Need new clothes, but can't afford them? Pining for a new book, but can't justify the expense when there are dozens gathering dust in your living room? Want to plant a garden this year, but aren't sure if you've got the capital for seeds?
Don't worry: swapping is the new shopping, and Saturday January 21st is World Swap Day!
According to Earth911, Swap Day was created by Amy Chase and Melissa Massello, The Swapaholics. These two Boston women who turned their shared love of vintage and thrift shopping into a career. In addition to organizing swap events in the Boston area, they have become the official event hostesses for Swap.com, the online swapping marketplace that lists in-person swap events and co-sponsored the event.
"Our goal is to have more than 500 events happening around the world during the month of January — clothing swaps, food swaps, book swaps, kids gear swaps, beauty swaps, video game swaps, seed swaps, teacher supply swaps, craft swaps, you name it — and have them all listed on our Events.Swap.com directory, raising awareness for swapping as the new shopping," write The Swapaholics.
If this is the first you've heard of World Swap Day, it might be a little too late to organize your own swap event, but that doesn't mean you can't participate in this low-impact day of sharing and trading.
There are lots of Swap events planned this weekend, including cities like Atlanta, Oakland, Boston, Washington, D.C., St. Petersburg, FL, New York City, Clarksville, TN, Ben Wheeler, TX, and Arlington, VA. This isn't a comprehensive list, so be sure to search for more swaps in your state using the "Find a Swap" tool on Swap.com.
You can also participate by listing an item or swapping with someone who's listed their uneeded item on the Swap Marketplace. This video will help you get started:
As an added incentive to get you swapping, every listing you post until Jan. 28th counts as an entry into the marketplace’s List Your Way to $1K Giveaway. A panel of expert swappers will pick the two Swap.com members with the best items to trade, and each will be awarded with a cash prize of $1,000.
Also, check out our handy guides for organizing just about any type of swap event:
Toy Swaps
h/t Earth911
