Confessions of a Swapper: Georgia

Confessions of a Swapper is a series that profiles MSA's top swappers. Want to share your own swapping experiences with the community? Details for how to get in touch are located at the bottom of the page. 

This week in "Confessions of a Swapper," we're going to meet Georgia, who's completed over 750 swaps with a 100% positive feedback rating. Georgia lives in Texas with her husband and son, who's a senior in high school. Her daughter recently got married. (Congratulations!!) Georgia loves traveling, shopping, and is a big-time animal lover. She's even a fan of snakes!

Before we zoom on to Georgia's interview, let's take a quick look at what the Swaps site is all about.

What is the MSA Swap site?

Image from MSA's Swap site.

The Swaps section of My Subscription Addiction launched way back in 2014, and it's a place where members of the community can exchange items they receive in subscription boxes. If you've ever wanted to get your hands on a subscription box item you missed out on, Swaps is the place to make it happen. Coveting the Teressa Foglia X Curateur "Lynn" Hat you missed in Spring's Curateur box? Looking to add the Library of Flowers Field & Flowers Luminary from Summer's Margot Elena Subscription Box to your candle collection? Swaps provides a platform where you can connect with other members of the community to trade for the items you can't stop thinking about.

To become a swapper, you'll need to sign up for a free MSA account and set up your profile. After you confirm your email address, you can navigate to the Swaps section and join the Swap site waitlist. Once you've been approved, you're ready to start swapping! (FYI-- your MSA profile is for more than just swaps. It's is a great place to keep track of your subscriptions, opt in to brand-specific emails, and create your subscription wishlist.)

You can browse the wide selection of items and request swaps from members of the community who've listed items that catch your eye. They'll then be invited to browse your listed items. Agree on items you'd like to trade? You've got yourself a swap! Each participant ships their half of the trade and provides tracking information. When the swap is complete, both parties submit feedback.

Over 20,000 swaps have been completed, and there are over 4,000 registered swappers. All members of the My Subscription Addiction community are welcome to participate.

Now, without further ado, let's meet Georgia!

Confessions of a Swapper: Georgia

Lindsey: Georgia, thanks so much for being a part of this series! How long have you been swapping on MSA?

Georgia: Since 2014 which seems outrageous!

L: How did you discover Swaps?

G: I first discovered MSA and joined the swap site after I saw it go live.

L: How frequently do you use Swaps?

G: I tend to look around for matches about once a month.

L: What are your 3 favorite swaps you have completed? What made them stand out?

G: There isn't a particular swap that stands out. Probably because I swap for needs. I do love confirming a swap for items from Beachly!

L: What are the “holy grail” items on your swapping wish list?

G: Right now I would overswap for the Nach Bijoux Blue Dove Earrings from OuiPlease. I chose the parrot version with my box and have been watching out for the dove version ever since.

L: When you receive a box, how do you decide which products to keep and which to swap? 

G: If I won't use it pretty quickly and don't have someone to gift it to then I will list it for swap. I try to keep a beauty hoard.

L: What's your favorite thing about Swaps?

G: Definitely seeing something I will not use go out the door to someone who does need it.

L: What's your favorite subscription? And what do you love about subscriptions?

G: I love OuiPlease but am currently not subscribed due to their shipping delays. I miss PopSugar and have serious grief over the Neiman Marcus edition. I also love Bespoke Post and Curateur.

L: What advice do you have for new swappers who are just getting started? What pieces of swap etiquette should they know? 

G: Don't get too many boxes because it can be overwhelming and have a reverse effect. Be sure to communicate with your swapper specifically if you are shipping later than three days after the swap was confirmed. Also, know that most swappers place a lower value on beauty items (especially deluxe and sample sizes) than non-beauty items. And some higher-priced boxes don't always exchange evenly for the mass-produced boxes like FabFitFun and BoxyCharm. You just have to communicate your expectations to your potential swap partner and most people are able to make a swap work after that.

Thanks so much, Georgia, for taking the time to speak with me about Swaps. I really appreciate it!

Now, I want to hear from YOU. Are you an active swapper who'd like to share your swapping stories, tips, and tricks? Get in touch at [email protected].

Have a swap-related story to share? Or a question about Swaps? Drop a note in the comments section below! Eager to start swapping? Sign up here.