Ok so I realize this is a controversial topic but i am merely giving my opinion on this. In fact i really need to let this out because I have kept it bottled inside me for so long. First off i will start by saying I participated in my very first chainmail back 18 years ago and it was so so fun. There was a list of names going around and I think it had 5 names on it (keep in mind I am NOT trying to start a chainmail here but merely telling my story and my thoughts) Ok so 18 years ago i was holding this list of 5 names and it said to send $1.00 to each name on the list and remove the top name, move the other names up and put my name on the bottom. It sounded like so much fun and I was intrigued by it and I thought to myself how could this NOT work so long as everyone actually participated and it is true when you stop and think about it like that. Ok so i was in, I mailed out $1.00 to each of the 5 names, within a week the envelopes started pouring into my mailbox, ok so i did not get rich off this but hey, I ended up with $30.00 so i was thrilled to pieces. No more envelopes came in after that but it was ok. I was already hooked on it and had a great time. Ok I haven't really thought anything else about the chainmail thing til here recently on facebook, a good friend of mine shared the "secret sister" chainmail post. The thoughts of that day 18 years ago came flooding back to me as I remembered how great it felt to send out that 5 bucks and make 5 people happy and get so much in return. So i reply back to my friend and am like heck yea, I'm in. She sent me the list and there was only 2 names on it hers and someone else i didn't know which I guess was a friend of hers since is in same state she lives in. All I had to do was send a gift from amazon to person number 1 on the list which was her friend and then pass along the list to all my friends with person one removed and my original friends name moved to number 1 and my name in number 2. Ok so I jump all in and i rush to amazon all excited and purchase a 5 pack of cute fun winter socks to amazon prime ship to my "secret sister". Wow that was great fun and the best part is as soon as she received it she sent me a thank you note for the socks and it came straight from her heart and she was so so grateful. Wow I really made that lady's day, she really needed them socks. So I forward the secret sister facebook post and tagged all my family and friends in it, unfortunately all my family and friends are scrooges and don't have "open" minds and was like wtf you tagging me in stupid chainmail for just stop already. Wow, Wow, Wow. Merry Christmas to yall too. Anyway whatever. so I see on my original friend poster of the chainmail's facebook page where her husband had posted a thing about the secret sister being a scam and people losing out on their money if they buy someone a gift and on and on blah blah blah. So now i rant about this. Chainmails are NOT scam so long as people participate. I am almost positive the person me and my friend bought a gift for are not thinking it is a scam because they got gifts sent to them. I may not have gotten a gift from this but the only reason is because so many people are brainwashed to think chainmail is a scam so therefore they do NOT participate. if people follow directions and participate EVERYBODY wins. So I want to know how the freak it is a scam when there is no way to lose if everyone participates. Ok I am not asking for anyone to come out and start telling my why its a scam because everyone is entitled to their own opinions and if you think about what i have said here you will see that it is not possible to lose out if people only would participate. ok rant over but all in all even though my friends did not participate and I did not get anything because nobody on my side participated, I still do NOT feel as if this was a scam. I participated and I "gave" and i made one person very very happy and in return that was a euphoric feeling which made me very very happy. I still feel like a winner :) So point of the matter is. I always have and always will love chainmail because even if i never get anything back, if i participate, i made somebody very happy and to me that is all that matters.