Instead of pairing you up with one individual - they pair you with someone that you will send a gift to and then another person who is supposed to send a gift to you. There is NO guarantee that you will receive a gift in kind, however, this is never spelled out. When someone does not follow through with the premise of Elfster, apparently they only thing that happens to them is they are "blackballed" from participating in the program every again. They do not take the place of the person who did not follow through on their agreement. You are out. Screwed over. With nothing to show for your efforts. So much for feeling good and making a connection. Elfster is a horrible program and I would never, ever recommend this for anyone. I will tell as many people that I can to stay away from Elfster.