Help Center - What is FIFO?

FIFO stands for "first-in, first-out". It is the governing principle of swapping at SwapaCD.  SwapaCD considers FIFO to be the fairest way to handle the requesting and wishing process.

FIFO as it applies to requests:

• The copy of any CD posted into the system earliest will receive the first request.
• CDs "go into line" for requests at SwapaCD as they are posted.
• As copies are mailed out, your CD moves forward in the queue
• Any copies posted after your copy will go "in line" behind it.

Does FIFO mean that CDs that are very numerous in SwapaCD aren't worth listing? Definitely not! Some CDs are requested very often, and the queues for those CDs move very fast.

FIFO as it applies to the Wish List:

• The member who put that CD on her Wish List (with those insert attributes) first is the first member to whom the CD will be offered first when a copy becomes available.
• Wish List queues can move fast, even long ones. It depends on how many copies of that CD enter the system, and how quickly they are read and re-posted.
• You will get a CD more quickly if you choose Disc Only as your minimum attributes--you will be offered any copy of the CD that is posted, with or without inserts.

Is the FIFO rule unbreakable?

No. Here are some exceptions:

• If other members post Disc Only and you have posted your copy with inserts, requestors may choose to request your copy before the Disc Only versions, even if they were posted earlier.
• If you rank a Wish List item very high on your Wish LIst, your progress in the Wish List queue will be accelerated by a fraction of a place each day. 
  • That means that you may get offered the CD before someone who added the same CD to his or her Wish List before you but ranked it low
  • "Seniority" still has the largest effect on Wish List position, so chances are that if you added the CD a long time before new Wishers, you will still get offered the CD first, even if the other members have ranked it very highly and it is not ranked as highly on your list.
• You can circumvent FIFO and order a CD directly from a member
  • This can only be done by clicking on on his or her Tower
  • this will ONLY WORK if the button actually on the member's Tower is the one that is clicked to request the CD
• If you click during the process of requesting a CD:
  • FIFO will apply to the first CD requested, but does not apply to any additional CDs you request from that member.
• You can also post a Wish List CD directly to another member's Wish List
  • This can be done only by clicking on his or her Wish List (and nowhere else).

Related Links:

How can I tell how many copies of a CD are in the system?
How do I direct my request for a CD to a specific member?
Can I post a CD directly to someone's Wish List?
How to post a CD