Hello everyone, I can't believe that I am already welcoming you to the 4th round!

This is a swap for postcrossers and other postcard obsessed people.

For me as a postcrosser it is boring often to send similar cards (because I have bought a big bunch of similar cards). Do you feel like me? So this swap is your chance to get alternate stuff.

I called this swap a "ring" because at the end the package will return to the first person who startet the ring (that means: to me, Chaosfrau).

There's only 1 package traveling during several rounds of the swap. The number of rounds is depending on the amount of people who are joining the swap.

The person who has got the package at the moment (the current owner) promises to join the next round of the swap (to get the adress of the person who will receive the whole package next). To tell in other words: During the swaps you will receive only one time a huge package of postcards. But it is not "jackpot, now it's all mine", in the next round you are the one to send the same amount of postcards to the next one.

There are 50 different postcards in the package. The person who received the package can choose some or all postcards and must replace these cards by cards from the own stock. So if you only have 40 postcards to swap you take 40 out of the package and put 40 other cards in.

The motifs of the replaced cards are senders choice (of course it is nice to consider your swap partners likes/dislikes, but that's no must). Most of the cards will be new ones, I also send a few vintage. Keep the quality level of exchanged cards equal, it is not ok to pick the raisins and replace by "rubbish".

Not more than 5 cards are allowed to belong to the same theme. (For example: It is not ok to send 50 different postcards with cats.)

The cards must be in good condition (not bend or torn) and unwritten. NO AD CARDS or FREE CARDS or SELFMADE CARDS. NO TOURIST CARDS: The cards must be neutral, there must be no relation to a country/city, it should not be "strange" to send that card from anywhere in the world. NO TEXT or ONLY ENGLISH TEXT ON THE PICTURE SIDE.

How the ring works:

1. One of the participants is the Current Owner of the Package (COP).

2. Swap bot matches the swap partners.

3. COP leaves a comment in the discussion, telling the nickname of the Recipient of the Package (RP).

4. Most of the swap partners are DUMMIES, they will not receive the package in this round and they send no postcards. They send an email to their partner, the topic will change with each round. It is just sending a sign of life. And of course, rate each other - with one exception (s. 5.). Because nearly all ratings base on emails, that's why this swap is only category I.

5. One DUMMIE will receive an email from RP. This DUMMIE turns into the WATCHER - he must not rate the email, but must watch the next round of the swap. RP deserves a 5 when he is in the next round until the swap partners are assigned (because this means he will keep on the ring by sending the package).

6. RP is rating COP according to the rules the cards must fit, personal dislikes of the motifs are no reason to give a bad rating.

7. COP is leaving the group, he is not included in the next round any more,

8. Next round: Everyone except those who already had sent the package (former COPs) join the swap. If you were a DUMMIE and you're not interested in the swap any more or are just in a lack of time there's no need to join. If you have missed the previous rounds you can enter any time. RP becomes COP, One of the former DUMMIES is the next RP,

... and the fun is starting again at 1. :-)

(If the swap bot system matches me (the swap coordinator) with COP it would be nonsense to send the cards to me while all DUMMIES are in the queue. In this case we all just write an email and start the next round.)

+++ added at round #3 +++

If the recipient of the package was not active or doesn't answer to messages within 10 days, COP sends an email like the DUMMIES, and the next round is opened to join.

+++ end +++

Round by round the amount of participants is decreasing, at last only COP and I are left, that's the last round and the ring is closed.

I will check every profile and ban suspicous ones, because I am the only one who has a risk. There's no financial risk for the participants - first you receive, then you send. It is not possible to have spent postage without receiving the item before.

+++++ Topic for emails in this round: +++++ +++++ What was the most expensive postcard you have ever bought? Maybe you have a picture to share? +++++

Feel free to ask if you have any questions!