From you to me: Keshi pearl ear-rings make their way from California to midlands England.
I was delighted when the post launching the HIVE THRIFTED community came up in my feed! I buy about half my clothes through charity shops in the UK and I have recently become a subscriber to Vestiaire Collective and Depop.
I try to act in the interests of the planet by being selective about what and where I purchase; and, as a Saturday Saver, I'm always looking to use my resources as well as I can (I have to admit, though, I am not the best bargain hunter) 😁.
I was even more thrilled when one of the first items posted for offer was a pair of keshi pearl stud ear-rings for 30 HBD - getting a pair of these was on my list.
Everything went swimmingly - the item were listed according to HIVE THRIFTED community rules; @silversaver888 found me on Discord, we swapped information about shipping and agreed a final price.
I went and bought some HBD and, when @silversaver888 posted a picture of the packet at the USPS office, ready to be shipped, I transferred the HBD.
We both tracked the packet's progress from California to the UK, sharing pictures like we had just sent our first-born out on a gap year in far climes 😂. It was exciting, I really enjoyed watching the different stages.
We lost track of the package on Thursday 27 April when the pulsating indicator on the tracking system told us it had departed Heathrow, London, United Kingdom at 8:19am.
No packages were hurt in the staging of this photograph.
But it was okay: it popped through my front door at 11:05am on Friday 28 April like it hadn't been out anywhere, maybe a stroll to the bottom of the garden, certainly not crossing continents and the Atlantic Ocean.
The whole process from start to finish took 10 days, and the shipping element from the USA to the UK just seven days (could take up to four weeks, according to the website).
There is an irony here as I have been waiting for a replacement SIM card, coming all the way from Chipping Norton (a mere 60 miles away) for two months. It's been sent four times, but not one has arrived. Somehow, this little parcel through HIVE THRIFTED has managed to travel 5,193 miles over land and sea in a week!
Benefits of HIVE THRIFTED
- Social - Growing Your Network on Hive
There is no doubt that the nicest part of this process was connecting with a new-to-me Hiver @silversaver888. It was pleasure, everything was done so nicely. I loved the little handwritten note that was included.
I liked that we were able to get in touch promptly with each other through Discord. I got lots of information about cost, when the package was going to be shipped and what was happening. We were both careful about things like ID.
I found out about a new person that I haven't met before - that was great. It's good for me personally and great for Hive for people to build networks.
- Having Fun
Well, I love the idea of something travelling from the west coast of north America to the middle lands of England. It's exciting, in a way that we have lost, now that email has largely replaced letter writing.
One of the things that I have alway enjoyed about Hive is the insights into other people's lives. I love #marketfriday for that reason, and I love posts where people are inviting you into their lives, with words and pictures about their home environments and daily activities.
Having these kinds of connections, transnational transactions, it feels kind of wonderful.
- Normalising using HBD for payments
My attitude to HBD has changed recently. For the majority of time I've been here, I haven't bothered too much about HBD, mostly exchanging or converting it for HIVE. I decided to start saving HBD when the 12% interest rate was introduced and, about the same time, I received a small windfall.
When the interest rate increased to 20%, I started to save more and regularly and then I started to think about it as an everyday wallet. I'm saving regularly for a year life expense in 12 months time, and then I started thinking about using it pay for things ... right on cue, HIVE THRIFTED arrived.
It's really helped that HBD is pegged - both parties can agree to a price and goa ahead know that neither or both of them are going to be out of pocket.
- Environmental - a Moot Point?
Even though the item was liberated to go to another home and life, rather than landfill, I'm not sure that travelling 5,139 miles, by air, was the best thing for the planet.
I'm not likely to do this regularly, but it was fun to try it and show it can be done and very easily.
Final Thoughts
This was a great experience for me, and I hope for @silversaver888, too.
It's easy to check out accounts on Hive before you trade.
You can look at people's posts and comments - how do they behave? Are they involved in any community activity? Are they interacting with people you know? Any downvotes?
What's their wallet like? 🤔
Other sources of information:
- hivebuzz.me
- hivetasks.com
And be ready for them to check you out, too! 😁