Confessions of a Swapper: Annie

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 talking to Annie, who has completed nearly 500 swaps with a 100% positive feedback rating. Annie is a recruiter for her local veterinary medicine industry, and she works from home with her two feline officemates. She's a huge bibliophile, and when she's not reading, you might find her at the shooting range. She and her husband both do target and competitive shooting!

Before we dive in, 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 Annie!

Confessions of a Swapper: Annie

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

Annie: I've been swapping since March 2018.

L: How did you discover Swaps?

A: I discovered swaps poking around the site; I've been reading the reviews for forever.

L: How frequently do you use Swaps?

A: I visit the swap site daily, and usually end up with 1-3 swaps a week.

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

A: One of my favorite swaps was the THREAD & SUPPLY Cozy Cloud Wrap; I had been following it for a long time, and I found someone who was potentially interested. I went through her followeds (over 80 pages!), and found several additional items that were on my shelves that sweetened the deal, and I was able to snag it. Another one was a BB8 Pillow Case -- I had it but hadn't gotten around to getting an insert, so I put it up as bait, and ended up swapping it to someone who was giving it to her daughter for her birthday and she was so happy! My last one is a dear friend I've made who I pretty regularly swap books with; we're both voracious readers and this is a good way to keep in stock.

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

A: Holy grails that I've snagged are the Cozy Cloud Wrap, the Schatzii AIR Ionic Car Air Purifier + Car Charger and a Diffuser Necklace. Ones still on my list are Leather by Commodity perfume, the Chef’s Knife Earrings by Vinca and Smoking Jacket Bath Frosting from AU Sugar Sugar.

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

A: I go through a box and try to be realistic if I will ever use an item. If I'm unsure, it immediately goes up for swap. At this point, I have a pretty big stockpile of my favorite types of products, so I'm pretty picky about what I keep.

L: Do you upcycle in other ways? If so, please share some examples!

A: Not as much, other than gifting things to my mom, or putting books in my local little free library.

L: What's your favorite thing about Swaps?

A: I love being able to turn something that I wasn't going to use into something I can, and making sure that things are going to good homes rather than thrift stores or the trash.

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

A: I'm a diehard Fortune Cookie Soap Company lover - I've been continuously subscribed for over 8 years, almost since the beginning of the box. I love getting things that I wouldn't or can't find elsewhere, and I adore surprises - subscription boxes are like sending yourself birthday presents all year long!

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

A: My advice is to communicate with other swappers well, be honest and transparent and keep your items all in one place so you don't have to run all around and potentially lose something when someone requests it.

Thanks so much, Annie, 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.