I quit shipping priority to my MIL when my postmaster told me that first class and priority would take the same amount of time to reach her location. She lives out in the middle of "nowhere" Oklahoma. Sometimes it comes down to location, location, location.
I find it far harder waiting to hear if my pal received their package. For me (like many others here), that part is as much fun or more, than receiving one myself. I like to give a smile and hope to make a new friend. Unfortunately, not everyone has the same priorities and I wish there was some way to "fix" that part of it. One of the greatest parts of the swap is seeing the joy people get from their gifts and I hope that will continue.