(4) Another pack if you have your garden zone showing on your Member Page at the time you post here.
(5) Another pack if you additionally have your location showing along with the the garden zone on your Member Page (at the time you post here) See I am zone 5/6 S INDIANA

Why do you want this Sue? If you are trying to match up seeds to zones so that person can grow that seed in their zone I think it is a good idea. But on the other hand, if I wanted a particular seed from you I should know that that seed will grow where I live. So what is your reasoning on #4 and #5.

Hopefully any member who responds, to my offer, or to other offers, will not be a one time poster to the Seed Exchange.
Hopefully they will be, or will go on to be an active GW member either on this forum, or on several other forums.
Often seed traders later advance on to trading plants over on the Plant Exchange, or some of the other plant specific forums. There are numerous reasons why it is beneficial to know where a member is located if they start a trade thread or reply to an offer of mine. With there being such a big difference in postage costs between those within a couple of mail zones from me, versus being on the West Coast, postage costs will determine whether or not I want to trade.
Days in transit is also taken into consideration at different times of the year, when trading certain plants.

If someone asks about planting daffodils on the Bulb Forum, it sure helps to know what zone they are in, as well as a location, since a garden zone is only the average minimum temperature for an area.

If someone asks if they need to dig their cannas, or dahlias, or elephant ears, etc, it helps to know their zone.

So...in a nutshell, I encourage others to have a location due to possible future questions and answers on GW as well as possible future plant trading. It's even a nice thing to know when we all get to ranting about the weather on a thread here on this Conversation side.

Next...........

Sue...loquacious as usual

(8) Another Pack if you have some sort of a blurb on your Member Page.(at the time you post here)

Why do you want a 'blurb'? What if I want to keep my personal life private. It seems to me this rule might be perceived by someone that you want to be nosy.

Bernie the observer

Hi Bernie,
You can have a blurb and still be private. If you say somthing like "I love growing hostas and other shade plants, " or "I have a 50X100 veggie plot and grow a lot of tomatoes" those are blurbs and I still don't know a thing about you. But at least I know you've got some growing experience in a certain area. I think people get caught up on the idea that a blurb needs to have personal items on it like how many children you have etc. You needn't list any things like that.

About the location~ As a responder to the Name That Plant forum, it is so so much easier to ID outdoor plants if given a point of reference. There's been more than a few times plants have been hard to ID or incorrect IDs are given because the poster had no location given.
Answering growing questions on other forums is much easier too. It gives me an idea of whether or not my advice/input would be helpful to the conversation or not.
Remy

(8) Another Pack if you have some sort of a blurb on your Member Page.(at the time you post here)

Why do you want a 'blurb'? What if I want to keep my personal life private. It seems to me this rule might be perceived by someone that you want to be nosy.

lol Bernie...no, not nosy...a lot of us just like to know a bit about our new cyber gardening acquaintances, and possible future friends.

One need not share personal info. It could be as simple as saying, "I enjoy growing things from seeds", or "I have been vegetable gardening for years," or "I am new to growing from seeds and am looking forward to Winter Sowing," or "I garden for butterflies and other wildlife", or "I have no sun, so garden in the shade 100%", or "I love starting trees and shrubs from seed", or "I enjoy collecting and growing Native Plants", ...etc...now is that being nosy? Most gardeners' love talking about gardening, don't you think? It doesn't have to be personal at all, though some of choose to share more that way than others do.

By knowing a few of these things I could maybe include some seeds from my 'stash' that could include
Veggies, for that veggie gardener
something that would be perfect for wintersowing,
Something great for the butterflies
Something great for shade,
Some trees or shrubs,
Something native...etc...you see what I mean, just depending upon what was shared via a member page blurb.

Next................

Sue

Thanks Remy, well put.

Hey, those guys over on the Lawn Care Forum are real sticklers for having to know the member's location before trying to answer so many questions. One's location really makes a difference there, just as it does on so many forums. By adding it to one's profile, it is automatically shown whenever the member posts, as well as being shown on their Member Page.

Sue...who needs to be out there frantically planting bulbs

loquacious.....since I had to take the time to look that word in the dictionary, that will cost you 1 (one) pack of seeds, Bernie's Rule.

With there being such a big difference in postage costs between those within a couple of mail zones from me, versus being on the West Coast, postage costs will determine whether or not I want to trade.

What difference would it be to you if they are on the East coast or the West coast as far as whether you want to trade or not. Isn't the recipient responsible for the postage.

And now to the big one that everybody is talking about.

(10)Another pack if the Bubble Envelope And Postage is mailed within 2 weeks of getting my mailing address, and it includes

1- return postage of $1.05 (or more if exact postage is not handy),
2-your garden web name
3-a return address label
4-a list of up to 10 packs of seeds wishes. Please prioritize them in the event you did not meet the qualifications to receive all 10 packs.

I would make this two separate rules or word it differently.

Let us tackle the two separate rules first. Here is a suggestion.

(10)Another pack if the Bubble Envelope And Postage is mailed within 2 weeks of getting my mailing address.

(11)Another pack if you do the following;
put inside the bubblie
A- return postage of $1.05 (or more if exact postage is not handy)
B- your garden web name
C- a return address label
D- a list of up to 10 packs of seeds wishes. Please prioritize them in the event you did not meet the qualifications to receive all 10 packs.

How you want to word it differently is going to be up to you. I would make the words 'put inside the bubblie' bolder, or bigger, or in color, or a combination of these. You want the newbie to really see it and understand it. All of you traders don't want Bernie Q Public to send you two envelopes do you. When you want to teach someone something, do it at a second grade level. I don't think that Sue's trade rules is all that complicated or overwhelming. The person that got the 'Trade' (Connie) seemed to follow the instructions. Sure she missed a couple but I bet you next time she will have everything in order.

Going to have lunch, will probably have more questions.

Bernie

What difference would it be to you if they are on the East coast or the West coast as far as whether you want to trade or not. Isn't the recipient responsible for the postage.
No, when one is trading plants each member is responsible for paying to ship what they have agreed to trade. When trading seeds it doesn't make any difference (usually) where they are coming from, unless it might be some seeds that are tropical and that could be damaged in transit in severely cold temps.

I have done enough plant trading to know that everyone (I think) east of the Mississippi is in mail zone 4 or less from me....thus reasonable shipping charges. CA and WA are both in zone 8 from me. Once I know a zip code, I can look it up to see what mail zone they are from me here...Postal Zone Charts (Actually I have a printout I keep handy in a mailing file)
Then I can go and see the per LB charges to whatever zone it is here...Priority Mail Prices Depending upon the mail zone and the poundage, it 'might' be most economical to go with a Flat Rate Box. I use a Digital Shipping Postal Scale Like these to determine the exact weight, so I know whether the Flat Rate Box is the most economical or not. The scale also enables me to print out my parcel postage on line and get free delivery confirmation, as well as it being a little cheaper than paying it at the PO.
When doing seed trades or seeds for postage offers, I can be confident that I have affixed enough in postage, and that I have not affixed anymore than was needed.

I do see what you are saying Bernie, and agree that the instructions should be as clear and as simple as possible.

After the member and I emailed a bit, I included in my email to her...
Please mail bubblie and include inside
return postage, (88 cents)
your GW email name
a return address label, and a
copy of your list of seeds wanted

to
Sue Blah, Blah
5448 N Sunnyside Rd
Anywhere, In XXXXX-XXXX

Does that make it clear, even though it wasn't worded like that in the post? I agree, that it would probably be best to word it better in the post as you suggested.

Seeds for postage offers can be very confusing to newer members. Connietn is a real regular here though , with lots of posts.
Some, totally new newbies to the forum, might not be newbies though to seed trading and offers, since they might be experienced from having traded on other on line forums. It is however best to make it as clear and simple as can be, due to others maybe reading and learning a bit from the post.

Next....

Sue...still being loquacious since it is now raining, thus no playing outside today...sigh.

Bernie,

The title of your posting is An observation of a trade. But what you are actually observing is Sue's offer of an SASBE aka BEAP, which is a different type of transaction. A trade means both people involved are getting something in exchange; an SASBE/BEAP offer is a one-sided deal.

When people trade, it is up to them to agree on the terms--what seeds they will trade, when they will send them, how they will send them (most people want them sent in padded envelopes), etc. For an SASBE/BEAP offer, the person giving their seeds away can determine what he or she wants the recipient to do, and it is up to that person to decide if they want to follow those rules. If I want to stipulate that I will only offer SASBEs to people who send a bright green bubble envelope with yellow smiley faces on it, I can. It may not make sense to others, but then, they don't have to take advantage of my offer of free seeds. In Sue's case, she is not taking packets of seeds away from people but instead is adding packets to those who meet more of her suggested guidelines. It is the actions of the recipient that determine how many seeds he/she will get.

While there are a few rules and guidelines about trading on GW, it is up to each person to decide what is acceptable for them. If and when you decide to trade or offer SASBE/BEAPs, you can determine what expectations you have of others and write them any way you desire.

Kate

Thanks Kate, I had not really caught that that Bernie was referring to my post as a Trade.

Occasionally folks will have nothing to trade and will post something like...looking for XYZ seed-Will trade for postage
They will then go on to say they don't have any seeds to trade, but 'will' trade for postage. What that actually means, is that they are asking for things for postage, something that is not allowed per the Special Instructions for the Exchange.

Kate, I had heard you were looking for a lot of bright green bubble envelopes with yellow smiley faces on them, but thought folks were kidding...
Just kidding ya.

Next......

Sue

"loquacious.....since I had to take the time to look that word in the dictionary, that will cost you 1 (one) pack of seeds, Bernie's Rule. "

GOOD ONE BERNIE!!!!
ROFLMAOPIMP!!!!!!!

That'll cost you two PACKS CUZ I got to do another load of laundry cuz of you!!!!!

Bernie, buddy, dont take this too seriously, its just Sue being Sue and doing her best to teach folks how things go around here. We NEED her!!!!

Bernie, buddy, dont take this too seriously, its just Sue being Sue
Bernie knows me as we go way back and are both regulars on the Test Forum. We certainly know how to follow the Forum Instructions there, which are:
This forum is provided as a place to test the forum system. Users can post nonsense here to acquaint themselves with the forums.
We are both real good at posting nonsense there.

I asked him to stop by here, and give me some input on how user friendly the Seed Exchange is, or isn't. The first thing he noticed was that the link to the Special Instructions didn't work. He has since been shown the Instructions in the thread I started and has even been helping to keep it bumped up on page one on the Trade side....bless his little heart.

His questions are all quite valid, and I can see where someone new might be thinking the very same things...like me being nosy by wanting members to write a little blurb on their member page, or not understanding why I like folks to put their location in their Member Profile.

Sorry Doris about the extra laundry.

Watch out...Test Forum Nonsense-penguin-no soap radio jokes, and other silly stuff...guaranteed to make you laugh.

Sue

Sue,

If looking for bright green bubble envies with yellow smiley faces is the oddest thing you've heard about me, I'll consider myself lucky!

Kate

Sorry for not posting as quickly as I would like but for the last 2 hours I have been trying to get 2 rolls of Ultra Charmin in a bubblie............. Hey Doris, if I run them threw a paper shredder I think I can get them in a bubblie. Is that OK with you?

Now to get back on topic.

Yes, when I said "Trade" that was probably the wrong terminology but that is the kind of thinking that a newbie would come up with. When I first saw BEAP, SASBE, SASE, I didn't know what they meant. I did a search and I finally found 2 of them. But what the heck did BEAP mean. I had to ask Sue what it meant.

There should be a place a newbie can go to see all of the terminology so they are not taking up your time in asking "What does this mean?" Maybe when Sue has to put up a new Special Instruction Read Me thing, you can incorporate that into it.

It would be nice to get that dead link fixed also. Yes I know that you have contacted GW but maybe if they got 20 or so emails in a very short time (within a day) They might take notice. Even do it once a week for a month.

Going to stop now for supper but I might have some more questions in the next few days.

Bernie

bernie,

forget the charmin, send depends, cuz if you're going to be around here for a while, Im going to need them.

hee!

Hey Bernie, don't worry about running them through a paper shredder, the post office will do that for you.

Dorisl, I'm glad that first P wasn't an S. Sorry.

jim_6b

dang, I gotta google those kegel instructions again....

Tighten and count to 10, relax and count to 10.
Do this 10 times, 3 times a day.
jim_6b

thanks jim.

:)

Isn't it sad to see all those offers of free seeds go unclaimed because newbies don't know/can't figure out what SASBE/BEAP/SASE means?

How come you don't have pictures of the flowers. I realize if you have a lot of seeds it would be impractical to do so but in this Example it would seem that it would help.

Sue, in your offer it doesn't state how many seeds are in a pack. Is this talked about in the communication between the two parties via email.

Sue. Why did you check to have follow-up sent to you via email. Isn't it kind of redundant to see what they are talking about in the thread and also in emails.

Since the member who responded to the post didn't have anything on her list that specifically matched anything you had available for trade, why did you do business with that person.

That's it for now. And remember, no big words. Doris might not be able to handle it.

Bernie

How come you don't have pictures of the flowers.
Since there are a lot of members on dial-up or computer connections that are not real fast, it is best to not put pics in trade or postage offers unless they are maybe smaller or clickable thumbnails, imho. There has been a good bit of discussion in the past too about pics on the Member Trade Lists, so I have opted instead to post clickable links on mine to either my own pics, or to pics on the net....see my trade list.

I realize if you have a lot of seeds it would be impractical to do so but in this Example it would seem that it would help.
A lot of members couldn't tell the difference in looking at either a pic of the tree or of the pod. A lot of folks don't 'do' pictures either, for one reason or another.

Sue, in your offer it doesn't state how many seeds are in a pack. Is this talked about in the communication between the two parties via email.
That info is disclosed on my trade list. See list please.

Sue. Why did you check to have follow-up sent to you via email. Isn't it kind of redundant to see what they are talking about in the thread and also in emails.
No, not really. I closed the offer, but as you will see, there have been several posts since then that I might not have seen or noticed otherwise. Often on an actual trade thread, as opposed to this offer of just one BEAP, there will be offers(posted replies) days or weeks after the initial post is made.

Since the member who responded to the post didn't have anything on her list that specifically matched anything you had available for trade, why did you do business with that person.
The member who first responded did not have to meet all 10 stipulations in order to get seeds.
Per my offer...
Please take a moment to read the entire terms of this offer as you and your responses will determine how many total packs (your picks) I will send, up to 10 packs.

WAKE UP BERNIE!...but all good questions.

Next..................

Sue...all well rested from her nap.

I think it's really great when people include their zone,and even better when they give a more specific location.I get all excited fantisizing about all the plants they are able to grow in their zone.It can be a real icebreaker and conversation starter.