MakeUpAlley: Swapping Tips

[Kaydee007]

Thanks for the great tips!

[FM897]

I recently signed up for MakeupAlley and just created a swap and wish list a few days ago. I already have two pending swaps (I'm the first to send because I'm the newbie), so I'm really hoping I don't get swaplifted. :-|

[cokehehe]

Hehe.. what do they mean by swap?

[GlamNERDNails]

Thanks for the advise I'm adding your video to my favorites so others can see it because I'm just starting to SWAP.

[Msintroverted]

Awesome video. I've never swapped and I'm planning on swapping so I wanted to make sure I know the signs of a swap thief. Thanks so much for this :)

[zeebraore]

The site with swap lifters is down

[susiehelton]

That PO Box thing you mentioned is kinda untrue. I lived on a rural road that had no mail delivery and we *HAD* to use PO Boxes. In addition PO Boxes are listed under a person's name, with their information including billing addresses (people have to pay to have a PO Box after all) so it isn't hard to track down. You can file a complaint with the post master general and give the person's name, PO Box and the Town, State and Zip Code they live in.

[fionaman]

@susiehelton I corrected what I said with an annotation in the videos.  Thanks :)

[annabarbs]

Hi Fiona,

I just recently discovered makeup alley and signed up. You said in your video that you shouldn't swap with people who are new or don't have any tokens. So how do i get started if no one would give me a chance to prove I'm a honest and genuine person?

Thanks for your help

[susiehelton]

@annabarbs That is one of the reasons what she is suggesting doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I only have like 7-8 positive tokens.  I got them from people trusting me to send my items first (usually with a DC or delivery confirmation number) BEFORE they would send mine. That way they were "sure to get" their shipment before they took a gamble on someone with no tokens. The PO Box also makes no sense...you can track a person's PO box...I had a PO box at my old apartment and never had issues

[fionaman]

@susiehelton I inserted an annotation correcting what I said. Thanks.

[guardianangel331]

5katrina55, i was looking for swap tawk and couldn't find it. i wonder if it has been removed?? i have a feeling makeupalley is going to get shut down soon. i read about it on another board. it has to do with unfair practices and such. it was like a few years ago, ebay was getting ready to be shut down and had to change their practices or be removed. if swap lifting is going on a lot there is a chance the same could happen to mua. those who are experiencing swap lifting should contact the usps.

[fionaman]

@guardianangel331 5katrina55 Oh wow! I didn't know the website got disabled. That's odd!! Interesting note guardianangel.

[jhines85]

@guardianangel331

Antztein is a swaplifter don't trust her

Prach is a swaplifter dont trust her

[freckles672]

I was wondering what DC was? and is it necessary for a swap? or is a recent proof enough?

[fionaman]

@freckles672 It's really up to you and the other person. Some people like to know ou can track it and others just could care less.

[5katrina55]

thnx 4 such an informative vid. I was wondering whether the original swaplifters list site has been recently changed. Just a week ago i was able to use the exact same site you mentioned in your video (swaplifters.watson-wilson...)­. However, now it keeps referring back to this Neil.H Watson Unix consultant site!? i am not sure why it keeps happening..i would really appreciate any advice. thnx

[laurendobi]

Someone offered to send me makeup for nothing in return. They have 100% swap tokens and they will pay for all shipping etc. Do you think this is reliable and what is the worst that can happen? Im 13 so I have to ask my parents, which she supported.

[fionaman]

@laurendobi Use your discretion and see how many swaps they made to get the 100%. I honestly would say no just because they aren't asking that much in return and you are also giving out your home address. Best of luck!

[CMeilach]

i wish i had seen this earlier i just found out today that i've been swaplifted!! i told her i would ship yesterday but couldn't get to the post office so i sent it first thing today and went to send her a msg with the tracking number to be polite.....aaaaand i see she's deleted her account! i'm livid because i sent her two of the most expensive products on my list!!!!

[fionaman]

@CMeilach Oh no :( I'm so sorry to hear this. File the police reports and call USPS about this situation and see if you can get the package back. Best of luck.

[redvermeerc]

its so hard to know what a fair trade is. I feel nervous asking to swap because i am not sure what the value is after its already been used. I wish they has a swap board. I am doing my first swap this week and I am nervous.

[fionaman]

@redvermeerc I know exactly how you feel. But everyone judges a product differently whether it be the value it retails for, the value that they got it at, or they just want to get rid of it. So there is no harm in asking. Worst case scenario, the decline your invitation to swap. Best of luck on your first swap. Let me know how it goes :)

[MakeupByMelissaLyn]

I like your video but your suggestion re: PO Boxes is a bit misguided. Many people who live in small rural communities do NOT get mail delivered to their home. Where I lived for 2 years, our town of 1000 people home mail delivery was not offered; it was only via a PO Box (due to available postal workers in our area). This is not uncommon for rural communities so you might unfairly eliminating a whole lot of great potential swap partners with that recommendation! Keep up the great vids though!

[christ2006]

dude rule number 1 is not to talk about MUA

[heidiheidi0]

i just came across this. Do you have a hard time finding someone to swap with? I find that so many people want to swap with you for peanuts. And if you do find something on their list, they dont want to swap for it. I dont get it?

[fionaman]

@heidiheidi0 It's just one of those though situations, especially when people change the minds and such. That's one of the hardships with swapping.

[sylwiasos]

i am really scared that when i give my address they will come to my house or stalck me should i be worried about this

[fionaman]

@sylwiasos Everything is always at your discretion and how safe you feel doing it. For example, some people are weary about ordering things online because they have to insert their address or credit card number.

[Rosie858]

can you tell me what to do when you receive a broken item?

[fionaman]

@Rosie858 If I were to receive a broken item, I would tell the swapper and see how they respond then go from there. I wouldn't be so rash in giving them a neutral or even a negative token. Just see what they say first.

[nancy1g]

Thank you! This was very helpful. I have zero tokens right now but I can't wait to start swapping:)

[andber2008]

Why would people want to swap?? swap what?? These youtube videos are so weird.

[melimited]

hi there...for the number you put up does it work in us also?

[fionaman]

@melimited Yes.

[natesmom2244]

I will NEVER again Swap on makeupalley. BEWARE of a Swaplifter called : Nbrunelle3 She is a thief and surprisingly has alot of positive tokens. Dont trust her!

[marith411]

thank you so much for the tips

[jannapiaopiao]

hi, how about her address is differen from the one on her profile?

[jannapiaopiao]

hi, do you know how to upload picture on the swap item page?

[fionaman]

Please see the video titled "MakeUpAlley: The Basics - Swapping" for the answer.

[jannapiaopiao]

i figured out, thank you so much, you are so helpful. I have never swaped before, so I have 0 token, can you give me some ideas to get this started? thank you.

[sistersledge22]

Thank you for this. So informative, and well thought out.

[jalapena2007]

Just thought I'd tell you that I asked the swaplifter to return my package, and surprisingly, she DID! I rec'd it today, unopened and stuffed into a new envelope. So happy.

[fionaman]

Yeah!! I'm so glad to hear that.

[jalapena2007]

This MUA user has changed her ID from l3oosh to l3oosh1. FYI.

[fionaman]

Oooh dear.  Thanks for the update!

[flyingfoxable]

Thank you! this was a very informative video. I just got swaplifted, ugh. Sucks, because I had so many successful ones!

[fionaman]

I'm so sorry to hear. I hope you don't get discouraged from swapping because of this one bad experience.

[Lustreglass88x]

Anyone who sends something to someone they dont know shouldnt be surprised if they dont recieve anything back! what do people expect? they are strangers! swap with friends, people you know/trustworthy people! & the PO box thing is not a good thing to say, people have p.o boxes for safety reasons! why would you want to give a stranger your address?!

[jalapena2007]

I was just swaplifted - I sent $170 worth of products to l3oosh and rec'd nothing in return. They had all positive tokens when I swapped, and since then have had over 20 people leave negatives tokens saying they never rec'd anything, and now the account is deleted (which is why I don't mind saying the name). Stinks. I'm going to do a video on the good products I've rec'd though.

Thanks for doing this. Very helpful.

[jalapena2007]

Clarification: the good products I received (that I mentioned in my prev comment) were NOT from this user - they were from other honest swappers.

[flyingfoxable]

Me too! Can i send you a private message about this?

[jalapena2007]

I emailed her and she returned my package. Email her thru MUA if you haven't already. Good chance you'll get your stuff back. Heidi

[dorisberry]

Thanks for this video! I"ve never tried swapping but I would definitely check this website out ;]

[mecmex]

Fiona, you are just AWESOME! I really want to thank you for all the information provided! your videos are like the Swap Bible! :O THANK YOU!

And its sad to hear about the swaplifters! oh that is sooo miserable! first of all, makeup is sacred and second, I really think that swapping is an amazing idea and should be totally fun!

Ohh well....I apologize! until now is that I'm watching your vids! my weekend was all crazy.

I'll be in touch, girl...hope you had an amazing weekend! Cheers, Martha.

[fionaman]

I'm glad these videos helped you, Martha! Don't apologize...at least you watched them :D

Take Care.

[acaftermath]

pretty = )

[YumiShinja]

What in the world is swapping?? LOL

[fionaman]

Swapping is where users exchange beauty related products. So it's like elementary school when you didn't like your lunch and wanted to trade others for their food. Similar concept, just different items and with people at a more mature age ;)

[YumiShinja]

Ohh.....never heard of it! But sounds like a good way to save money!

[chauzac]

thanks to your video , i have an idea of swapping ,which i never try before. Could you show me how do i know about people have items to swap ?.

[fionaman]

Under a user's makeupalley profile, there will be a number next to "(username's) swap items" indicating they have items up for swap.

[daliaflores15]

im slow.. never understood what PO. box was untill now..

[G0thcake]

In my small town you have to have a PO Box to receive mail, because the USPS does not deliver to the outskirts of the rural area, though FedEX and UPS are able to. However, it can be a lot more expensive to use those companies.

I know you said that there were exceptions to the "po box rule," but I just wanted to throw this out there for people to consider...Because I swap on MUA :(

[fionaman]

Thanks for your comment!! I now have a better understanding of PO Boxes!

[LouLouThePoo]

its not hard to track people with PO boxed at all as you need to register for a PO box so they have all your info on app.

[BunnieAngel]

I sent a package out a week ago, and the person i swapped with said that she's waiting for her package to arrive before she sends out mine. it's been over a week and she says she still hasn't received it. i don't have a tracking number since i mailed it out as a light packet, so i'm getting kind of nervous... is she lying that she hasn't received my package so she doesn't have to send out on her end? what do you suggest i do? thanks so much! :)

[fionaman]

Hey Jenn. I would suggest waiting another week before worrying too much. At least the swapper is in constant communication with you. It usually takes me b/w 4-8 business days to send items via airmail to the US. Just be patient for now.

[BunnieAngel]

thanks for the suggestion! i'll let you know how it goes... hopefully, it's not lost somewhere! :(

[floodpants]

P.O. BOx users are a lot of the time people who live out of towns,a nd have a box in town at the post office, so I don't find that piece of advice to be completely true, though I do understand where you are coming from. Thanks for the rest!

[fionaman]

Thanks for your comment. I did add an annotation in the video about that tip.

[twentytwolove]

I also wanted to comment on the P.O. Box thing... I used to live in a really really small town and we had a P.O. Boxes. So I wouldn't say NEVER swap with someone who has a P.O. Box, just check out the user's history, etc. :]

Good series!

[fionaman]

I'm really sorry. I hope I didn't offend you. I did add an annotation into the video after your comment. Living in Toronto, the concept of a P.O. Box is foreign to me. Everyone just has a mailbox here. Thanks for letting me know :D

[twentytwolove]

Oh don't worry at all! No offense taken! I was always really skeptical about P.O. Boxes....until I had one! You still definitely have to take precautions, as you would with anyone else :]

[meepocow]

Hey hun, love the new watermark! Just wondering.. what's your username on MUA?

[fionaman]

Thanks!! My username is: fionam

[0yjb0]

token??

[fionaman]

A token is what you give to a swapper after you have completed a swap with them. It's very similar to eBay. That way you know a person's history and can read what other users thought about them as a swapper.

[WonderStruck85]

I just wanted to make a comment about the P.O. Box address thing.... Where I live it's a very rural community and getting mail delivered to your house address is not always possible. Everyone who recieves mail has a P.O. Box address, so just keep that in mind as a possibility. :)

Great tips !!! :) Thanks for the video

[fionaman]

The whole concept of a P.O. Box is new to me...so thank you for the comment!

[WonderStruck85]

Its actually pretty crappy. There isn't much variety in stores here, so shopping online is really appealing, but half the time I can't get anything sent here because it's a P.O. Box. :(