FAQs

How does the actual swap work? I’m still a little unclear how the whole “bid” process works.

A “bid” is only a place to start when deciding who wants your stuff and who you might talk to first. As for the actual swapping, swappers will ideally have a look at their Swap Card (which tells them who is interested and what they have to offer in exchange). The swapper will make their way over to the person they want to trade with and seal the deal. If a swapper doesn’t get as many offers as items they have to offer, then they can go around and just chat with people and see if they’re interested in trading. It always works out really nicely.

The order of offers on the sheet is arbitrary; you should go down the list according to what items you actually want, not who wrote their name down on your sheet first.

What do people usually bring?

Anything that they’ve made or grown themselves. We’ve seen homemade bread loaves, empanadas, lavender infused vodka, duck eggs, marmalades and preserves, marshmallows, cookies, canned peaches, bundled fresh herbs, sausages, limoncello, homemade pasta, bags of pecans, pierogies, pies…you name it! Bring as few or as many items as you want. You can bring many of the same item or shake it up and bring all sorts of different items.

Can I bring a sample of my item to share with everyone?

Absolutely! Samples help “sell” your items to attendees who might not be sure about accepting your offer.

Does writing your name on something guarantee you’ll get it?

NO! Swap cards are just a starting point for hashing out trades when the swap starts.

I don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings by turning them/their item down. How do I avoid making people uncomfortable?

Swappers are never obligated to accept someone’s offer (if they don’t actually want the item), nor should swappers get their feelings hurt if someone turns them down. Food is a very personal matter and a number of factors – like food allergies, personal preference, utility of the item in their kitchen – will influence someone’s decision to swap. Don’t be afraid to say no to someone. You wouldn’t buy something at the grocery store you’re not going to eat, so swapping because you don’t want to hurt a fellow swapper’s feelings isn’t expected of you at a swap. Sure, you can always swap and give away the item, but only if you have extra items to work with, which will not be the case for people who only bring a few items.

Do I need fancy packaging?

No. It’s up to you how you want to present your items. Keep in mind that swappers will be examining and picking up your goods, so be sure to package them in a way that protects the food and makes it clear the amounts you want to swap. We encourage reusable, earth-friendly packaging whenever possible. Don’t feel like you need to spend a lot of time decorating or composing fancy packaging unless you like to do it, that is. Some people are happy to write on the top of their jars with a marker but other folks really enjoy fancying it up; do whatever suits you best.

Does it cost anything?

No! It’s free to participate although we ask you to RSVP so that we know how many people are coming. Our venue is smallish so we have a limited number of tickets each month. The link to the RSVP page will be on the Home page when the date for the next event is announced.

What about health and safety?

This is a community activity but participants must pre-register and as such the food swap operates as a private event. Please note that participants for the food swap who are registering via this RSVP are accepting the terms and conditions of the food swap that includes the acknowledgement that the food being swapped has not been prepared in commercial kitchens subject to Food Standard Agency certification so there can be no guarantees with food standards at the food swap. This is a community activity based on trust and judgement.