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Post in Besides Beauty
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~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

*Sign-ups are CLOSED - Exchange is in progress โค

galentines day GIF by NBC

It's back! The gift exchange celebrating "the best day of the year" is here Heart

galentines day GIF by NBC

Our previous rounds have been wonderful platforms for bringing us all together though our appreciation for beauty, treats and camaraderie. We're glad that you've  decided to join in on the fun!

 

Positive Energy and Unicorn Love Always, 
Mcakes & ZombieMetroAnt

 

 

Tips and Tricks:

 

Spoiler

 

โ™ฅAsk questions! Anyone can ask anyone an anonymous question, that will help you get a better idea of likes and dislikes, haves and wants, etc. 


โ™ฅWhen you purchase something, click "Mark As Purchased." They won't see it, but they might be using the same wishlist for other gift exchanges, so this can prevent them potentially getting the same gift from two different people.

 

โ™ฅIf you got something for yourself, remove it from your wishlist! 

 

Shipping Suggestions:

 

 

Spoiler

How to ship abroad/add a customs label while still using online shipping:


1. Creating an account: First, you must create a free account on the USPS website. The paypal.com/shipnow site will not let you create customs forms.


2. Shipping Label: To create the shipping label, you want to use the "Click n Ship" function from the dropdown menu under Mail & Ship. Many of the directions from above are basically the same but the key difference is under, "Where are you sending to?" you will need to use the dropdown menu to select the country of choice.


3. Finishing the Shipping Label:Fill in all the corresponding information until the end of the form including the value of the package. The Canadians on the board may have more to speak to with this but I always kept this amount on the lower side so the recipient doesn't get hit with high customs fee. (average amount I would put would be $10-$20) A great feature is at the end of the page it will give you all your options for shipping. I can tell you on a personal note that when I ship to England I always choose first class international mail and I have never had a problem. Once again, delivery confirmation is thrown in for FREE.


3. Beginning the Customs Form: You will then get to a page that will you through step by step filling in the customs form. The first question will ask you to "Enter Package Information." This is where you can just write this is a gift box for a friend. You do not need to write anything more!


4. Customs Inventory: Next up is, "Enter Item Information." Okay, this one is a little tricky. If you want to itemize, and fill in every single thing in the box, you can. If you only want to do a couple, you can. I've done both over the years and both have been okay. I'm not going to tell you though that it will work every time so ultimately, the decision is up to you. Make sure though that you mark each item a GIFT so that the recipient does not get charged increased fees. Also, and this is IMPORTANT, the total that adds up for the all the items has to be the same total you gave on the previous page for the value of the box. So if you make something worth $1, that's fine! (Again, Canadians speak up hear if I'm wrong but my abroad friends always told me it was better to do this to reduce customs fees for the recipient.) Lastly, each weight of each individual item will need to add up to the to the total weight item, so I've honestly literally made up ratio numbers in the past. (I have never had a problem in years of sending packages)


5. Tarrif Number: Lastly, you do not have a tariff number so leave that blank. Okay, one last thing, choose your AES exemption. I would choose the second one having to do with gifts.


6. Obtaining the Label/Customs Form: The steps following this are similar to the ones from above except that I believe the payment options for USPS may also include credit card options as well as PayPal. Go ahead and print your label which will also contain your completed customs form. (Please note: you may need to sign your customs form before affixing it to your package) On a positive note, YOU STILL SAVE MONEY BY USING THE ONLINE POSTAGE SYSTEM!


7. How to actually ship it:For international packages, my personal advice is yes, bring it to the post office, and yes, actually check it in and get a receipt saying it was checked in by a postal worker. Since many international packages take quite longer than domestic and tend to get delayed at different intervals, you want to make sure that everything is okay when it first enters the system.

 

 
Duty Info (thank you @veronika23 ! If you need help with shipping info to Canada, please message her Heart ๐Ÿ˜ž

The US can receive a gift up to 100$ USD. If you are sending a gift from Canada and mark it as 100$ you are actually saying it cost you 100$ CAD. Today Google converts that to 73.30$ USD so your recipient should be ok and not pay additional fees.

Canada can receive a gift up to 60$ CAD. If you are sending a gift from the US and it was 60$, you are actually saying it cost you 60$ USD. Today Google converts that to 81.86$ CAD. So your Canadian recipient in this case might pay duties/taxes/fees. But if your gift only cost you is lets say 35$ USD today Google converts that to 47.75$CAD. So the recipient shouldn't pay fees.

I believe customs will check the rate on the day the item is processed.

For the US ladies. The cheapest way to ship to Canada is via USPS First Class International mail.

Link to Galentine's Day 2018:

 

Spoiler

Housekeeping :

 

 

Spoiler

*Information Only- Exchange is already underway*

If you are interested in joining, please see the Eligibility Requirements, Rules, and Key Dates below to see if this will be a good fit for you!

 

Eligibility-

Spoiler

Have you participated in a gift exchange on BT/BIC previously?

 

Yes
Previous participants in exchanges that either ZMA or I have hosted without incident on their part are pre-approved. If you participated in an exchange that ZMA or I have not hosted, please kindly provide a link to that exchange thread for us to do our due diligence. If there were no issues from the exchange on your part, we are excited to have you on board!

 

No
Meet one or more of the following requirements:

1.Must be willing to do a $50 box deposit that will be taken at sign up and returned once your Galentine has given us confirmation of delivery.
2.Must be vouched for by 2 members of the community who ZMA or I are familiar with.

*Since we are trying to be as inclusive as possible while also protecting other participants in this exchange, ZMA and I will have final discretion on participant eligibility. We realize that this is very subjective, but we must establish a certain degree of trust between users as there is sensitive information being exchanged. Thank you for your understanding.

 

Rules-

Spoiler

By expressing interest in signing up for the exchange, you are agreeing to the following:


-The minimum spend for this exchange is $50. You do not need to go over this amount, but in the spirit of fairness you may not go under it.

-If you have not participated in an exchange previously, you must ship your gift on or before February 1st. If you miss this deadline and do not communicate with ZMA or I about the reason for your delay, you will not get your box deposit back. Instead, we will use your box deposit to create a gift on your behalf. No Galentine will be left behind!

-Provide tracking number(s) to ZMA or I once you have shipped your gift. This can be done via Elfster or messaging ZMA or I.

-Acknowledge receipt of your gift ASAP, even if you need a little more time to do a full post. This is a courtesy to your giftor to know it was received (it is stressful waiting to know if a package made the journey ok!) and for ZMA and I to keep track of the progress in the exchange. You may do this via Elfster, by posting on this thread that you have received the parcel, or by messaging either ZMA or I.

-You must post pictures of your gift. This is an integral part of the exchange experience and we want to share in the excitement with you! We know how much thought and care goes into curating a gift, and we want to acknowledge your giftor's efforts as well. You may provide pictures for either ZMA or I to post on your behalf if you are having issues posting, but please know that the pictures are a firm requirement.

Key Dates-

 

Spoiler

Sign Up Deadline: 12/31/18

Draw Day (This is the day you find out who you are shopping for, yay!): 1/1/19

Ship Date for First Time Participants: 2/1/19 (*If you are shipping from Canada to US or vice versa, this deadline will be earlier)

All Gifts Must be Received: On or before 2/13/19 (Galentine's Day)

 

To sign up, please comment on this thread! ZMA and I will be messaging approved participants with more details and will be updating the Participant List as we go. 

 

We are looking forward to celebrating with y'all Heart Heart Heart !

 

Positive Energy and Unicorn Love Always, 
Mcakes & @ZombieMetroAnt

 

P.S. We will make every effort to accommodate all shipping restrictions, please state those restrictions at sign up via PM. Thank you!

Participants (42)-

 

Spoiler

ZombieMetroAnt - gift received, thank you faeriegirl!

Mcakes - gift received, thank you godivamoon!

notcrocker - gift received, thank you melissapurple22!

unfungirl

pixiedust2 - gift received, thank you mermadelove!

Tamara76 - gift received, thank you pixiedust2!

darkiceis - gift received, thank you Kim888!

godivamoon - gift received, thank you darkiceis!

sister13 - gift received, thank you CC3616!

prettyinpa - gift received, thank you Ispend2much6!

CC3616 - gift received, thank you SportyGirly125!

Kim888 - gift received, thank you sabrinas!
Ispend2much6 - gift received, thank you Samtian!
Anastasiya13 - gift received, thank you imlostagain!
ElleElleG - gift received, thank you prettyinpa!
bakeamuffin - gift received, thank you GG84!
scott1201 - gift received, thank you gonerogue!
Spacellama - gift received, thank you NotCrocker!
melissapurple22 - gift received, thank you Nickelliebear1!
Indy701 - gift received, thank you unfungirl!
GG84 - gift received, thank you Spacellama!
faeriegirl - gift received, thank you skcfan!
mermadelove - gift received
gonerogue - gift received
SportyGirly125 - gift received, thank you jen143xo!
MissPuff - gift received, thank you scott1201!
snoflakefaerie - gift received, thank you Tamara76!
lipstick4soul - gift received, thank you Anastasiya13!
quspork - gift received, thank you lipstick4soul!
naturalooks15 - gift received, thank you itscarin!
veronika23
itsfi - gift received, thank you Indy701!
eshoe - gift received, thank you MissPuff!
Samtian - gift received, thank you itsfi!
itscarin - gift received, thank you quspork!
skcfan - gift received, thank you eshoe!
imlostagain - gift received, thank you snoflakefaerie!
ohheyitscindyk - gift received, thank you ClassicallyFab!
ClassicallyFab - gift received, thank you ohheyitscindyk!
Sabrinas - gift received, thank you Mcakes!
Nickelliebear1 - gift received, thank you bakeamuffin!
jen143xo - gift received, thank you naturalooks15!

 

 

 

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

@Nickelliebear1 I'm certain they don't! I still have to wait until the 25th to order the last of my gifts. But I'm always like last to ship haha.

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

@Nickelliebear1 I'm sure your Galentine doesn't feel the least bit forgotten! Lots of us havent shipped ๐Ÿ’•

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

You are going to be ahead of me @Nickelliebear1, I'm still shopping. Though I hope to get the last of my orders placed today if I ever recover from snow shovelling. BTW, if any of you ladies got a lot of snow with it ending with rain, if you spray your shovel with non-stick pan coating (PAM or the like) it makes it a lot easier. The rain made the snow really heavy and sticky, great for snowmen, crummy for shovelling.

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

@prettyinpa Thank you... That sounds helpful, I have to go dig my car out today and wouldn't mind getting our steps and sidewalks a bit clearer. Our snow was topped with freezing rain and then more snow! 

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

@prettyinpa what a great idea! Iโ€™ll have to remember for next time. We got over a foot, too!

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

Interesting, @prettyinpa - PAM has so many uses! We use it on the hummingbird feeders, keeps the bees away ๐Ÿ˜„

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

Thanks for the hummingbird feeder tip, @eshoe.  We visit some friends in the summer who have lots of HB feeders and they are plagued by bees, I'll be sure and tell them. I love to see the little hummers, we sometimes see them in the desert around the cacti there, they are so cute. We only have a couple of kinds in PA, the desert has a lot of them.

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

Happy to share, @prettyinpa! We see quite a few doffeeenr kinds here, they are pretty fun to watch. And so territorial. But yes the Pam works wonders for keeping the bees away:)

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

@eshoe-  Forgot to ask, where do you spray it?  All over the feeder, or on the perches?

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

On the bottom part with the perches, @prettyinpa-as long as the little areas where the nectar comes out is sprayed, thatโ€™s what works for us. Unfortunately it doesnโ€™t keep the finches and lone woodpecker that visits away๐Ÿ˜‚

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

Omg thatโ€™s a really really good idea!!! And sorry you go so much, shoveling is a pain ๐Ÿ˜ซ! We didnโ€™t here, just lots of rain so far!  @prettyinpa

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

@prettyinpa I got 45 Inches of snow this weekend ๐Ÿ˜ข I'm doomed. 

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

OMG @GG84 that is one craptastic pile of snow. Makes my 9 inches look puny. I think the most we ever got in one storm was around 31. Though we were lucky as the last few hours of the storm were rain and not snow.

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

@GG84 FORTY FIVE? Wow.  I think the most I got at once (not where I live now) was 20-22 inches. That took some time to dig out.  

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

@Indy701@prettyinpa So by inches I meant centimeters lol Silly Canadian I am. So that's 18 inches I think? 

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

@GG84 Ahahaha! I had just seen a photo yesterday of an avalanche in Utah that put 30 feet of snow on the road, I was trying to picture 45 feet and was like mind blown.

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

@GG84  Haha. I forgot the rest of the world uses a different measurement system and you kindly try to convert for us.  Thatโ€™s a lot still.  Good luck shoveling out 

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

@Nickelliebear1  You have a while ๐Ÿ˜. Between winter storms and traveling for work, if I didnโ€™t ship early it would have been late. Having been lucky enough to get a gift from you, worth the wait. 

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

You're definitely not the only one, @Nickelliebear1. I finally received all the shipments I was waiting for, so hopefully I can get everything looking pretty (or as pretty as I can LOL) this week!

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

don't worry @Nickelliebear1, i'm still shopping too! i think most of us aren't expecting anything until closed to v-day. i'm impressed with how early some people are shipping!

Re: ~โ™ฅGalentine's Day Exchange 2019โ™ฅ~

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! I canโ€™t believe how generous and thoughtful and wonderful this Galentineโ€™s Day package was! ๐Ÿ“ฆโค๏ธ๐ŸŽโค๏ธ๐Ÿ“ฆโค๏ธ

โค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธ

Iโ€™m now sitting here drinking this really wonderful Patchamama natural green tea with purple corn and ginger that came in the box, itโ€™s so unique and delicious and from my lovely Galentineโ€™s town! 

 

Anyway, I was finally feeling better after a nap and some sinus medicine, so I got to open this beautiful box!  I opened the card first and saw for the first time who my Galentine was! 

                     ๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’• @CC3616 ๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’•

 

8C28A45D-F4BF-481F-BC9F-45EFAA46034A.jpeg75ECCC69-0B81-426C-8741-C5F640AE7DF1.jpeg

Spoiler
1469EE78-7C80-47E4-8515-62985EA49816.jpeg

Then, I started with this heart pouch (so cute!) and saw the lovely snacks and teas. Iโ€™ve been trying to cut back on sugar, so I really appreciate how you went out of your way to find some great snacks that I know I will love!! 

 

Yum!Yum!

 As soon as I opened it, I smelled and glimpsed this beautiful LUSH twilight bath bomb! DIVINE! (How did you know I just cleared all kinds of empty boxes and holiday bags out of my bathtub โ€œstorageโ€ and need a relaxing bath, lol! ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚)

 

So many treasures!So many treasures!

Then I couldnโ€™t believe how many items were in this box under the pink and protective wrapping! Wow! I put them all together for a family pic first before opening everything.โค๏ธ๐Ÿ’œโ™ฅ๏ธโค๏ธ๐Ÿ’œโ™ฅ๏ธโค๏ธ๐Ÿ’œโ™ฅ๏ธ

 

D4E31EEB-F065-4E60-9191-3B9381FD3D05.jpeg

My nosiest busybody checking out the scene:

C960D7DB-90E4-49FC-84D4-9B769BE73B0F.jpeg 

I really didnโ€™t expect to get so many lovely things from my wishlist, I really just thought they were to give an idea of things I like! Thank you, thank you, thank you @CC3616!

 

Wow!Wow!In awe!!In awe!!

I love salty snacks and canโ€™t wait to try everything. I got some of these Lupicia teas when I was in Japan last year and I just finished it all recently and so excited to get more! Itโ€™s so good and so pretty, the tea itself and the tins, Iโ€™ll have to take a pic when I open the tin and show yโ€™all. The Inca green tea was so fragrant and flavorful and the full tea leaves unfolded, I can tell a little goes a long way!! The oils are a chili infused and peppercorn herb oil, so I canโ€™t wait to try those for cooking and to drizzle over goat cheese! Yum!

 

I love the little heart trinket dish and heart hand towel and some great travel items for all my hair from Oaui and Drybar in a super cute pouch! Finally, the NARS ignited palette, what can I say, it has been on my list because (a) I love NARS anyway; and (b) the NARS Wanted palette is truly one of my all time favorites, (c) I love sparkle!!! 

 

Itโ€™s really too generous and I wasnโ€™t even expecting anything until February, so I was so surprised and just honored at so much thought and care to put such a wonderful parcel of gifts together! 

 

I have been having such a rough winter with work stress and I keep getting sick, so I havenโ€™t been able to be as present here on BIC as Iโ€™d like but I just feel so full of love and happiness and sending thanks with all my heart @CC3616! โค๏ธ๐Ÿ’œโ™ฅ๏ธโค๏ธ๐Ÿ’œโ™ฅ๏ธโค๏ธ๐Ÿ’œโ™ฅ๏ธโค๏ธ๐Ÿ’œโ™ฅ๏ธ

 

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