And the Trade Princess/Ho Is...

thanks to EVERYONE for making the Midsummer's Trade and Stay such a rousing success! i think that this was the largest - and fastest - Trade and Stay in our little history!!! i know that for the next couple of weeks, it's going to be like Christmas in our mailboxes, LOL!

and now... our new official Trade Princess/HO is... the wonderful SPARTASOAPS (http://spartasoap.etsy.com/ ) with 40 (i suspect it was more!) trades! rumour has it that she's been saving up for this event and boy, did she clean up! (pun intended!) yay, sparta! we love you and your soaps!

i also want to give a special shout out to our fabulous listmasters - Raevyn77, jerseymaids, bagsbytracy, nativebeads, flamingolady, jetflair and everyone else who bumped the list! we would have been lost without you! it was fast and furious and i can't believe we were able to keep track as much as we did!!!

so...


when should our next one be? LOL! watch for the poll in a month or so... we'll also be having a trade game soon in the forums - i'll make sure to email everyone to let them know when it will be.


don't forget to sign up on the ning site (http://tradeaholics.ning.com/ ) and confirm your membership on Google so that you can stay up to date! i will be sending out a confirmation email to all of our new members in the next couple of days, so watch your inbox/spam folder!

if you have any questions, just let me or raevyn77 know - or better yet, join us on our chat thread here: http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6226825

ready, set, trade on!!!! and thank you again for making the TnS so amazing!!!

xoxox muffin

Will you Trade and Stay With Me? :)

yay! it looks like our trade and stay will commence on July 19th! i KNEW you guys couldn't wait till later in the summer! so watch your email for the call for "start listers"!!

speaking of emails, thank you to everyone who followed us over to the ning site (and to those who sadly revoked their membership too). it totally has helped Raevyn77 and i streamline and clean up all of the lists. if you signed up on the ning site, you should have received a Yahoo Groups email from me asking you to confirm your membership. this way, we can make sure that you really want to be part of the team! so now, officially, our team membership stands at about 75 - how WICKED is that? YAY for trading!

and while we're on the topic of trading, on the chat thread we've been bouncing around the idea of having a trade game one night soon. so stay tuned!

Cleaning House!

as most of you know by now, we're cleaning house! with my new co-leader, raevyn77, we're slowly but surely getting ALL of the lists up to date, and hopefully we'll be able to keep them that way! in the meantime, raevyn77 has started a NING group for us - it will help us keep membership much more current! so if you haven't yet, head on over there and sign up! we're hoping everyone will be able to do it by July 1st, and then our lists will be complete! if we don't hear from you, we'll assume that you're not able to be an active team member anymore - which is totally okay!

the ning site is here: http://tradeaholics.ning.com/

we'll also be having another TnS soon... so watch this space for the poll as to which dates work best for everyone!

any questions? let myself or raevyn77 know! and WELCOME, raevyn! we're so glad to have you on board!

xoxoox muffin

http://muffintopdesigns.etsy.com/
http://raevyn77.etsy.com/

And Our Starter List Shops Are...

alright guys and gals! here is the starter list for Monday's Trade and Stay Event! remember, you can only LOOK... no negotiations until we start on Monday!!!!!!

http://equivoque.etsy.com/
http://ribbonwonders.etsy.com/
http://modernlunacy.etsy.com/ or http://famoushair.etsy.com/
http://butterflydesign1.etsy.com/ or http://earringparadise.etsy.com/
http://sparklegarden.etsy.com/
http://raevyn77.etsy.com/ or http://simplyraevyn.etsy.com/ or http://peculiarparchment.etsy.com/
http://bloomingbeads.etsy.com/
http://adeenamade.etsy.com/
http://luckyrosiescreations.etsy.com/
http://joannjewelry.etsy.com/

and, in case you're needing a refresher on how the trade and stay works...

- it starts early next Monday, April 13th morning and will go for 4 days ONLY. the link to the thread will be posted here and sent to everyone on the mailing list.
- it is a Trade and Stay - if someone trades with you, we just add their shop to the list and yours stays! you cannot be added to the list unless you trade onto the list - meaning that you have to trade with someone who is currently on the list to get onto the list (hoo boy, that's a lot of repeating! sorry!)
- we will NOT be tracking the # of trades this time. the trading gets so fast and furious and this way some of the pressures are taken off the listmaster gals! so i hope that's okay.
- the lovely equivoque, flamingolady, raevyn77 and myself will be your listmasters! we will try to ensure that the list is accurate and updated, and that any fights are broken up without injury! LOL! we do ask for your patience with the updating - sometimes we get carried away with chatting, LOL!
- please refresh yourself with the rules on trading here on the blog. any disputes can be convoed to me and i'll try to help.
- feel free to label your trade items with the team tag "TEAM TRADE ON" and/or create a section in your shop with your trade items in it! you can also indicate what you are looking for in your shop announcement or profile - just make sure we know where to look!
- and please don't forget your manners - if someone convos you for a trade, please respond - even if they don't have anything you need or want. it's better to get a "no" instead of no response at all!

Trading Basics 101
Trades are EQUAL. That means that you are trading for an equal value from each other's shops, INCLUDING shipping. So, say i have a $20 necklace that you'd like, with $3 shipping - then i have $23 to spend in your store, including the shipping. If you're out $1 or so, you can agree to let it go - but usually if the difference is $5 or more, i'd send it via paypal.

so, you go and "purchase" the items from each other's shops, but don't complete the payment part! you can check "paypal" if that is the only option, but don't go to paypal!

once you receive your items, leave feedback please!!!!! :)

This part is going to suck but I'll have to say it. If it comes to light that you haven't traded in good faith, then your participation in other events, and your membership, will be in jeopardy. Trading is a way to benefit us ALL, and one person can ruin it for everyone. SO PLEASE TRADE FAIR! Also, we do not condone fee avoidance - it is definitely up to you to decide whether or not to change your prices for this event, but we would encourage everyone to play by the etsy rules as well. Changing your prices to 20 cents IS fee avoidance. It is NOT fair if someone is paying more etsy fees than others - plus karma will get you in the end, and there is the very real possibility that etsy will shut down our team.

For Prospective Members...
just wanted to write a quick note for people that want to become new members of the team, since i've gotten quite a few convos in the past few days about this!
this is what we need from you:
- your shop address/URL (i.e. http://youretsyshop.etsy.com/ )
- your current email address - we have a mailing list that we use to communicate about events and team stuff.
- you must also have no less than 99% positive feedback for your shop
- your shop has to have items in it!
this is what you get for being a member:
- listing on the super long, super awesome trade list - find it here: http://etsytraders.blogspot.com/
- listing of your shop and your blog (if you have one) on the blog here
- inclusion in all of our team events
- being part of one of the most awesome teams on ETSY!
all we ask is that you participate in most of our events. the reason why membership is not open all the time is that we get convos from tons of stores and we update everything... and then never hear from those shops again. it's a lot of work and not fair to the rest of the team. we're also happy to hear ideas about events and challenges and other things we can do as a team - especially around trading!
so i hope this helps explain the membership "process" a little!
- and, a tip from the wonderful flamingolady:

"when trading (in general), be on the look out for scammers, like shops that have items that are too good to be true (might be a reason for that), new shops (might be legit though), check ratings, etc. It can take a month or two for scammers to be found out, most people are leary of leaving bad feedback until someone else does. If you are wary of a shop, and you are an established shop/trader, and you want to help a new shop get established, tell them up front that you will ship out their order after receiving yours... I've done literally dozens of trades, no probs yet, it was on a BNR where I traded with someone and a bunch of us got scammed by one of the shops, they are gone now, though probably opened up a new shop. Trading is good and fun, but remember, there is nothing Etsy can do other than to send a convo, since no funds traded hands. (versus a purchase on PP where the recipient can get their money back). Trade on! "

sparklegarden suggests:

" If I see a new shop (to buy OR trade with) that has little or no feedback, I convo and ask if they have feedback anywhere else (ebay, diaperswappers, etc.)that I can review. This has served me very well. "

PHEW! what a long post! (and now my carpal tunnel has set my hands on fire, LOL!) if you have ANY questions, please don't hesitate to convo me or ask the gang on the chat thread!

see you all on monday!!!!

xoxoxox muffin

p.s. regarding the team list on etsy - yes, it is outdated. we're working on updating it - admin does it, not me, so i have to work with their timeline! but we'll get there eventually!

The Down and Dirty Details on the Trade and STAY... and a Little Update!

okay... we're all ready for the next trade and STAY event! i think that we all know how it works, but i'll cut and paste the rules from the last one here for reference sake! there are also some additions to (hopefully) organize the trading frenzy a little! :)


- the trade and stay will go for 4 days ONLY - Sunday, March 15th to Wednesday, March 18th at midnight.

- the link to the thread will be posted here, on the chat thread, and sent to everyone on the mailing list.

- it is a Trade and Stay - if someone trades with you, we just add their shop to the list and yours stays! you cannot be added to the list unless you trade onto the list - meaning that you have to trade with someone who is currently on the list to get onto the list (hoo boy, that's a lot of repeating! sorry!)

- once again, we're also going to track the # of trades that everyone does next to their shop name... oh, the TRUE addicts are going to be revealed, LOL. our little raevyn77 was crowned "Trade Queen/Ho" last time... i wonder who it will be this time!

- the lovely flamingolady, equivoque, raevyn77, makingsbymary and myself will try to keep the lists as accurate as possible - so be patient with the updated list!!! sometimes we get carried away with chatting and trading, LOL! we're going to try to keep you happy traders in line, so please post your trades on the thread and one of us will update it!

- please refresh yourself with the rules on trading here on the blog. any disputes can be convoed to me and i'll try to help. and please don't forget your manners - if someone convos you for a trade, please respond - even if they don't have anything you need or want. it's better to get a "no" instead of no response at all!


and just in case you're interested, here is the list! it's made up of the first 15 shops that responded to my emails and posts on the chat thread!


http://bagsbytracy.etsy.com/
http://butterflydesign1.etsy.com/ or http://earringparadise.etsy.com/
http://equivoque.etsy.com/
http://jerseymaids.etsy.com/
http://joannjewelry.etsy.com/
http://kotibeth.etsy.com/
http://nativebeads.etsy.com/
http://playswithclay.etsy.com/
http://redrobinpretties.etsy.com/
http://salliebear.etsy.com/
http://sherwear.etsy.com/
http://sparklegarden.etsy.com/
http://stacirose.etsy.com/
http://starrclothing.etsy.com/
http://thepeachtree.etsy.com/


even if you're not trading - because you're all traded out - please drop in and chat with us! hope to see everyone there!

btw, the lovely jerseymaids has been perusing the larger etsy traders list here: http://etsytraders.blogspot.com/ and we've slowly been deleting empty and inactive shops. if you find one on your travels through the blogs, please let me know and i'll get it cleaned up ASAP. it's an ongoing process (right, indulgentcreations!) but one day we'll have everything current!

if you are closing shop, want off the lists and/or to cancel your membership with the tradeaholics, please also let me know!

READY, SET, TRADE ON!
xoxoxo muffin

Membership Opening Soon!!!!!

Okay - so we all know that the TRADE and REPLACE is coming up really really soon! and i know that we're all so psyched!!!!

just wanted to write a quick note for people that want to become new members of the team, since i've gotten quite a few convos in the past few days about this!

this is what we need from you:

- your shop address/URL (i.e. http://youretsyshop.etsy.com )

- your current email address - we have a mailing list that we use to communicate about events and team stuff.

- you must also have no less than 99% positive feedback for your shop

- your shop has to have items in it!

this is what you get for being a member:

- listing on the super long, super awesome trade list - find it here: http://etsytraders.blogspot.com

- listing of your shop and your blog (if you have one) on the blog here

- inclusion in all of our team events

- being part of one of the most awesome teams on ETSY!

all we ask is that you participate in most of our events. the reason why membership is not open all the time is that we get convos from tons of stores and we update everything... and then never hear from those shops again. it's a lot of work and not fair to the rest of the team. we're also happy to hear ideas about events and challenges and other things we can do as a team - especially around trading!

so i hope this helps explain the membership "process" a little! and don't forget the trade and replace event coming up on the 25th!

xoxox muffin

FINAL List Updating... and Trade and Replace details!

okay. so Ak and i have received tons of membership requests and confirmations... so i will be updating our blog lists and our mailing list and hopefully we'll be good to go!!! indulgentcreations has cleaned up the huge trade list too, so it looks like our housekeeping is almost over!! thanks to everyone for being so patient!!!

so... to kick this all off, we'd LOVE to have a HUGE 2 week long trade and replace event!!! we'd like this list to be made up of some of our newbies who are willing to show themselves and their shops off! if you don't know what a trade and replace is, read this:

"Trade & Replace - exactly like a Buy & Replace - except no money exchanges hands. There will be 10 - 15 names on the list, and people who want to "trade in" will have to negotiate with whomever they want to bump off for a trade... of course, if you want to BUY in, how can we say no? Remember, NO money changes hands, you negotiate a fair trade including your shipping."

I hope that makes sense!

So newbies - if you'd like to be one of the shops to kick us off, add a comment HERE with your shop name! I'll be taking the first 15!!!

And everyone else - don't forget to label your items for trade with our tag, "TEAM TRADE ON"!

Ready, set, TRADE ON!!!!

xoxooxox muffin

The Future of Trading... Looking Ahead!

i just want to thank everyone who has helped me keep the membership thread alive over at etsy... and to everyone who responded to our "cleaning house" email! Ak and i are in the process of reviewing all the info we got back and will post the membership list here ASAP!

i've also done some research into how we can be more active, have more fun (as if that would be possible, LOL!) and promote ourselves, both individually and as a team. our trade and replace events have been so fabulously successful that i think that it would be easy for us to be even more successful if we got creative!

so here is a list of some of the "events" that i thought that our team can put on in the upcoming year... read this over (sorry it's so long), and feel free to post your comments, thoughts, & creative ramblings. we want to hear what you want to do!!!! (please note that some of these ideas are quoted from my research "sources" because they've explained it so perfectly already!)

1. Card/Promo Swap (from the Storque) - Card swapping is a low-cost, easy way to get your shop's name out. By swapping cards with members of your Team, you can promote each other's shops by word of mouth and give potential customers something to remember to check it out. Team members personally recommending a shop means the buyer is more likely visit, mark as a favorite, recommend to a friend, or even buy something for themselves. Most Etsy Team members who are sellers have business cards with their Etsy shop addresses on them. There are countless ways to make these cards to promote your shop, including inexpensive ways to make cards yourself, using stamps or having them printed in bulk.
To begin the swap, post publicly however your Team communicates (through email, a Flickr or Google group, etc.) announcing a call for participants in the swap. Card swaps are most effective when the swapping occurs between shops with complementary styles. Consider your target demographic and the demographic of the other shops you are swapping with.
One person should be in charge of collecting all the mailing addresses via email from participants. Set a deadline for sending in addresses (there should be an end date to the swap).
Once the emails are collected, compile a list or spreadsheet with all of the addresses. If there are fewer than 12-15 participants, send the whole spreadsheet to everyone on the list. If there are more than 15-20 participants, break the list into smaller, more manageable lists, and send each list to the members of that list.
Each participant sends a small stack of their business cards to each address on the list.
Once the cards are received, each participant includes cards from other members in packages they mail out from sales in their shop, or distributes the cards in person to potential buyers or at craft shows or markets.
Your Team can organize card swaps as often as you see fit, and organizers can take turns putting the swaps together. Enjoy! And get creative about what types of promo items and cards you swap, and how you distribute the cards you receive from the swap!

2. Studio Tour - i know that we had been kicking the idea of doing a virtual studio "tour" via simultaneous features on the team blog and individual shop blogs. i also just realized that etsy has been doing the same via the Storque - talk about reinventing the wheel!!!! LOL! the initial conversations around this idea involved featuring 2 team members every week or so - what we would need is a brief write up about your studio space, as well as any photos you might want to share with the world! at the same time, you would post about your studio space on your blog - this way, we can generate traffic to members' individual blogs too! i know that we all feel like we already know each other, but this will put a more "human" face onto who you are!

3. Online Sale Event - easy peasy, right? we all agree on a sale event that we will all run simultaneously. we can also start a shop "ring" associated with the sale where you promote another shop (or shops) in your shop announcement (which would totally rock now that etsy has enabled links to other etsy shops in the announcement section!!!)

4. Scavenger Hunt - now this would need a little more creative padding because this has the possibility of becoming quite involved. i remember entering a scavenger hunt held by a team who were all from the same city who chose a location in that city that you had to find. you had to go through the shops involved, read the profiles to find clues, and then post on their blog what you thought the answer was. (does that even make sense? geez, i need more sleep) anyway, at the end, the winners got to pick from prizes that had been donated from the team members. anyway, in a nutshell, it was quite fun. the storque featured the scramble hunt organized last year by the Plush Team - read about it here: http://www.etsy.com/storque/section/events/article/plushteam-scramble-hunt-contest/321/

5. Collaborating on a Piece of Art/Grab Bag - little missindie had a great idea that she posted on our thread - she explains it pretty well here:
"we should do a giant art piece that gets sent to each member of the group that wants to participate. and the rules could be that when you get the piece in the mail you have to add something to it [something that corresponds with your shop] like add a crochet piece if you crochet or add beads if you make jewelry. then you send it to the next person on the list so that they can add their piece and so on and so forth. we could sell it and then split the cost between everyone that participated. Or donate the money to a cause."

along the same lines, the TransCanada team has formed a little collective where they collaborate on goodie bags/grab bags. their shop is here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5343947 and check out their profile as to how they make it work.


6. Weekly Team Thread - okay, i have to admit that i LOVE LOVE LOVE checking in on you guys every day since we have started the membership thread. and i find that i end up missing everyone once our trade and replaces are over... so if we had a weekly thread that started every Monday, it would be like our own virtual coffeehouse!!!! we would catch up on everyone's new items, share stories and problem solve etsy issues, and just hang out!!! (of course, if i'm the only one feeling this way, then just smack me, please!)

7. LAST BUT NOT LEAST... the all famous TRADE AND REPLACE! - yes, i admit it. i'm a junkie. and this WILL be our next team event, hopefully to run at the end of September after we compile the members' list and everyone gets back to school/work/whatever. i'd like for us to feature all new members, or members who haven't participated in a TnR before, so i will be convoing you newbies to ask if you want to participate this time around! and of course, our "old-timers" will be around to bump you off the list!!! let's show our members some LOOOVVVEEEE!!!

anyway, that's what i've come up with so far. i am dying to hear your thoughts!!!!!!!!!!!

xoxoxoox muffin

Cleaning House! Active Memberships!

as everyone knows, Ak and i have been planning to clean house for some time. Our team has grown exponentially in the past few months, and we're so happy to have such great etsians as part of our community!

however, it's become quite obvious that not everyone who signs up for the team becomes an active member. and because our team is all about trading and teamwork, we'd like our members to participate in our events, and not necessarily just be a part of the team in name only.

as teams go, we're pretty low-key and low-pressure! and i'd like to think that we have fun!!!!! this is in NO way a put down on the shops that haven't participated - we do know that life gets in the way sometimes!

so, the instructions are simple. please send me a convo if you'd like to remain on the traders' team active members' list. and please participate as much as you can if you DO decide to remain on the list!

we will be planning another trade and replace event - and the studio tour - ASAP, so get cracking!!!

love you guys,
xoxoxoxo muffin

We LOVE Trading!!!!! Plus, the "Studio Tour" and Cleaning House!

Okay, i've finally recovered from the Trade And Replace!!!! and what a fantastic time we all had! the trading was fast and furious, the goods were fabulous, and the conversations, as always, were fantastic!

i personally had about 10 trades as a result... how many did YOU do! i love everything that i've gotten so far - you gals are sooo talented!!!!!

here are some of the highlights:

"trade ho"!!!! (take a look at threeofwands' trade ho bracelet in the picture above!)

all of our wonderful new newbies!!!!!! YAY!!!

brownies, marshmallows and fudge

the trading buzz

not sleeping because of the trade addiction

there are actually too many good memories to post here.... :)

thanks again to everyone who participated - and i can't WAIT for the next one!

as most of you know, Ak and i will be "cleaning house" this month in regards to whittling down our membership list. we have quite a few people who aren't very active with the team, so we'd like to take a roll call of people who would like to remain members... but you have to promise to be active in our events! LOL! seriously though, how can you help but trade? LOLLLLLLL!!!

we also talked about doing a "studio tour" of members' workspaces here on the blog, so stay tuned for details! i think that we'll feature two members' spaces here on the team blog, each week or two, so get thinking about what you'd like to say and take some pictures of your space! (even if it's just a TV tray in front of the couch!) you can also feature your space simultaneously on your own blog!

anyway, now i'm babbling... thanks again everyone for EVERYTHING! see you all soon!

xoxoxoox muffin

TEAM MEMBERSHIP TEMPORARILY CLOSED!!!

Hi all!!!

Due to the overwhelming number of new requests to join our team, we've temporarily closed membership for the summer... this definitely does NOT mean that we won't still have our trade and replaces, or other team events, just that we won't be taking on any new members.

Ak and I will be sending an email out sometime in the next few weeks to everyone who is currently on the team to inqure about membership status and whether or not they would like to continue being on our team. We do have 25 or so very active members right now - which totally ROCKS!!!!!!!! So, think about it...

If you have any questions or comments, please please please let us know! WE LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!

xooxox AK and muffin