READ ALL OF THE RULES BEFORE SIGNING UP!!!
While I do ask that you consider waiting until a future swap if you have not built a shootable bow before, the Bow Swap IS open to all levels of bowyers. Your goal in entering the swap should be to challenge yourself and pour your heart and soul into making a bow for your recipient by the deadline. It SHOULD NOT focus primarily on scoring a sweet bow for yourself.
By signing up for the 2023 TradGang Annual Bow Swap, you are entering into an agreement with the other participants that you will abide by ALL rules posted below.
Furthermore, you are committing to deliver a bow to your recipient (hereafter referred to as ‘victim’) by the due date. We hold all participants to the highest standard in that they will take their obligation seriously and have a plan in place to account for unexpected life events. If you have ANY reservations about your ability to fulfill this commitment, we ask that you please do not sign up.
One of the most exciting parts of the Annual Bow Swap is seeing the progress of everyone's build. By signing up, you are committing to post your progress verbally or with a picture AT LEAST once every seven (7) days (even if it is to say you are waiting on something or you could not work on the bow this week because _____). If you forget, I will text or call you to remind you. I feel this is a minimal requirement that will also help keep people on track. We had a great swap last year, let's keep it up!
IF YOU’RE STILL ONBOARD:
Good! Sign up by posting in this thread and please list the following information:
- Your draw length
- Desired draw weight within a 5-10 pound range
- Right or left-handed
- Whether you will be building a glass, wood, one piece, or takedown bow for the trade
If you are making a glass bow and want glass in return, or making wood and want wood in return, please note as much. Posted preferences on bow type (longbow, recurve, etc.) will be considered, but ARE NOT recommended or guaranteed. Build plans sometimes change mid-swap, and my primary objective is to match material types (if requested).
Once you’ve signed up, PM me your:
- Shipping address
- A good phone number
- An email address to reach you at if anything comes up
ALL PERSONAL CONTACT INFORMATION WILL BE KEPT PRIVATE
Signups are now open for roughly two weeks, closing 14 January at midnight (EST). I will PM your victim's information no later than midnight (EST) 16 January. If you need additional info on your victim, PM me and I will gather it for you, so you do not have to worry about tipping your hand.
***Note - As always, if there are not enough people signing up this year, I reserve the right to call it off. I am hoping we can get at least 8-10 people to make this interesting.
DEADLINE:
You have four months to get your bow shipped; the shipping deadline is Friday, 19 May. Remember not to wait until the end because: (a) everyone likes to see bows getting delivered early, (b) lots of stories of bows that did not make it to the finish line and a plan B (or beyond) was required, and (c) we all get curveballs in life we have to work around. Develop a backup plan in advance!
GRACE PERIOD:
There will be a 28-day grace period after the shipping deadline (Friday, 16 June). During these 28 days (and hopefully prior), I expect you to be in constant communication with myself as well the larger forum regarding your progress. If we do not hear from you, I will be persistent in attempts to reach you for updates. Any bowyers who do not ship by the end of the grace period will be asked to forward the bow they received directly to their victim.
***Note - Again, there is no distinction in the deadline this year for newbies, and no holding of bows until newbie ships. (I do reserve the right to tell a bowyer to hold a bow if I start to worry about progress by their victim.)
COMMUNICATION:
The only way this annual swap is going to stay alive is through good communication by ALL participants. A lot can be forgiven and worked out with good communication. Keep us up to date on your progress in the Progress Thread. That is half the fun of the swap and a significant requirement. If you need assistance posting pictures, please reach out to ask someone for assistance. I can provide you with a guide made of screenshots to get you up to speed. Reach out to me at any time if you have concerns, have come up with problems, have an emergency, etc. The Gang here on the Bench is a helpful and generous group if you share what is going on and ask for help. Unfortunately, there is also little patience left for people who just stop communicating when they fall behind, and I will leverage all available resources to prevent this swap from going past the grace period.
UPON RECEIPT:
You must post some pictures. Your bowyer may post the most beautiful pictures in the history of bow porn prior to shipping, but that does not remove your responsibility to post at least one full draw picture with your new bow. If necessary, contact me for any assistance needed with getting your pictures taken and posted.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
Same as prior years: To keep it as honest as possible, no one who has signed up to TradGang after the date of this post can enter.
International shipping: I understand that not a lot of people like the idea of signing up for a big shipping bill, but it's not much fun if only one person says they're willing to ship internationally and the international victim pretty much knows who's building their bow. Therefore, I am going to assign victims without consideration of where they live at first. For those that end up with an overseas victim, I will reach out to you and make sure you're willing to make a bow that can be shipped (i.e. a takedown of some sort.) As for the shipping costs, there are several people on the bench who are willing to help cover the cost above and beyond domestic shipping and I will work that with you directly. If you are willing to help with the costs, please PM me and we will work it out as needed when the time comes.
***DISCLAIMER - By signing up, you are agreeing that anyone who receives a bow in this trade, including yourself, is doing so at his/her own risk and in no way can hold anyone (including TradGang itself) responsible should a misfortune occur due to the possession or use of said bow.
With that said...
IT’S GO TIME!
Topic: 2023 Bow Swap Signup Thread - Closed (Read 1493 times)
