Goodreads Secret Santa discussion
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2017 Secret Santa
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just sent mine, excited:)
Sent you an email Mel, forgot to add that I'm happy to buy an extra book if required.
I live in the UK and have there are 2 books I really want but they're both by Mark Cousins and a bit pricey. But I would love to get any classic book, penguin classics, folio book, fairy tales, etc and I certainly love getting a second hand book! I shall look for some books to add to my list and send an email soon x
i'm on board - i just gotta get my wishlist in order. i've had such great luck in this group so far! ♥
Mod
A large majority of you seem to be skipping over some of the instructions (I assume just not reading them in general).
If you have sent me an email, you must send me a goodreads message so I know who you are. If I don’t have a goodreads message I won’t be accepting the entries. I want to make sure no one is joining who stumbled across this but doesn’t have an account or something like that.
If you have received a confirmation message back from me, you are successfully entered.
Thanks everyone!
Was I only supposed to receive a confirmation from goodreads or email? Or both? I got one from you on goodreads. But not email.
I sent both my email and the Goodreads message, but am waiting to hear back. Hope I didn't mess anything up!
Mod
I’m still undecided if I myself am going to participate.
Mod
Mel wrote: "By the way guys, if you want to share this group to people, go ahead!"Just shared with a bunch of people, we shall see if any of them actually join
I'm getting really excited! My birthday is in December so it will be kinda like a birth-mas present lol
Mod
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Before I get into anything, I want to say that you do not need to celebrate Christmas to join in this exchange. I am calling this a Secret Santa because this is what I am accustomed to an exchange like this being referred to, but it does not have to have any significant meaning for you in order to participate.
First things first, to enter, you MUST read all the rules. There are some steps in here that are crucial because without them you cannot enter. I am sorry in advance that this is so long but I’m being thorough. I made some changes to the previous years I have hosted this.
So before rules comes explanation:
Basically, the goal of this group is to exchange books with someone around the world who shares a love of books, gives you the chance to get a book if you won't at home, and meet someone new! It seemed to work last year so I'm trying again.
*Disclaimer before I start, all your information will be private with me and the person who receives you. I will not use your personal information for anything, and the person who gets you will not do anything other than send you a book. If you are uncomfortable with this, I am sorry but there is nothing I can do and you won't be able to enter, but I definitely understand. I expect everyone to handle another person's address the way they would want theirs handled.*
Ways to enter:
This year I have made a change and have decided to do things by email. I find Goodreads messages are very disorganized and can get overly complicated quite quickly. I also will be able to do a lot of this on the go, which I think will be much easier for me. So please send all your entry messages to thatgirlbookworm@gmail.com. It is only for entries, and for me to send you the person you have. Please send me any questions or concerns on Goodreads.
In the email please include your FULL name (first AND last), your address - with the zip/postal code.
Also, please include your age. There is no age limit (but if you are under 18 you must have parental permission) but please at least be old enough to buy books online. I ask for ages because I would prefer to not have huge age gaps between people. I would hope some of you make friends after this exchange.
Send a list of books that you want. The ideal is the more you ask for the funner it is to shop and the bigger the surprise. This year though I don’t want lists of just 1 book. The minimum is 2.
The price limit is $20 USD (on Book Depository and Wordery you can shop in another countries’ currency). Let me know any book requirements you may have (paperback only, hardcover only, specific editions, etc.). With this price limit you can buy as many books for your SS as you want. If you find 2 of their books under 10$ each feel free to buy them more than 1.
Messages MUST be sent to me by Thursday November 30th @ 11:59pm. Messages will be sent on Friday December 1st and Saturday December 2nd. Books will need to be mailed out by Sunday December 3rd. I realize this is a very short time period but honestly it makes it a lot easier for me so if people need to cancel gifts for any reason they will be able to. Messages sent on Saturday will be sent before noon.
I absolutely need everyone to check their emails and/or Goodreads regularly, especially that weekend. Due to possible complications or cancellations, I need you to be reachable. Please send me in your entry email if you prefer GR or Email for me to contact you.
*Last disclaimer, I am only hosting this Secret Santa, I am in no way responsible for everyone else’s actions. Joining is always a risk in the sense that you may not receive something back, and you are giving your address and full name to someone on the internet whom you have never met. However, I have yet to have a problem so I foresee no issues, but I add the disclaimer just in case.*
***** ALL DATES AND TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME*****
No late entries. I’ve tried in the past and it just doesn’t work, I really have. So if it’s past November 30th when you see this, please don’t attempt to sign up. Also if you aren’t sure or don’t know if you’ll be able to, I’d prefer no dropouts so delay signing up until you are sure.
Extras + Other Rules:
This next thing is 100% not a requirement, I am stating this before I post what I am about to say just so no one feels obligated. It’s quite possible that even with all my precautions, there will still be some instances where someone gets cheated out from a book. I am hoping that this is not the case, but I am very aware that it could happen. If there is anyone who is willing to volunteer to send to one other person if a problem should arise, I would be so appreciative. You would be sending to two people, and only receiving from one, so I know this is a lot to ask and again don’t feel obligated, I am only asking incase someone has the means to send to two people and is willing to do so IF I need you.
To add to this, I will not ask you to send to more than one extra person if you offer, and I may not need this, this is just an added precaution as I cannot send a book to everyone if this happens.
If you are willing, please just tell me in the message you send me.
Thanks :)
A couple bonus points:
-If you have a friend that has also joined and you do not want to be paired up because you already send gifts or what not, just let me know :)
-If you and the person you have live in the same country, feel free to use Amazon, book outlet, book world (Australia) or any other site. I would ask that you don’t use second hand online book shops for this exchange though.
-This year, just because of the time constraints, I prefer if no one sends books in person.
-If you had a bad experience in any of the last two exchanges, please let me know. I want to make sure that if you give this another try despite the bad experience that you do not have a repeat experience this year.
-As most people will use book depository or wordery to ship, you really do unfortunately need to live in a country that they ship to. I know there are still a few countries they unfortunately do not ship to, but I cannot really envision another way for this to work without Book Depository and Wordery. (any suggestions though, hit me up)
-As of right now I do not have a member limit for joining. I had 100 people join last year and while I found it time consuming, it was manageable. Unless I notice it hitting 300+, I will likely not cap the number of people who join. All I ask is that you give me patience in this process :)
-In addition to this, please add in your entry email that you read everything.
If you have any questions feel free to send them to me through Goodreads. :) As well, there will be a thread open for you to post when you get gifts. I know some of you will open your gifts on the 24th/25th, and some may open earlier or later, depending on your circumstances. There will be a thread open that is called “PRESENTS!!!” and in it you can post when you open your package. If you notice that the person you had opened their package, feel free to reveal yourself.
Lastly, as mentioned above, please send me a Goodreads message when you have signed up for the Secret Santa. Once I receive your email and your Goodreads message, I will confirm with you that you are signed up. If you don’t hear from me in 24 hours feel free to message me again. And newly this year, I will be replying to your confirmation of purchases emails to let you know that I got your confirmation. A lot of people worry that I don’t get them, so I will take the time to do it this year.
So just to quickly recap: Send your sign up to my email, and then send me a Goodreads message. All questions will be handled through Goodreads, but I will be sending you your person and everything else through Email this year. Email is thatgirlbookworm@gmail.com incase it got lost up there.
That's all!! I'm glad to be hosting this again :)