with the blocks I did in a swap last spring ;

[Michelle06H]

This is a very good question and I am glad you asked because I am hosting my first swap, although the deadline isn't until late October, I haven't heard from everyone on how they are doing. Maybe I should devote some time tomorrow and send out PM's to those in my swap.

I am sorry to hear that some are dropping out of the swaps because of people not meeting the deadlines and just not sending altogether. I have been in a couple of swaps where one or two didn't send in their blocks and never said boo about why. It was like they forgot or something.

As for me, I have a quilting calender near my cutting and sorting table with the name of the swap, the hostess, how many blocks one week before the due date and on a "mail by date" It just helps to remember which swaps are due and when. I also have a list of all the quilts I need to get done and when they need to be done by next to my sewing machine. This way I know just what I am working on, when it is needed and who needs it. Yes, I even have my UFO's on there so this is a really long list! But it is there and I know what I need to do. It is all part of my get organized plan, also DH said that I couldn't buy anymore fabric unless it was for something on my list.

[LynnS]

I'm glad to see this thread. I have hosted a couple of swaps, most about a year ago. In one case I had 2 stragglers. One had just stopped posting alltogether, so I figured she was out. The other one was still posting in otherthreads but never responded to my posts and PMs asking for the charms. I think I waited 2 weeks and then sorted and sent. I think at least a PM saying they weren't interested would have been polite.

[SharonG/FL]

If the stragglers know the hostess will wait for them, they'll continue to straggle and others will see that they can, too. Each hostess can set their own 'grace period' without letting the group know what it is, but please set a precedent so those of us who have just started to swap don't feel like we've made a wrong decision.

[scrappie66]

I didn't encounter any problems when I hosted the tone-on-tone swap earlier this spring. Most were returned by the deadline. My goal for that month was to stay on top of things. I had set the deadline for the 20th of the month. I had to PM 4 swappers on the 15th. Two responded their squares were on the way, one had to bow out, and I never got an answer from the 4th one. I sorted on the 23rd and had them in the mail by the 25th. Everyone had their packages back in a timely manner and I received alot of positive responses from the swappers.
I guess the message is: if you plan on hosting a swap (which was alot of fun), you have to stick to the "rules" of the swap. I know I would rather get back a baggie or two less (or one of mine back) than have to wait forever. Susan

[quilterbee]

Well, it seems out "little" group is feeling some growing pains. I hope we can iron all this out so we can still swap together like we used to. I haven't had any problems with DJ, but she sort of took over the swaps, things began to change here. She hosts so many that the other ones went to the back burner, on page 2 or 3. I love this group which is all of you ladies. I hope we can reign the swaps back in have a happy medium where different people hosting different swaps like before. Sometimes, a shy person may want to host a swap. THAT is most awesome! BUT, as it is now, there are soooo many swaps by one person that the shy person may not even get 1 response, so she doesn't feel wanted here. And that is not the case.

I love this quilt-y group and plan to stick it out because I think things here will get back to the way it was before, just with alot of new members.

As far as me being a noodle hostess, I think I do a good job. Amie )