WFMW: Clothing Swap

So last weekend my friends talked me into going to my first clothing swap.

I had never been to one before and I wasn't sure what to expect.

WHAT A GREAT IDEA THIS IS!!!!!!

Here's how it works:

You go through all the clothes in your closet that you don't wear anymore or are tired of.

{I have a lot, but since it was a last minute decision for me to go, I was only able to grab 29 items...}

You also include jewelry, shoes, scarves, purses, etc.

Then load them up and take them to the swap, where they are organized and laid out by type of clothing etc.

Everyone gets one sticker, (with their initials on it), for each item they brought.

Then there is a time period, (30 minutes or so), where you get to walk around and look at all the stuff and scope out what you like.

After that, it's time to put your stickers on the stuff you want.  You only put ONE STICKER on each item you want, and if you have some left over, you keep them. 

Now, at the end, there will be more than 1 sticker on lots of items. 

For those items, an auction takes place.  Basically, you say, "I will bid 5 stickers" or whatever you think it's worth, and it keeps going until there is a winner.  Whoever wins the auction keeps the item and has to pay up the stickers, (that's what you use the leftover ones you had for), and whoever loses, gets their original sticker back so they can bid on other items.

Anything that only had 1 sticker goes to that person without going up for auction. 

After the auction is over, there is about a 30 minute free-for-all that items with no stickers can be taken. 

After that, whatever is left is donated to charity.

This idea is seriously genius and why I have not heard of it before now is beyond me.  I mean seriously??  New clothes/shoes/accessories for FREE...who wouldn't LOVE that???

I scored 3 pair of shoes, a purse, a belt, 5 pair of cute socks, (I love cute socks!), a necklace, some bracelets, and about 6 shirts.

Here are a few suggestions I would have if you want to plan one:

-Make it a smaller group of about 10-15 women or so who have a similar style, and have at least 3 or 4 women who wear the same sizes.  That way, no one feels like they brought a lot of good stuff but didn't get anything that great.

-Make it organized!  It's hard when stuff ends up in a big pile and you can't really see everything. 

-Remember to have fun!  It's great to get some new stuff for FREE, but you never want to hurt anyone's feelings or lose a friendship over a pair of shoes you both wanted.  

So have you ever been to a clothing swap?  Does yours work the same way?  I'd love to hear all about it!

I am linking up with We Are THAT Family for Works For Me Wednesday.