Update Nov. 28, 2013: The send deadlines for all my swaps that end around Christmas have been postponed to December 31.

Hello, and welcome to the 4th Spoil Us, (Local) Goodies swap.

There is a Goodies Group where the SULG swaps will take place from swap #5 on. If you'd like to continue swapping goodies, please request membership and I'll consider you.

I'm a bit early with this swap, but I'm just too excited to wait - and this gives you plenty of opportunity to get a rating to be able to join. It's a win-win situation! Things will be a little bit different. Please read the entire swap description before signing up.

This swap we'll be sending:

PAPER:

• 3 Photos you took yourself OR 3 magazine/city guide clippings about your town/country/area. Specifics: must be something having to do with your life. Could be a holiday, could be your house, could be your pet, could be a place you like to visit, could be something you have nice memories of, could be on your route to work, anything. Include a separate note telling a bit about what's in the picture. Don't write on the back of the photos. If you send clippings, that's fine too. Same goes for the clippings.

• 5 pieces of ephemera from your country/town.

• 2 Local Recipes. Specifics: Can be your mother's recipe, a local restaurant's recipe, a recipe clipped from a magazine, and so on. 2 is a minimum, you can always send more.

GOODIES:

• 4 local delicacies. Specifics: food or drinks. Send reasonable quantities. 1 reasonable sized chocolate bar or candy bar counts as 1 item. 1 single sweet does not. If you send sweets, send a pack or a minimum of 5. You can make a pack yourself (by putting different sweets in a pouch, for example), or you can buy one. Make sure everything is properly packed and, if needed, wrapped. Make sure cookies don't crumble in the mail, and that nothing you send goes bad in the mail.

• 2 Bath & Body items. Must be new. Can not be used. Make sure your swap partner can check this, either by leaving it sealed or by including the receipt. Check your partner's profile for allergies and so on.

• 2 Wishlist Gifts. The sending deadline is close to Christmas, so let's spoil each other a little bit more than usual.

• 1 Local Souvenir.

• 1 Magazine in your language.

• 3 Random Items. Specifics: if you send clothing, jewelry, hats, scarves, socks, etc., they must be new and unused. Include the receipt or leave the tag on. Just make sure your partner can verify it's new. Other items don't have to be store-bought per se: you can send anything you like. Can be an ATC, can be a handmade bracelet, can be a postcard, can be a vase, can be a towel, can be anything. So either have fun shopping or have fun crafting!

• 3 bags (sachets) of tea, hot cocoa, or coffee.

• 1 Item having to do with Valentine's Day. Specifics: Has to be new and unused. (I realize that by the time this swap reaches the sending deadline, it's nowhere near Valentines day. But I take 5 weeks of delivery time in consideration, and then we're close to V-Day. Be creative!)

• 1 Home Decor item. Specifics: must be in good state. Can be vintage, can be picked up from a thrift store, as long as it's not broken/damaged, etc.

RULES &tc:

10 Stickers count as 1 item. 10 crafting sheets/letter sheets/notepad sheets count as 1 item. 1 used notepad must include at least 25 intact, usable sheets.

Rating requirements: I'm applying stricter rating requirements.

Rating must be 5, and you must have successfully completed at least 10 Type 3 swaps.

I add 1 extra week to the sending deadline, unofficially. If you haven't sent your parcel by the time the signup deadline of the next swap is reached, you won't be able to participate in the next goodies swap.

Flakers get on my ban-list and won't be able to participate in swaps I host, now and in the future.

UPDATE 21 August, 2013:

If I get the idea you're going to flake after I've assigned swap partners, I will do what I can to remove you from the chain and have the parcel that was meant for you sent to the person you're flaking on. That way you won't receive anything, so there would be no point in flaking. Therefore, swappers, if you get the idea someone is going to flake, please send me a message (well before the deadline. It's not much use when almost everyone have already sent their parcels out). This isn't a watertight anti-flake procedure, but I do what I can.

If you're delayed for whatever reason, let me know and your swap partner as well.

Clothes, towels, jewelry, bath & body items, all that kind of stuff, they must all be new and unused.

Everything you send must be in a good state. Not torn, broken, damaged, and so on.

Spending limits: For each item a minimum of 1 euro, 1.30 USD, 1.44 AUD, or 0.86 GBP. For each item a maximum of 10 euros, 13.00 USD, 14.40 AUD, or 8.60 GBP.
Currency calculator: http://www.x-rates.com/calculator/?from=EUR&to=AUD&amount=1

PLEASE MIND:

If you make your parcel too expensive, your swap partner has to pay a customs fee. Ask your local post office or call your Ministry of Finance for further info. (In the Netherlands you pay a customs fee for all gift parcels - these swaps are gift parcels - with a value over €45.)

Shipping costs depend largely on the weight of your parcel (but keep in mind there is a minimum price). So although this swap requires a lot of items, they don't have to be expensive and they don't have to be heavy. Please find the middle road between what your wallet will allow and what's fun to receive.

To prevent getting surprised by the shipping costs, please ask at your local post office or search Google before you sign up or before you start gathering the goodies. Here in the Netherlands it costs about 18 euros to ship overseas, and that's for parcels with a weight below 2 kg. If the parcel weighs more, we pay more. I assume it works the same way in other countries.

In other words, shipping costs will be much higher than postcards, letters, or your average swap. However, the weight of the parcel determines whether you pay minimum shipping costs or more. Please, keep this in mind.

REQUEST:

I would love to get your photos and comments of the swap you receive. You can send them to: [email protected]. You can also tag me on Flickr. Just make sure you include your username and country, and your swap partner's username and country, and the number of the swap (#1, #2, etc.). You can also send in photos & comments of the swap you sent. They will be posted once you've received your rating. Photos and comments will be posted on the SULG blog: http://spoiluslocalgoodies.blogspot.com.

If you have any questions, leave a comment. If it's urgent, PM me. :) If you have suggestions for the next swap, I'd love to know as well! What would you love to get from another country/town/swapper? (Though if it's a request to make the swap a little less big, I encourage you to check out the downsized edition. But this one (#4) is a big swap, it was intended this way.)