Sephora

Mcakes · ‎12-02-2021

Sign-ups are CLOSED

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

Our previous rounds have been wonderful platforms for bringing us all together though our appreciation for beauty, treats and camaraderie. Come and join in on the fun!

Positive Energy and Unicorn Love Always,
Mcakes & ZombieMetroAnt

Tips & Tricks:

Spoiler

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

♥When 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.

♥If you got something for yourself, remove it from your wishlist!

♥Ask questions! Anyone can ask anyone an anonymous question, that will help you get a better idea of likes and dislikes, haves and wants, etc. ♥When 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. ♥If 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

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.

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 $1, that's fine! (Again, Canadians speak up hear if I'm wrong but my abroad friends always told me it was better to do this to reduce customs fees for the recipient.) Lastly, each weight of each individual item will need to add up to the to the total weight item, so I've honestly literally made up ratio numbers in the past. (I have never had a problem in years of sending packages)5. Tarrif Number: Lastly, you do not have a tariff number so leave that blank. Okay, one last thing, choose your AES exemption. I would choose the second one having to do with gifts.6. Obtaining the Label/Customs Form: The steps following this are similar to the ones from above except that I believe the payment options for USPS may also include credit card options as well as PayPal. Go ahead and print your label which will also contain your completed customs form. (Please note: you may need to sign your customs form before affixing it to your package) On a positive note, YOU STILL SAVE MONEY BY USING THE ONLINE POSTAGE SYSTEM!7. How to actually ship it:For international packages, my personal advice is yes, bring it to the post office, and yes, actually check it in and get a receipt saying it was checked in by a postal worker. Since many international packages take quite longer than domestic and tend to get delayed at different intervals, you want to make sure that everything is okay when it first enters the system. Duty Info (thank you @veronika23 ! If you need help with shipping info to Canada, please message her The US can receive a gift up to 100$ 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.

Links to previous Galentine's Day Exchanges:

Spoiler

2021: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Besides-Beauty/Galentine-s-Day-Exchange-2021/m-p/5690748#M2105
2019: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Besides-Beauty/Galentine-s-Day-Exchange-2019/m-p/4361327#M182782
2018: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Besides-Beauty/Galentine-s-Day-Exchange/m-p/3675077#M161033

2021: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Besides-Beauty/Galentine-s-Day-Exchange-2021/m-p/5690748#M21052019: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Besides-Beauty/Galentine-s-Day-Exchange-2019/m-p/4361327#M1827822018: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Besides-Beauty/Galentine-s-Day-Exchange/m-p/3675077#M161033

Housekeeping:

Spoiler

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: 12/31/21

Draw Day (This is the day you find out who you are shopping for, yay!): 1/1/22

Ship Date for First Time Participants: 2/1/22 (*If you are shipping from Canada to US or vice versa, this deadline will be earlier)

All Gifts Must be Received: On or before 2/13/22 (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!

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!

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:Have you participated in a gift exchange on BT/BIC previously? YesPrevious 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! NoMeet 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: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:Sign Up Deadline: 12/31/21Draw Day (This is the day you find out who you are shopping for, yay!): 1/1/22Ship Date for First Time Participants: 2/1/22 (*If you are shipping from Canada to US or vice versa, this deadline will be earlier)All Gifts Must be Received: On or before 2/13/22 (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! 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:

Spoiler

ZombieMetroAnt - gift received, thank you gonerogue!
Mcakes - gift received, thank you AznAngelLiz!
NotCrocker -gift received, thank you
unfungirl - gift received, thank you PaletteAddict99!
gonerogue - gift received, thank you bem564!
Snglbug -gift received, thank you fatimamummy!
SportyGirly125 - gift received, thank you snoflakefaerie!
AznAngelLiz - gift received, thank you buootiful!
Nickelliebear1 - gift received, thank you heartsmyface!
Samtian - gift received, thank you unfungirl!
Kim888 - gift received, thank you Anastasiya13!
faeriegirl - gift received, thank you ohheyitscindyk!
snoflakefaerie - gift received, thank you quspork!
quspork -gift received, thank you Kim888!
bem564 - gift received, thank you faeriegirl!
Anastasiya13 - gift received, thank you SportyGirly125!
PaletteAddict99 - gift received, thank you ZombieMetroAnt!
heartsmyface - gift received, thank you NotCrocker!
fatimamummy - gift received, thank you nickelliebear1!
Buootiful - gift received, thank you Ispend2much6!
Ispend2much6 - gift received, thank you Mcakes!
ohheyitscindyk - gift received, thank you Samtian!

ZombieMetroAnt - gift received, thank you gonerogue! Mcakes - gift received, thank you AznAngelLiz!NotCrocker -gift received, thank you unfungirl - gift received, thank you PaletteAddict99!gonerogue - gift received, thank you bem564!Snglbug -gift received, thank you fatimamummy!SportyGirly125 - gift received, thank you snoflakefaerie! AznAngelLiz - gift received, thank you buootiful!Nickelliebear1 - gift received, thank you heartsmyface!Samtian - gift received, thank you unfungirl!Kim888 - gift received, thank you Anastasiya13!faeriegirl - gift received, thank you ohheyitscindyk!snoflakefaerie - gift received, thank you quspork!quspork -gift received, thank you Kim888!bem564 - gift received, thank you faeriegirl!Anastasiya13 - gift received, thank you SportyGirly125!PaletteAddict99 - gift received, thank you ZombieMetroAnt!heartsmyface - gift received, thank you NotCrocker!fatimamummy - gift received, thank you nickelliebear1!Buootiful - gift received, thank you Ispend2much6!Ispend2much6 - gift received, thank you Mcakes!ohheyitscindyk - gift received, thank you Samtian!

Mcakes · ‎12-22-2022

Hey y'all! Sign ups for the 2023 exchange is up 😍 Can you join us?

https://community.sephora.com/t5/Besides-Beauty/Galentine-s-Day-Exchange-2023/td-p/6391632

daniella846 · ‎12-22-2022

I love your community and gift exchange

Mcakes · ‎12-22-2022

It's OUR Community @daniella846 ! Glad you're here!

Mcakes · ‎12-14-2022

Hey y'all! Doing a pulse check to see if anyone would be interested in an exchange for 2023? Also how everyone would feel about either lowering the min spend to $25 or keeping it at $50? Please give me alllll your thoughts 💕

Tamara76 · ‎12-18-2022

@Mcakes I'm interested! It has been way too long since I've done an exchange with y'all! I'll have to see how my time looks after the new year to fully commit. I'm ok with either minimum.💗

Mcakes · ‎12-18-2022

@Tamara76 Ahh yayy!! 💖

sister13 · ‎12-18-2022

I am interested and should have enough quiet to participate, had to sit it out last year. Either threshold works for me. Also hoping for a better, joyful 2023 for everyone! @Mcakes

Mcakes · ‎12-18-2022

@sister13 Yes! Quiet and joyful sound wonderful lol 💕

heartsmyface · ‎12-16-2022

@Mcakes Ahhh, did I miss the Galentines sign up? If I can sneak onto the list I’d love to but if it’s officially too late I will live vicariously through everyone else:)
edit- I didn’t read properly, I’m in!!!

Mcakes · ‎12-17-2022

@heartsmyface Yay! No, you didn’t miss a thing. Just trying to see if there’s enough interest 👀

Buootiful · ‎12-15-2022

Hi @Mcakes I would love to, but can't this year. I look forward to joining by browsing the awesome unboxing pics! 😍

Mcakes · ‎12-17-2022

@Buootiful Totally understand! If we have it we will definitely miss you!

Cherylb88 · ‎12-15-2022

Just found this and would love to participate for the first time

Mcakes · ‎12-15-2022

Yay!! Good to know there's interest!

quspork · ‎12-15-2022

I would be interested in participating again, @Mcakes. Either threshold is ok with me.

Mcakes · ‎12-15-2022

Whohoo! Thank you for your input 💖

eshoe · ‎12-14-2022

@Mcakes I am interested in it, either threshold is fine. I am hoping things look better in the spring, it has been a challenging year. I could definitely use something like this to forward to. Galentine’s 2023!!! 🙌🏼

Mcakes · ‎12-15-2022

@eshoe Yes, it has been such a tough year. Thank you for letting me know you'd be interested! I do hope things turn the corner soon 💗

faeriegirl · ‎12-14-2022

I am definitely interested @Mcakes . I am ok with either amount.

Mcakes · ‎12-15-2022

Yay yayy!! Thank you for letting me know!

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