Confessions of a Swapper: Angela W.

Confessions of a Swapper is a brand new 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. 

Hi, everyone! Lindsey here. I spearhead a lot of the food box coverage on My Subscription Addiction. If you're familiar with my reviews, you probably know I love a good meal kit, but you may not know that I'm also a big fan of MSA's Swap site. I made my first swap about 7 years ago, and I was an active swapper for several years. During my time swapping, I was consistently impressed by the people I met on the platform. I received so many thank you notes and little bonus items that put a smile on my face, and I was reminded again and again just how nice and genuine and kind our community really is. These days, I tend to donate the subscription box items I can't or won't use, but I still drop into the swap site from time to time to browse the listings.

Swaps is a part of MSA that the entire team is proud of, but it doesn't always get the coverage it deserves on the main part of the website. We wanted to find a way to talk more about swaps in the MSA feed, so we thought it might be fun to profile our top swappers and invite them to share their stories.

To kick off the series, I reached out to Angela W, one of our most active swappers. Angela has been swapping on MSA for 5 years, and she's completed nearly 800 successful swaps. Her feedback rating is a perfect score, so she's a highly-trusted leader in the swaps community. I talked with Angela about her favorite swaps and swapping habits, and I greatly enjoyed getting to know her. It's a fun interview that I hope you'll enjoy.

But before I introduce you to Angela, let's take a quick look at the swaps site. If you're new to this corner of MSA, it might be helpful to take a quick peek at what swaps are 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 Angela!

Confessions of a Swapper: Angela W.

Lindsey: Angela, thanks so much for taking the time to talk swaps. How long have you been swapping on MSA?

Angela W.: I have been on here... this month makes 5 years now!

L: Amazing! You're an O.G.! How did you discover Swaps?

A: I was looking around for a new sub box and someone had mentioned MSA... after getting approved I was hooked!  

L: How frequently do you use Swaps?

A: I am on Swaps everyday updating my listings and looking at everyone's new added listings. I swap every week... sometimes only a couple of swaps... sometimes more.  🙂

L: You've completed hundreds and hundreds of swaps. What are your favorites?

A: Gosh, I don't know that I have a favorite swap. Each swap is great in its own right. Sometimes the smallest things are the greatest swaps! One of my first swaps, everything that I had swapped for was individually hand wrapped... it was like Christmas. I knew then that I had to up my swap game.

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

A: It's hard to have a holy grail when there are so many new things EVERY day. Right now I am dying to try the Broken Top Candle Co. Sea Salt Surf perfume.

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

A: I can usually tell immediately which items I will use, which I can gift, and which I am putting up for trade. Sometimes, I regret trading stuff though, so I should probably try to think it over a little more in the future.

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

A: I hoard boxes so I can reuse them. LOL. For real, though! Boxes, bubble wrap, padded envelopes... if I can re-use it, I do!!

L: What's your favorite thing about Swaps?

A: I love that when I ship a box off to someone, just knowing that box is going to bring a smile to their face when they get it... that is my favorite thing about Swaps.

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

A: My favorite box right now is Beachly. The beach is my happy place, so anything that makes me feel closer to that... that is what I want!

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

A: Advice and etiquette to know is to always be prompt in shipping. If there is any issue, communicate that to the other swapper. Communication is key. If you have an ongoing swap, keep track of it. Make sure the tracking number is working and that the swap arrives to its destination. If you aren't happy with a swap, reach out to the other swapper before leaving negative feedback. Give them a chance to make it right.

Thanks so much to Angela W. for being an MSA swapper extraordinaire and for helping me kick off this series about Swaps. I really appreciate it, Angela!

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.