Fair enough. Then increasing the membership length may not help the situation. It was just a thought.

I don't think it has anything to do with the length of time that someone is a vendor and I agree with Jen and others who feel that further imposition of a rule will deter participation. But, I do think we need another rule.

I am concerned that some members do not feel comfortable participating because they perceive the GE boxes sent/received are very expensive and they feel uncomfortable, despite their being no requirement to spend far over the limit.

I propose that there be a maximum spending amount. I previously did not think it was necessary, but I hate to see members not participate because they think they just can't deliver an expensive box.

I know that there have been members who have received boxes of dollar store items, dirty items, used items, etc. Sometimes, it was clear this was deliberate -- for example, when a dollar store box was delivered by a vendor of this forum who was actively and aggressively peddling her seemingly higher quality wares at the same time. That situation pissed everyone off, and was dealt with accordingly. But there have been other times where there was a mixture of items - dollar store and other items where CLEARLY the person purchasing the items put a lot of love and thought into the gift as a whole.

The raising of the limit to participate addressed the dollar store type novelty items accordingly. Hopefully, that weeded out the people who were only looking to participate to spend the minimum and gain the maximum.

But, I think we still have a problem.

If we cap the limit, we can assure that the people playing are not in it for the "gifts" received, but because they are interested in the fun and the friendships cultivated through the exchange.

I propose a $100 cap on spending.

Rhonda.. I think your ideas come from your heart. But... the problems in GE have not been from new members. I know the problem I had was not a new member. I know my first GE was soooo exciteing. The biggest problem is know how much to put in a box.. the personal questions.. will they like it? Is it enough?

I had to step back because of personal reason and I could not do well for my buddie. I had a bad experence in my last... but the wonderful YT memebers more than made up for it so it turned into the most amazing experence ever (talk about Christmas!!!!!) I don't have an answer .. except clear guidlines on how much to spend -even that is hard. Soooo....ooo I think it has to be about how you approach the GE. If you do it because you enjoy making a box but can not get upset if the buddy who has you sells short..GE box or smile box then go for it.

BTW.. I understand Theresa... one of my buddies did not make a smilebox and I said something and found out she didn't know how. I felt like dirt.. and she felt bad (very nice lady) and she learned how to!!! So I hope it turns out to be an understandable mistake!!

In the past I saw a suggestion that there be price brackets..like if you spend 80-100 you get a box worth 80-100 too. Or if you can spend only up to $50, you get paired with someone who is spending $50 too...maybe when you sign up you state the price range you can spend, and you get matched to receive a box worth around the same price.

Ohhhh WOW!! I would Never get upset if my buddy did not post a Smilebox. While they are nice and all, the GE Rules and Regulations only require a Thank You Thread with at least "3" Photos!! And to be honest, the Thank You Thread is more for everybody else to see the loot! I would be totally Fine with a Thank You on my Page. That would be a little more personal, in my mind, anyway.

Perhaps it should be put out there, for newbies, so that they are not intimidated, that a Smilebox is NOT Mandatory! A Thank You Thread, with 3-photos, is.

It is actually No. 7. of the Rules & Regulations:
7. Receiving a Gift - Your buddy has put a lot of thought, effort, money and time into your gift. We believe that the least you can do is thank them. Please start a thread in the YT Gift Exchange Forum after you have received your gift so that your Gift Giver knows that you have received the goodies. It shows your buddy that you appreciate it and also lets us know that you received your gift so we know who or who did not receive their gifts. This is a requirement of participating in the Gift Exchange. We also require members to post at least three pictures in the Thank You thread as well, as members like to see the gifts being received, as some say that's the best part of our Gift Exchanges.


And, lastly, if they do not know how to start a thread or post photos, then they need to learn if they are going to sign up for the GE.

I don't think increasing the dollar amount is going to do anything. For my first GE I read the rules, and I followed them. That is the point. To the people who join and do not follow the rules they should be banned from joining in on the next one. You know what you are getting into when you join. It is time consuming, yes but it is very fun! It is not right for the person who puts in their all and then have the other buddy not do what they are suppose to (The rules say) and post some pictures and a Thank you- The smileboxes are an added bonus in my mind. I loved making mine and I love watching them, I will always roam thru the GE and look at all the smileboxes!!

Exactly!! :thumbup: :)

Apparently you did not read my post for the point I was making, which was more directed at changing the culture of the GE so that maybe more than 12 people would be inspired to sign up.

As to the immediate issue, there is no absolute time limit on WHEN the thank you has to be made. This isn't a broken rule, IMO, unless Admin has defined the rule with a specific number of days to comply. We all have our ideas of what a reasonable amount of time should be to post a thank you, and I've even given my opinion that I think the amount of time is not acceptable in this one particular case, but that's for Admin to decide, and it has not been decided. I copy rule 12 below which says nothing about the timing of posting a thank you.

12. Consequences - We want to keep the fairness in this Gift Exchange and we want everyone to have fun! It is not fair to send a gift and not receive one without any actions taken against the participant that decided not to send a gift.

If you do not send out a gift, you may be banned from YorkieTalk forever with a note in their user title stating the reason they are banned. We do not want this to happen to anyone and that is why we stress that you contact us as soon as possible if anything occurs which prevents you from sending out a gift.

If members ship their gifts out substantially late and without reason or warning or notice to us, their accounts will be suspended for two weeks and they will not be eligible to participate in the next Gift Exchange.

If members ship their gifts out late in multiple Gift Exchanges, they will not be allowed to participate in the next two Gift Exchanges. If it happens again after that, then the member will be permanently banned from all future Gift Exchanges.

If members do not post "Thank You" threads, their accounts will be suspended or banned and they will no longer be able to participate in any future Gift Exchanges.

Again, please let us know as soon as you can if you are unable to send out the gift by the deadline. We will work with all members involved and notify your Secret Buddy for you if we know.

If you do not send a gift, you (and any immediate family members in your household) will be BANNED from YorkieTalk and from participating in any future YorkieTalk Gift Exchanges.

Ok, so obviously the time requirement is not the issue. I was just throwing out a suggestion. I wasn't even sure who all the members were in the previous GE's that caused issue. Just knew that there were some. I just feel bad for those that don't have a good experience with the GE. I was blessed both times that I participated by having a great experience. I guess I just want everyone to be the same. Thought I would just open it up for suggestions to see what we can do to make sure everyone is treated fairly. I hate that due to certain situations members get "a bad taste" for the GE and choose to not participate any more. Because it can be amazingly fun!! Some of you have had some really good suggestions and I appreciate that. Maybe admin will think some of them are good enough to consider.

This isn't just about the thank you thread all. That wasn't what I intended here. This is not just one isolated case. There may be a situation in this case that we are not aware of. I was bringing it up in light of the few GE mishaps I have heard about. Not pointing at this particular situation. My goal was to come up with some suggestions that might eliminate a few issues. As I can see now, that may be too difficult to do.

It's great you started this thread Rhonda and I agree it's not about just one thing.

Thanks Cathy. I think there are some good issues that have been brought up. Hopefully some will work out.

I'm glad you started it too.

I agree, this is a good thread to start. I think the discussion has been very interesting! And I've certainly learned a lot about the GE because of it. I now know I'd very much like to give it a try when I'm eligible. This thread has opened my eyes to how much fun it seems to be while being educated to known past problems. Very, very good discussion, in my opinion! Good job, opening the door to it. :thumbup::thumbup::D

Well maybe making a time limit on when the buddy has to at least post a thank you thread (with 3 pics) would be a good idea. So this doesn’t happen again.