1. Be Punctual

Photo Credit HERE

If you're organizing a lucky draw or a giveaway, the most common sense thing to do, is to SET A DEADLINE for the prize redemption. 

For example, when I won the Kneipp prizes, I was sent an e-letter that stated the range of dates and location for the prize redemption. Very systematic and organized. 

Another example was when I won a nail polish from a blog, the blogger was very prompt in sending out the prize too! She emailed me 2 days after I won to inform me that she has mailed out my prize via SingPost. It arrived 1 day later. So from knowing I won to receiving my prize, it only took less than 5 days. The item came bubble-wrapped and in perfect condition. No swatches were done on the bottle meant for a giveaway. This is what I call PROFESSIONAL. 

2. Be Hygienic 

Photo Credit HERE

That means NO USED PRODUCTS allowed. 

Especially not products such as shaving cream, feminine wash or even toothpaste. 

These are highly personal items that carries GERMS. 

Who knows where you've stuck that shaving cream tube at, how can a possibly sane person give someone your used shaving cream anyway?! 

One of the prizes I received was a sample of sunblock. 

To my horror, I realized it was a used bottle of sample. 

When I buy presents for my friends, I don't open it and use it first before wrapping it back up. 

So if you're doing a giveaway, how can you even give your readers a USED TUBE OF SUNBLOCK?!
Might I add, it was only a 5ml sample tube. What's left for me after you've gone through it?

I'm sorry to say, you have just lost one reader. 

3. Be Sincere

I really am unable to feel the sincerity when you have made the two fatal mistakes above.
The whole thing reeks of insincerity. You are not genuinely thanking your readers for enjoying your blog. You are using us as your DUMPING GROUND for items that you don't want.
What kind of a lousy excuse is that for holding a giveaway?

You make your readers fulfill a complicated rafflecopter with activities such as following your blog on GNC and following your twitter, and filling in beauty forms for you. The end result is you chuck half-used products for your so-called winners.

Tell me, do you have peanuts for brains, or WHAT!
Do you honestly still think I'm going to read your blog after this fiasco?!
If you do, then you really have peanuts for brain. 

4. Be Honest

Another weird item I've received in the package is a sample of foundation. It doesn't even match my skin tone, despite the fact I filled in a detailed beauty profile with a drugstore brand to counter reference.
That is actually not the worst thing.

The worst thing is, after speaking to a close friend of mine who happens to be a blogger too, she told me those foundation samples originally came from her.

SAY WHAT?!

This person got it from my friend last time, said she wanted to try it out. Well, seems like she decided to use that for her giveaway instead. Really, I might as well have asked for the samples from my friend if that's the case.

5. Be Consistent 

The entire contents of my package consisted of 2 sheet masks, 1 sachet of sample foundation and 1 used tube of sunblock.

Can you believe I waited close to 2 months for this?
See above for how long I waited for the nail polish I won to arrive.

It was also stated in the entry that the blogger would do something like a Bellabox / Vanity Trove type of giveaway and "shop for items suitable for us".

Does the above items look like it's been shopped for the winners?
My package initially included something that's totally not beauty-related as well.
It was such an -.- moment for me when the blogger mentioned she can't mail it by post cuz of that fragile item. By then I was losing patience and am starting to suspect that item is just something random she wanted to get rid of.

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This post is not to persecute any blogger or anything. There are plenty of professional and dedicated bloggers out there who writes great , entertaining entries. I respect them fully.

This post is not solely targeted at bloggers who does giveaways.
It is a general gifting courtesy that I think is applicable to everyday life.

I write this post in the hopes that I can help people who are more inept at gifting understand this delicate topic a little better. Please do not take offend. But if you do, maybe you might have been guilty of one or two of the mistakes above.

In any case, I hope this post has been helpful in a way.

I shall end this post in a very 60's hippie manner.
Peace.