The Secret Sister Gift Exchange took me back many years to when such things were usually sent by mail, and then eventually via email. Once upon a time, I did a towel exchange where you were to send a decorative dish towel to the first person on your mailing list. I didn’t really believe that I would receive hundreds of dishtowels. (If I did receive that many dish towels, what in the world would I do with them?!)
I received three or four interesting dish towels, and I thought it was a cool experiment. The most interesting part about it was seeing what people would send me. An even better experiment I participated involved sending a postcard to each person on the list you received. That was even more interesting! I love postcards!
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Chain letters worked out for some people, but not for others. When I saw the Secret Sister Gift Exchange, I figured it would work the same way. I doubt anyone is really going to receive 36 gifts from participating in this, but I think “scam” is a strong word. I don’t think you’re going to get scammed unless you received it from a scammer and then pass it on to a bunch of scammers.
Even if everyone you pass it on to decides to participate, chances are, at least a few of them will screw it up. Some people just can’t follow directions. Others may agree to do it because you pressured them and then won’t actually follow through. Others will agree to do it with the best intentions, and then will forget to follow through.
And once in a while, there is a chance that someone will pass it on to their friends without sending out a gift like they were supposed to. Those people are the scammers. If you think about it, you personally will not get scammed unless you and your friends invite scammers to participate.
If you look at it as a fun activity to do with friends and family members who you know will get in the spirit and participate fully, then you probably will get at least a couple of gifts. If you get at least two gifts back, I think it will be worth the money and effort you put into it (One gift to replace the gift you bought, and a second for the effort you put into getting other people to participate.)
To me, I don’t think it should be about the gifts though, at least not in a greedy way. They’re $10 gifts. You’re not going to get rich off this deal. The fun part is seeing what kind of interesting ideas other people come up with. Especially if they are people you don’t know!
Is it illegal?
SO, I can’t talk about this without broaching the legal aspect of it. Chain letters ARE illegal, at least when sent via regular mail. I’m not sure about the Secret Sister Gift Exchange. (It’s not technically a “letter.”) The article I cited above says it “may be illegal.” So, I’m not recommending you do it, just in case it is. I’m not a lawyer, so if you participate in such an activity, you do so at your own risk. (What I’m saying is, don’t sue me if you do the exchange and it doesn’t work out for you!)
This could be considered gambling. On one hand, you are taking a gamble that you may or may not receive a big return on your “investment.” On the other hand, are people really dumb enough to think they will get that many gifts back? What do you think?