Swap & Shop Parties

Swap & Shop Parties


I was catching up on my magazines this weekend and came across an article that falls right in line with my repurpose, reuse, recycle, and upcycle philosophy. The January issue of BHG has an article called Swap Till You Drop. BHG says clean your closets,grab your friends and trade your stuff at a party where everybody leaves happy and nobody spends a dime.


They further state that swap parties are popping up all over as a fun, free, and green way to get rid of what you no longer want and take home something you do. Here's how it works: Invite a few friends and ask them to bring items to swap. Lay out the loot, allow browsing time, then take turns choosing one new item you bought. The only rule is that everything up for swap is clean and in good condition.

They list tips as:

Invite guests- Let them know how many items they can bring. Five guests, each with 10 items in tow, is a good size for a party.

Tag each item- Have a stash of tags ready and have them write a description and "selling point" for each item.

Set up a claim system- They suggest a clothespin marked with individuals names. To claim an item, clip a pin to its tag, if multiple people want the same item, put all the clothespins in a hat and draw a winner.

I further researched swap parties and found numerous links:

Planet Green Host a Clothing Swap Party

Real Simple Host a Swap Party

Girlfriend Celebration's Guide to Swap Parties for Frugal Girls Nights

Winifred and Bance Swap Parties

Oxfam in the UK Swap It Parties

Some of these are in the UK, but I thought they had some nice tips.

I hope this inspires some of you to swap instead of pitch.