What is SWAP.COM?

UPDATE:  They take Men's items now too!

If you like to garage sale or you love bargains, you'll love buying from Swap.com!  I've always been the type that enjoys buying off of facebook sale sites and consignment stores, but now I mostly just use Swap because it's so much easier!  Looking for a Swap.com promo code?  Use my link to get 20% off plus free shipping on your free order!

If you like to sell your child's clothing to finance future clothing, you'll love selling to swap!  

What is Swap.com?  How does Swap.com work?  

Swap is an online consignment store.  With Swap, you literally ship a giant box (20x20x17) of your family's gently used items and then Swap lists them for you.  Swap photographs the items for you and all you have to do is login and price your items.  Then, you suddenly get randomly emails telling you when an item has sold.  Awesome!  An average box earns about $150.  It is SO MUCH easier than pricing, tagging, hanging and dropping off your consignment items somewhere like Whale of Sale.  TRUST ME!  No safety pins or tagging guns.  And if you itemize your taxes and give to goodwill, that's wonderful but you don't see the benefit for 1 year.  If they don't accept any of your items, you can still choose to donate them for a tax deduction.  

So here is what you do - 

1. Fill up a 20x20x17 box (I keep one in my closet and when I try something on and I don't like it, it goes straight in to this box).
2. Print out your label from Swap
3. Schedule a FedEx pickup and put your box on your porch!
4. Swap lists your items - you price them
5. Sell your items!
6. Receive money in your Paypal account!
7. Go shopping!



How often is payout?

They deposit your earnings in to your paypal 2x a month.

What does it look like when I price my items?




How much $ should I expect for each box?  Here is the history for my boxes.  I've sold anywhere from 100% of my box to only 42% of my most recent box.  And I have "reinvested" every penny. ;) Happy selling!!



Here is what the email looks like when you have sold something.  




What do they accept?

When it first started, it was primarily for children's items but they have expanded to Women's, Maternity and Men's.  Grant's items seem to sell pretty quickly.  When I recently emailed them asking them what the highest demand was, they said they were selling boys clothes, toys and plus size women's the fastest.  If you want to sell fast, price low!  Don't forget to send in toys, movies and books!  These seem to sell well too.

And here is a cute little informational video if you have more questions!



Selling on Swap.com from Swap.com - Online Consignment on Vimeo.

If you have any additional questions, here is an FAQ.
https://www.swap.com/sell/

HERE is a list of the Women's Acceptance Criteria:

Swap.com only accepts the following:

• Clothing must be clean and freshly laundered
• Void of stains and dirt
• No excessive wear (fading or pilling) holes or tears
• Items must be free of odor and pet hair
• All fasteners (zippers, snaps, buttons, ties) must be present and in working order
• The minimum price for Women’s merchandise on Swap.com is $3, and must be at least $5, original retail.

Women’s Sets

• Acceptable sets for women’s clothing: Suiting, activewear, and swimwear. (Please see examples below)  
• Sets must be pinned together, or packaged in bags to be in sets.  If no set is made, all items in this category will be merchandised separately.  
• Women’s Suiting (i.e., Suit blazer and pant, vest and pant)* limited to three items
• Women’s Activewear (i.e., Yoga hoodie, and Yoga pant) *limited to three items
• Women’s Swimwear (i.e., Bikini top, Bikini bottom) *limited to three items

Women’s & Maternity Clothing:

• Women’s Clothing-Size 00 to 12 (XXS-L)
• Plus Sizes: Women’s Clothing size 14-32 (XL-4XL)
• Sports bras: (Must be NWT)
• Wet Suits/ Flotation items: (Must be NWT)
• Maternity Clothing-Size 00-32 (XXS-4XL) 
• Nursing clothing (Must be NWT)

Women's Accessories: 

• Shoes: All adult women’s sizes
• Women’s socks (New in package)
• Tights (New in package)
• Belts, scarves, mittens, wraps and hats

• All seasons are accepted!!  Items within the current season may sell best.  
• Spring-Summer items (January-May) Fall-Winter items (June-December)

We currently do not accept:

• Local sports teams (Clothing that doesn’t appeal to a broad audience)
• Niche-Branded Clothing (Swap’s Family Reunion T-Shirt)
• Lingerie
• Undergarments
• Bras
• Shapewear
• Clothing that has been altered
• Bridesmaid dresses
• Wedding dresses
• Mother of the Bride dresses
• Prom/Specialty dresses
• Handmade items
• Evening Gowns
• Jewelry and hair accessories
• Used breast pumps, bras, nursing bras.
• Slips
• Fur Coats  (*Faux Fur is accepted)
• Costumes
• Handbags, purses/totes/wristlets/clutches/wallets

HERE is a list of the Children's Acceptance Criteria:

Swap.com accepts the following:

• Clothing that’s clean, free of stains/dirt, no excessive wear (faded or pilled), no holes or tears, and are odor and pet hair-free.
• All fasteners (zippers, snaps, buttons, ties) must be present and in working order.
• Clothing items have to be freshly laundered before sending.
• Toys, Games, Baby Gear, Decor, Music and Movies that are like new or in good working order and are complete with all components (batteries should not be included with items).  
• The minimum price on Swap.com is $3, single items must be worth $5 or more, retail. Please make sets with undervalue items to make them of value (for example: match a few bodysuits with a bib & pair of booties). When making sets please pin items together or place them in a bag so we know they’re meant to be a set.
• Sets must be limited to three (3) items per set. Please review set making here.
•  Folding items together is NOT defining a pre-made set, and will most likely be merchandised separately.  
• Swap reserves the right to alter sets, when the set is not clearly defined or cannot be photographed appropriately.  This rule also pertains to sets that contain multiple category types.   

Baby, Children's and Teen's Clothing:  

• Clothing, ranging from Preemie to size 20 for boys and Preemie to JR size 00-19 (XXS-XXL) for girls
• Underwear, socks and sports bras (New With Tags or un-opened packaging)
• Pajama separates below a size 10 will be subject to verification
• Shoes: infant, toddler, youth, and adult sizes
• Bags and purses (Children themed items only)
• Jewelry, hair accessories, sunglasses ( Most of these items should be placed in sets)

Toys/Books/Games:

• Toys (all with working components, however batteries should not be included)
• Children's Games ( All parts and pieces must be included)
• Children's Cards (Pokemon,Magic, etc.- Game themed cards accepted loose in sets)
• Learning Flash Cards (Must be NWT in sealed packages, no loose cards accepted)
• Floor Puzzles, Peg Puzzles, 3D Puzzles, Sound Puzzles, Wooden Puzzles.
• Cardboard Jigsaw Puzzles must be NWT and are subject to additional rules below
• Children's Books (Books must meet $3 requirement, or placed in book sets)
• Maternity/Parenting Books (Books must meet $3 requirement, or placed in sets)

Sports Equipment:

• Children's sports equipment, Children’s swimming accessories (Please read below for specific details)
• Balance Bike Accessories- Includes Bike repair kits (NWT), tire tube repair (NWT)
• Baseball Equipment- Included Baseball gloves, Baseballs
• Basketball Equipment-Basketballs
• Equestrian Sports-Riding Clothing- (Chaps, Riding boots)* Follow Clothing Criteria
• Field Hockey Equipment-Shin Guards, Mouth Guard (New with tags)
• Football Equipment- Thick lined padded football pant, footballs
• Golf Equipment Accessories- Golf Gloves and various accessories
• Ice Hockey & Skating- In-line skates, shoulder pads (New with tags) figure skates, ice hockey skates, rollerblades, roller skates, elbow and knee padding (NWT)
• Jump Ropes- Jump rope for children (NWT)
• Kick Scooters- Scooters in Packaging. (NWT) *Must fit in 20"x16"x10" box.
• Skateboarding- Knee/Elbow pads, children related skateboards (NWT) *Must fit in 20"x16"x10" box.
• Soccer Equipment- Soccer balls, padding and mouth guards (NWT)
• Swimming Flotation Devices- Flotation devices (NWT), pool toys (NWT), wet suits (NWT)
• Tennis Equipment-Tennis ball, Tennis Racket *Must fit in 20"x16"x10" box.

Entertainment: 

• Must be in playable condition, no significant wear or scratched discs. 
• DVD and Blu-Ray discs with G, PG, or PG-13 ratings in their cases and with their original artwork.  Must be at least 30 minutes or longer.  Workout, physical training & yoga instructional DVD's are also accepted.  
• Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Sony PlayStation 3, Sony PlayStation 4, Microsoft XBOX One, and Microsoft XBOX 360 console games with EC, E, E10, or T ratings in their correct case and with their original artwork. 
• Baby, kids, audio CDs (ie., Baby Einstein, Sing-alongs, Kidz Bop, tv and movie soundtracks, N’SYNC, Hannah Montana, etc.)

Baby Gear & Misc. Accessories: 

• Baby Gear: Potties & seats, baby monitors, travel accessories, car seat accessories, toys, bottle warmers, shopping cart covers, stroller accessories, nursery items, infant bath tubs, reusable diapers
• Disposable Diapers (New in Package)
• Kids’ tableware items (non-fragile)
• Booster Seats
• Kids and character themed decor such as clocks, curtains,  and bedding.   Also accepted children’s figurines, jewelry boxes, night lights, wall art, bedding, holiday items and decor, small children’s room lamps, etc.  No items made with glass, or that contain fragile parts will be accepted.
• All above listed items must fit in Box dimensions- 20"x16x"x10".

We currently DO NOT accept:

Entertainment Articles:

• Adult books, Adult themed-CDs, Video Games rated Mature
• R-rated DVDs
• Electrical items (except very simple on/off type devices, such as lamps, baby monitors and bottle warmers)
• VHS-cassettes; audio cassettes, vinyl records or other older storage formats
• PC, Mac, or Linux computer games for any operating systems (ie Windows, Mac OS, Atari, Amiga, Commodore 64)
• Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 1 or 2, Microsoft XBOX, Sony PSP, and Atari Jaguar games
• Any games that were downloaded, copied and/or accessed on the internet, or which need a private activation, registration or similar code for playing it

Toys:

• Standard Size Cardboard Jigsaw Puzzles Unsealed, with less than 1,000 pieces will be subject to verification
• Sports trading cards
• Comic Books
• Sporting helmets and Safety helmets
• Bath and & Body Items, Soaps, etc.
• Cosmetics

Baby Gear:

• Furniture (*All items must fit in a 20'x16'x10' box.)
• Large baby items such as strollers, playpens, high chairs, changing tables, cribs, exersaucers, large swings, and child car seats 
• Used breast pumps, nipple covers, nursing pads, bottle nipples, teethers, pacifiers, bras, nursing bras, socks, and underwear. 
• Sippy Cups- Must have no signs of wear.
• Used medicine droppers/spoons, nasal aspirators and thermometers- 
• Baby carriers, slings, humidifiers, and gates
• Crib bumpers (except the breathable type)

Misc: 

• Local sports teams (Clothing that doesn’t appeal to a broad audience)
• Niche-Branded Clothing (Swap’s Family Reunion T-Shirt)
• Hand-made or altered items without brand or size tags
• Library books
• Fragile Decorative Figurines 
• Items containing liquid
• Very large items (maximum dimensions for shipping container are approximately, 20"x16"x10")
• Used Flotation Devices, Used Wet Suits/Flotation suits
• Consumables past their expiration date (i.e. Easy Bake Oven mixes)
• Recalled Items

And... HERE is a list of the Men's Acceptance Criteria:

Swap.com only accepts the following:

• Clothing that’s clean and freshly laundered
• Void of stains and dirt
• No excessive wear (fading or pilling), holes or tears
• Items must be free of odor and pet hair
• All fasteners (zippers, snaps, buttons, ties) must be present and in working order
• The minimum price on Swap.com is $3, single items have to be worth $5 or more, original retail price.  

Men’s Sets:

• Acceptable sets -Men’s suiting and activewear.
• Men’s Suiting- (i.e., Suit blazer and matching pant, vest or shorts)* limited to three items
• Men’s Activewear- (i.e., Track jacket, matching track pant or shorts) *limited to two items
• Sets must be pinned together, or packaged in bags to determine the set.  If no set is made, all items in this category will be merchandised separately.  

Men’s Clothing:

• Men’s Clothing Sizes: XXS-XL
• Waist Sizes: W26-W38, all lengths accepted * No altered clothing accepted.
• Blazer/Jacket Sizes: 32-42
• Men’s Swimwear (Board shorts, swim trunks, swim tees)

Men's Big & Tall Clothing: 

• Men’s Big & Tall: XXL-5XL 
• Waist Sizes: W40-W60, all lengths accepted * No altered clothing accepted.
• Blazer/Jacket Sizes: 44-60
• Men’s Swimwear (Board shorts, swim trunks, swim tees)

Men's Accessories: 

• Shoes- All men’s shoe sizes accepted
• Socks (New in package)
• Undershirts (New in package)
• Gloves, Hats, Belts, Caps, Beanies
• Pocket Squares, Neck Ties & Non-Designer Sunglasses
• Suspenders & Scarves

• All seasons are accepted!! Items within the current season may sell best.  
• Spring-Summer items (December-May) Fall-Winter items (June-November)

We currently do not accept:

• Local sports teams (Clothing that doesn’t appeal to a broad audience)
• Custom Made Clothing: Suiting/Jackets/Shirts/Pants, etc.
• Clothing that can be considered offensive in nature
• Fur Coats (*Faux fur is accepted)
• Niche-Branded Clothing (Swap’s Family Reunion T-Shirt)
• Undergarments
• Handmade Items
• Altered items
• Briefcases, Totes, or Men’s shoulder bags
• Watches
• Cufflinks
• Jewelry
• Wallets  
• Costumes

START SELLING!

Photo from Swap.

Toxic Schmoxic

Have you ever wondered what chemicals were hiding in your beauty products?  I hadn't either.  I try desperately not to be an alarmist or super neurotic about much in life.  In fact, before having a child, I could honestly say that I was about as carefree as a human could be.  My husband would quickly tell you that "it's no big deal" was my mantra whether I had missed my flight home from London so my connection through Toronto was cancelled and I stayed in a hotel with a random teacher.  Or if I had happened to ram my parents van into a stranger's house during an icy storm, their son answered the door with a shotgun and then I stayed the night because the weather was bad.  Or if I had come back to my college campus the day before school started to find my apartment and chose some random strangers to live with for the next year (Love you, Krista!).  Or when my husband lost his wedding ring and I was all, seriously, it's just metal and let's be honest, it's all going to burn in the end.  I'm not worried about it, man.  It'll all work out.  Everything will be fine.  Don't worry.

And then you become a mother and BAM!  Everything in regards to safety IS a BIG DEAL.  What is the #1 thing that is important in our existence?  Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - it's pretty clear that after our basic physiological needs are met then there is safety.  Like every mother, my child's safety and well being are my top priority.  But then, of course, I start to take better care of myself because I want to be healthy to be able to provide for my child.  A few of my peers have recently been diagnosed with cancer and let me tell you, THAT is alarming.  Cancer in your 30s as a mother!?  WHAT.THE.ACTUAL.EFF.  I thought we were supposed to be worrying about our husband getting home from work late or missing our child's Spanish "show off" ... not possibly missing out on their lives entirely because of cancer.  I mean, let's be honest, nobody makes it out of this place alive and we shouldn't worry about when we go but we all want to be there for our kids.  PS. If you really are going through a lot of anxiety and worry right now, here's a great message about worry.

That being said, maybe correlation doesn't always imply causation.  But other times, maybe there is some causation behind all of the chemicals in our environment and cancer at younger ages.  Or the toxins we unknowingly put on our body and the link between hormone disrupters and all of the infertility or breast and ovarian cancer.  I don't know.  Maybe I don't want to know.  But I do know that I do not want my little one to be exposed to hormone disrupters as her little body is growing and developing.  I mean, I'm not going to go all "wood toys" and zero plastics like Jessica Biel's new restaurant with child care, Au Fudge.  But I'm also not going to microwave any of my child's food in plastic because deep inside even if I'm making this up in my head, that damn plastic could be leaching into her food and causing her ovaries to go all ape shit.  I mean, they even considered banning saran wrap/ plastic wrap because of that very fact.  Damnit, plastic wrap, I thought we had a good thing going.  How is anyone supposed to know!?  And what about the people who don't know and live until they're 178 and they ate bacon wrapped in marshmallows while wearing toxic lipstick.  What!?  Whatever.  Once you know, you know, man.  

That being said, there's an APP FOR THAT when it comes to what is in our bathroom cabinets.  We can scan our beauty products and find out what kind of garbage is inside.  Awesome and scary.  This little app is exactly why I went ahead and signed up for BEAUTYCOUNTER.  Now that I know how dirty our products are, if friends and family ask me what we use, I will reactively tell them.  BUT, if you don't want to know, hakuna matata, sista!  I don't want to know either.

Here is the app to check the safety of the items in your make up bag and under your sink.

THINK DIRTY.
photos taken from the THINK DIRTY app info page.

   

  

And for those of you who are interested in learning more about BEAUTYCOUNTER, check out their site.

www.beautycounter.com/debperry

Finally, here is a letter from the founder of BEAUTYCOUNTER.  She started Beautycounter to provide safer alternatives for families.  I really can't believe how much garbage is hidden in our beauty products.  


Quote taken from BEAUTYCOUNTER site.

OUR FOUNDER

Like many of you, I'm a wife and mom—and like many of you, I didn't know what I didn't know. As I applied sunscreen, lotion, and any number of beauty products on myself and my kids, I never thought for a second they might not be safe: After all, I thought, we live in a country that regulates everything. So imagine my surprise when I learned that when it comes to the personal care industry, that's simply not the case. Companies are allowed to use known toxins—ingredients that have been linked to cancer, reproductive issues, hormone disruption—without telling us.

As I learned more—1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women in the US will be diagnosed with cancer—I had to do something. So I started Beautycounter, a company devoted to progress. You'll find a wealth of empowering information about ways we can all make the world healthier, along with products you can trust are safe. Because we all deserve better. Our vision is bold—real answers are never timid. Help us put truth back in beauty. xx gregg

Best toddler swimsuit!

If you have a fair child who does not sit still for sunscreen or who does not love having tight tops pulled over their head, this is the suit for you!  In all seriousness, everyone in my husband's immediate family has had basal cell carcinoma.  With that being said, I want to do everything I can to protect my small, fair skinned child from the sun.  Her head has always been in the 90th percentile so those tight rash guard tops make everyone in a one mile radius feel stressed when it's time to put it on.  And let's not talk about taking it off when it's wet! 🙈

Anyway, here is the swimsuit that has my vote!  They run a bit big.  My 3 1/2 year old can still wear her size 24 month top and the arms are just a little short (but she can't wear the bottoms).  She now solidly in the size 3T and it's loose enough to be comfortable but not tight at all.  I love this swimsuit!!

Click on this Amazon link to view more details or buy:

Why do I love Amazon?

Where can you find Stride Rite for 70% off?  Or Keens for 50% plus free shipping in 2 days!?  AMAZON!  I LOVE AMAZON!  Oh, and don't forget cash back with eBates!  --> link on the right.

If you're not sure how to search Amazon for the best deals, just search by the category "Shoes" and then on the bottom left after you have input the size you're looking for, click "50% off or more" and VOILA!  Here is a screenshot.

Department -> Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry -> Girls (or whatever human you're searching for) -> Shoes

Click on size and % off.

Here is my latest score.  These adorable Stride Rite Valerie Boots retail for $50 + !

Here is a link for the Keens we just scored for 40% off.  My little lady wears keens all day, every day in the summer.  From the water park to the playground to summer camp.  These things are indestructible and you can throw them in the wash or hose them off - every mothers dream for these stinky little toes.

Back to the tile...

24x20 or 2x2 or 1x1?

I love the hexagon tiles for my little one's bathroom.  Should I do tiny, medium or huge?  I'm thinking 2x2... or 1x1.

Just for fun, here are some round penny tiles from a recent home show we attended.  Home was designed and decorated by Mawr.

Daltile gives you these ideas for the 1x1 hexagonal tile and you can find a million photos on houzz.  I do love the flower patterns but I'm thinking plain Jane white will be better for resale.

I think this is ultimately the look I am going for on the floor.

And here are some 1x1 hexagons by Daltile.  They just seem like they'd get dirty pretty easily.  ... still in love with the glitter grout!

Cute bathroom by Mawr again.  I really like the dark grout for a million reasons.  I've convinced myself that dark grout is prettier because let's be honest, white grout will be dark grout eventually, right?

And all of these big hexagons were from the Mawr home show!  I like the big hexagon tiles below for a laundry room but I think one room will be enough in our traditional home.

To be continued...

Tile, oh Tile.

I am no designer.  But I know that I like designs that are simple and timeless!  That being said, even though subway tile is super trendy right now it has also been around from the beginning of tile.  We built our Drees home about 4 years ago and at the time we were pregnant and we had both started new jobs so tile choices were not our top priority.  Since then, we have had multiple problems with our tile so our builder finally decided to pull the tile up to investigate and find out what the underlying issue is.  The tile may not have been installed correctly and the grout job was poor (it has been re-grouted a few times and it continues to crumble).

Here is an example.  Yikes!





That being said, now I get to pick new tile!  Drees spent so long trying to bandage the problem that our tile is now discontinued.  My husband is not excited about the process nor has he been thrilled about 3 years of issues that have been bandaged.  But it seems that it will have been worth it!  Enough about the problems with Drees.  Let's talk about the fun part.

Here is our bathroom now.

Emser 11-Pack 13-in x 13-in Padua Tuscany Ceramic Floor Tile

Emser 11-Pack 13-in x 13-in Padua Tuscany Ceramic Floor Tile

And here is the tile I'm considering using for the master bath around the tub and the shower walls.  Daltile, Rittenhouse Square White 3 x 6 Modular Wall Tile in semi-gloss.  I also like how it is arranged in the photo below. I also love the dark grout.  Not only is dark grout oh so practical, but I do love the way it looks.  And did you know that they make sparkly grout.  SPARKLE GROUT!  Awesome.  Now is it sanded or not sanded and will it hold up?  No idea.


Daltile, Rittenhouse Square White 3 x 6 Modular Wall Tile in semi-gloss

Here is a photo by the Marazzi tile folks.  This rendered photo does look different than the tile in person.  It's called Preservation porcelain tile in Petrified Grey.

The 3 color options for the Preservation wood tile by Marazzi.

Here is an example of the wood tile installed.  After having so many issues with our Armstrong wood floors and the finish coming off, I love the idea of a wood tile for bathrooms and laundry. 

I'd like to use the Marazzi Petrified Grey Preservation tile on the floors using the 9x36 files.  I feel like it'll give tie in the gold granite, dark cabinets and white subway tile well.  I'll probably paint the walls white too.  If I could re-do everything, countertop and cabinets included, I would put in white/gray countertops, white cabinets and use hexagon tiles for the floor.  Swoon. 


Here is the gold, sparkly grout I'm going to use in the master (not using the hexagons).



To be continued...