Hi all,
UPDATE 3/26:
I started a Flickr group for people to join and upload photos. You can request an invite to the group through flickr or PM me your flickr ID. Otherwise, people can email their photos to me.
Spoiler alert! Proceed with caution if you are a recipient and want to be surprised.
Flickr group:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/brickset_jambalaya/----
Welcome to the thread for the 2012 US-Jambalaya LEGO exchange! You can see I've slapped 2012 on this as a challenge for the group to complete a rotation before the calendar flips over.
Let's use this thread for status updates and discussing logistics. The original thread where
@jadedanc brought forward the idea can be found here:
http://www.bricksetforum.com/discussion/3988/lego-round-robin/p1What: A box of LEGO will progress through our list of participants, one stop at a time. The box will be a mixed assortment of elements (thus, jambalaya!) and presumably the more variety we have in there, the better, as it will better suit the diversity of our members and the various applications of our LEGO hobby.
Who: At this point, the participant list is closed. Truth be told, the list is probably larger than ideal, and I toyed with the idea of having a post count requirement as way to inject some trust into the process, but exclusivity runs counter to the Brickset spirit, so let's demonstrate just how good a community we have here and make it a success! Here is the participant list, ordered to make transit efficient and thereby minimize the waiting.
1.
rocao: CA (x2)
2.
dougts: OR (x2)
3.
littletoki: OR (x2)
4.
jadedanc: WA (x2)
5.
jocappy: WA
6.
KulshanGirl: WA (x2)
7.
BrickDancer: CA (x2)
8.
aimlesspursuits: AZ (x2)
9.
fyrmedhatt: TX
10.
graphite: IA
11.
curvedroadplate: WI (x2)
12.
SirBen: IL (x2)
13.
sidersdd: IN (x2)
14.
Jenni: TN (x2)
15.
allmybricks: NC (x2)
16.
Yellowcastle: VA
17.
MontyKensicle: VA (x2)
18.
kks: MD (x2)
19.
andyscouse: MA (x2)
20.
murphquake: NY (x2)
21.
bmwlego: NY (x2)
22.
pcirone: NY (x2)
23. back to start of list
If your state is not shown correctly on this list, please PM me. Also, if you have a reasonable request to move spots in this list, let me know.
How: I'll start the box and fill a standard sized USPS shipping box (actual one TBD). I'll mail it to the next person on the list. From that point forward, the process should be:
1. Take receipt of the box (do happy dance)
2. Inform the group the box has been received.
3. PM the next person for their address if you haven't already
4. Withdraw desired parts. At this point there is no hard-fast rule how much this is. Let's just say "If there's a lot of good stuff, don't take it all" and see if a practical guideline springs forth.
5. Photograph your haul. Share it with the group.
6. Choose parts from your inventory that you are adding to the box. It should be roughly equivalent to what you withdraw. Some instances should be easy to match, i.e. polybag for polybag, minifig for minifig.
7. Photograph what you are adding. Keep this to yourself so you don't ruin the surprise, but I think keeping a record of this will keep things on the up and up.
8. Send the box to the next person on the list.
Questions, comments, any glaring omissions? Let me know...
Why: The idea of the exchange is similar to a parts draft in that one person's trash is another person's treasure. While I wouldn't go so far as to say any LEGO is trash, hopefully it will transpire that our bricks find their ways into the hands of appreciative owners. At the end of the day, the shipping costs probably don't justify the parts that one comes away with, so ultimately, this is about having fun, getting to know other members, and strengthening our community.
Comments
Matching what you take out and what you put back in the box makes sense. Anything against putting some extras in (as long as it doesn't up the shipping costs too much)?
Also, @wagnerml: you should be on the list. sorry I missed you the first tme. please PM me your state.
Buying a tub of LEGO from Craigslist today so I'll have different things to share. Thank you brickset for further enabling me :)
However, the same can be accomplished if people just post in this thread when they receive the boxes and the first post list is updated continuously.
I am also up for a second box by the way, I seem to have some trouble in viewing people's profiles on this board so it's a bit difficult to send rocao a pm.
But since both types of priority box are free at the post office the sender could always pick which way they'd prefer to send it and grab a new box.
No collision control though, so your last update wins
I'll send some PMs out to everyone I have on the list to confirm their participation, and find out if they are in for a 2nd box. If we have some people declining the 2nd box, I am going to put in alternates who missed my cut-off.
I'm planning to bag the parts within the box, and it will be clearly labelled as box 1. From my experience, shipping LEGO flat-rate does not present any value, especially since we're already making efforts to shorten the distance. I will most likely use a non flat-rate priority box. People are still welcome to use the flat-rate if they find it convenient. I think the only requirement should be that it is sent priority.
http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=4865 in white
http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=2432 in black and light grey
http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=4864b in trans clear
http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=3039 in trans clear
No doubt those people who want to throw in piles of extra stuff (additional to the exchange) out of sheer generosity of spirit are doing so with the intent that people along the line are meant to take a little of the extras out, as a gift from them, and to not feel greedy or guilty for doing so.
The thought struck me that the unassuming types amongst us who probably should take an extra gift are just the sort who wouldn't dare, and would just do the standard exchange as normal.
So i just thought i'd suggest, that if people are going to put in a ton of stuff, intended as generous gifts to all, maybe they could indicate their wishes with "please take one, from X" included with the package and/or with the photos, or something like that. In order to prevent the box(es) filling up with extras upon extras of stuff which nobody dares take.
This might make for a good opportunity to meet each other ITRW. @murphquake and I met last Sunday and that was awesome.
One more thing, which is extremely important, though i'm not sure whether or not it's been implied, but probably should be made clear, is that the LAST person on the send-to list should also be the ORIGINATOR of the box.
So, for example, if your above 22-person (box 1) list was the full journey, there would be a step 23, which would of course be rocao.
This completes the cycle properly, so that the person who started it (by only putting IN) gets to end it by getting the box back (and finally taking out). Otherwise you would have a situation whereby the last person on a linear list would just be getting a load of stuff sent to them.
Question: Are we still doing a UK to US and vice-versa cross over?
If so, I would recommend that the inland journey that the overseas box makes is in reverse order to the homeland box e.g. the UK box would be sent to 22.andyscouse, travel up the list, and be returned to the UK by 1.rocao. While the US box, which started at 1.rocao, would be sent to the UK by andyscouse.
(i.e. the originator of a box would be the one to return the overseas box to the overseas originator). This is to avoid the person at the end of the line having to foot both overseas post costs (i.e. if UK box was sent to rocao, to end its journey at andyscouse, he would have sent two overseas packages, the US one, and then return of the UK one).
It's much simpler than it sounds, and by drawing it on paper, stage by stage, you'll see what i'm saying.
I see what you mean by the order of shipment and I agree that is how it should be done, if only to get more piece diversity by randomizing the order more.
@rocao I'm down for the second box as well, do you need my info or did @jadedanc forward it to you?
just a thought...
I took photos of the parts I have included. Was there a general consensus if the photos should be posted? I remember someone posting that they thought it should be required, if possible, and those wishing to maintain the element of surprise, simply need not look. I agree with that view.
Blimey, though, a box already underway! That's so fast!
Another reason I thought would be good to have the photos public, is that it might (no might about it, WILL) help people speed up their decisions.
If you have a rough idea of what's coming, you can think about what you might exchange for whatever you see, or perhaps mentally prepare a personal draft 'wish' list.
Much speedier than only being able to mull the whole thing over only when the box arrives.
The other thought i had would have been photo's could have been posted for wider approval, before moving a box on. Obviously, there's not a lot a person can do to prevent a greedy exchange, but public photos would certainly act as a self-regulating preventative measure.
I also thought (but probably too late to do) that the originator creates a master list of contents. Whenever a person recieves the box, they PM the originator with current contents list upon receipt, and then again with their removals/additions.
This would enable the originator to know what is taken at every stage, and also be able to spot if things had been undeclared (due to the next person at each stage reporting to the master list).
Did that make sense?
^^ although, thinking about it some more, my idea wouldn't work... (as a very unscrupulous person would just report what they took as missing, effectively pointing the finger at an innocent previous person). Dang. So very nearly had it.
:o)
Anyway, best of luck with the box - with a bit of luck it can make it across the pond and complete a UK leg before returning home, too. :o)
However, I think it's more than likely that the safeguards don't need to be activated so we don't need to overburden the process, for example, by getting approval before sending on the package.
Ultimately, the contents of the box are probably not worth more than $30, so I don't think it's a likely target for outright theft.
A Flickr group with an external link might be a good idea just so that people who want to be surprised can avoid it until they've sent out the box to the next person.
Spoiler alert! Proceed with caution if you are a recipient and want to be surprised.
Flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/brickset_jambalaya/
Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157629312207142/
It's going to be a very loooong week.