TRADELIST are for TRADING Not Inventory

On EVERY Plant Files page it reads at the bottom:

Trading Tools
Do you have this plant available for trading? You may add this plant to your have or want lists by clicking below:

Click here to add this plant to your have-list
Click here to add this plant to your want-list

Your Actions This where you can..

» Add this plant to your journal

Journal is How you keep Inventory. And it is more useful because you can add comments about your plant, give it a status...rate it's progress..etc etc. Come on People!

It is a PAIN scrolling through someones Tradelist and everything says "NEW Can't Trade Yet" "Just for Inventory"

I agree, looked at one earlier in the 'trading' section and at the very first box they said
"This is for inventory only, I do not trade via the mail". It is just as easy to use the journal and it is to use the trade list.

That's exactly why I quit reading trade lists!

LOL @ Kay...too funny

You can use your tradelist for inventory but just click on "disable" on the right side and only you can see that item. Then when it's ready to trade, click on "enable".

Thanks for that Info! :-) Dave seems to already have it all worked out. If we'd only use it...

I am one of the guilty parties you are referring to. I hadn't checked out the journal when I joined DG, and assumed it was for journaling - i.e. talking about gardening, not listing things. As a result, I put everything on my trade list, and as I wanted to be able to keep track of them, and not forget when something became available. Everything dividable or that has seeds will be available at some point, and it's too much trouble to move everything to the journal now. I don't mind when something isn't available on someone's trade list. I can always ask if and when it's likely to be available.
If you want to talk about pet peeves regarding people with trade lists, mine is that a lot of people don't even have the courtesy to answer dmails even to say they're not interested in trading, even when you offer them things on their want list.

Perennial, I can relate to your pet peeve - to just ignore someone is rude!

Thanks for the support, Kay. It happens a lot - maybe half the time.

Until a similar thread was posted, I didn't realize what the "disable" option did. It would be nice if there was an option for "inventory" that would tie our trade lists with our journals & allow us to work both lists together rather than going back & forth.

For secret swaps, it's actually helpful to see what people already have, so I don't mind so much, unless I'm looking for something specific and then have to deal with pages of "not available".

Well as far as people not answering dmails... I don't let that offend me. I have asked for trades and/or dmailed many people with no response. I realize that some people receive an enormous amount of request due to their Trade list. Regardless if the item is not available at the time. It's possible that the person has already traded the seed/plant or the are up to their neck in trades. So answering each request is not always that easy. I know it's a lot of work but if you go to every item on your tradelist. On the PF page of that plant just click the Link that says:
» Add this plant to your journal
Then it will be in your Journal. Or as Jan stated above "Disable" if it's not available.
Just as easy as it was to add the item to your HAVE List.

And BY NO MEANS is this post to offend anyone. It is informational and intended to help sort things out around here.

Sharon -

I share the same pet peeve - I am surprised at how many people do not answer a dmail when one is sent inquiring about a trade. I find it not only rude, but totally unacceptable and colors my whole attitude towards that individual forever more.

I too did not know there was a disable button. I do use the journaling part of DG for my various journals as well as the section on my Blog, but I was going to go further with the use of the trade lists as not everything goes into my journals. Glad I found out about the disable button first......

Carolyn, I am very sorry you feel this way. Hopefully somewhere in this big gardening group of friends. You'll feel different in the future. Your Staement: "colors my whole attitude towards that individual forever more" I myself do not answer dmails concerning trades sometimes. For a various of reasons...Maybe you are one that can reply to 20 dmails until everyone is answered. Which is great for you. But for me...I jump on here when a baby is sleep (have 2 infants), not cooking dinner, changing a diaper, billing for my husbands business, and the list goes on and on. No hard feelings towards anyone in this garden club by me. Most of all they may not have anything I want so I keep it moving. Live Life and be happy! That's my motto (smile).

I certainly don't know who those people are who get 20 dmails at a time about trading. Maybe if I was one of them I might either be thrilled or periodically disable my trade list entirely for long periods of time. But I've answered every dmail I've received about trading, even ones I've occasionally found ridiculous or offensive and the person offering nothing or nothing I'm remotely interested in. It doesn't take much to say sorry, not interested, at the least, if you have the dmail open in front of you. I agree with Carolyn that it definitely colors my opinion of the person who doesn't bother to respond.

I am guilty of keeping an inventory on my tradelist too, but I can;t make the 'Journal' function work, so that's how I choose to do it.

Kim

Unfortunately, that is the way I feel and yes, I understand we are all busy - I too have never had 20 dmails to respond to at once either, so I truthfully would not know what that is like. But, yes, too often I have sent out dmails or emails on other sites and have never heard anything whatsoever in response - it makes one feel like they are not important enough to be bothered with - I understand that may not be the intention and I am not directing this towards you either - as I have never had the opportunity to trade with you.

I have completely deleted everything on my have list for trading. and half my want list is already filled. I've been here many years and have never looked through the trade lists. but It is a big aggrevation to have countless emails for those requesting to trade for something on your trade list and get totally upset with you for not wanting to trade. Then they say why do you have it on your trade list if you don't want to trade. So I dumped my complete list. Life is simple now. :0)

I understand not answering every offer/request/dmail. I am guilty of it. And it's been done to me. It doesn't bother me. If I don't get a response in a day or two, I move on. No big deal. I understand some folks are busy. And I understand that maybe I don't have what they're looking for, as often others don't have what I'm looking for.

One reason I don't respond is because in the past people have gotten angry at my refusal to trade with them or send them plants for postage. I've been accused of being selfish for not sending plants for postage. I've been told I'm am insensitive because I won't mail plants in exchange for a few packs of seeds. I've been trading for years and have seen all kinds. And honestly, it's just easier to not respond to some folks. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but some are deeply hurt for some reason if I say, "Sorry, you just don't have anything I need at this time."

Another reason I may not respond is the main reason for this thread--their trade list is a long "inventory" filled with "not available at this time". I just don't have time to weed thru all that. It's almost as bad as taking me to a chocolate store but telling me I can't have any of the chocolate. On another site, a lady emailed me several times about trading. I finally told her that her trade list was way too long (about 200 items) and half of them were "OUT til 2010". I politely told her if she'd clean up her trade list, I'd be happy to look at it. Surprisingly, she emailed back stating I was so right, she hadn't realized it had gotten out of hand, and she immediately fixed it. Then we worked out a great trade. But some people are not so understanding. So I risk hurting their feelings if I ignore them; and I risk hurting their feelings if I respond with "no thanks".

Kathy and Butterfly,
I understand what you're saying 100%, and agree about the people looking for something for nothing, but I've been lucky enough not to have anyone argue with me when I say no. That I probably wouldn't respond to, and if someone called me selfish or insensitive or whatever for refusing to trade for something I don't want, or send something for free, I might even tell them where to go. But I've never dmailed asking for something for nothing, and usually have at least a few things on the want list of whoever I dmailed, so I do find it rude of people not to bother to respond. I certainly wouldn't be offended if I received a "not interested" answer, but I am offended if I offer something that someone claims to be looking for, and get no answer at all.

Some people have the same plants on both their want list and on their have list. I have 123 items in my have list with only 43 of them that show as active, 80 are disabled. I also have 123 in my want list. I try to keep the numbers realistic relative to each other. You see some people have one or two items in their have list and 500 in their want list.

I am new here and figured at first that the trade lists would be a great way to find people to trade with. After countless hours trying multiple ways in finding traders, I now find other areas on DG which to find trades. Plant specific forums, this trading forum, search users by location, individual plantfiles showing trades wanted or offered. But even so, it can still get a little frustrating to read page after page of NFT, none available, all out til 2010 or getting no response to dmails sent when the person is actively talking about trades in a forum.

In a more perfect world I would find someone on here that is local to me that has a similar situation as I do for some heavy duty trading so I could get these few hundred pots off my driveway before frost hits!

franknjim, I understand your frustration entirely, but you may in fact be lucky to have missed some of those trades. I have become very cynical after sending big boxes of healthy plants and receiving tiny boxes of tiny plants and even cuttings when cuttings weren't even talked about in exchange. I now do very little plant trading, especially with postage what it is these days. (There are definitely exceptions and a few great traders out there). What I do now is have a "cheap perennial sale" a few times a season, and use the proceeds to buy the plants I want. If you're near a craigslist city, you might want to try it. That's my only advertising, plus an email list from people who respond and want to be notified, or who come to the sale. I sell plants very cheap, but it adds up and is a lot less work than having to box up and mail them.

Thanks everybody for all the inputs. It's GOOD and healthy to just see where others are at. And hopefully this doesn't deter anyone from trading. I have had some of the most wonderful trades. Including International trades. And I owe the beauty of my gardens to many many people. Especially from Dave's...I see and feel everyone's point.

ButterflyChaser "So I risk hurting their feelings if I ignore them; and I risk hurting their feelings if I respond with "no thanks". Ain't that the truth!!??!! LOL

gothqueen..maybe you can send a message to admin. There's probably something disabled..Or maybe you have the whole Journal disabled?? I don't know...

Well, my list says plainly that I only trade with other Floridians within the state of Florida, so that should be a hint that anyone who is not in Florida need look no further anyway. So I don't feel bad about keeping my tradelist as an inventory.

I haven;t had time to actually fool with it very much during the growing season anyway, because I am actually out working with my plants. I won't even be adding anything new until probably late November or early December when its actually cooler here and not so busy and I have garden downtime.

Maybe everyone should just let everyone else have their stuff the way that they want it and you can do what you like the best for yourself, you know...live and let live?

I am also guilty of using my trade list for inventory. I have aquired a lot of young plants this year and they will not be ready for any divisions until next year. I just figured that if someone was truly interested that they would ask when they would be ready. I do apologize for doing this. I was not aware that was what the "journal" was for either. Perhaps there should be a "person inventory" section as well(like ptilda said). I realize that I haven't been a member for as long as a lot of folks on here. I stand with Perenniallyme in the fact that I jump on here briefly when I have time. I don't have a "desk job" where I'm able to access the internet at any moment. Those moments for me come early in the morning (like now) when my boys are getting dressed for school, or at night when they are in the shower or in bed. I am a single mother of two and work at least 50 hrs a week. I know I'm not alone in this aspect, there are a lot of us out there, but for me I haven't "taken the time" I suppose to figure out ALL the little details of this amazing website. This site has become my way of winding down at the end of my very busy days, and for me to look through posts and know there are so many talented gardeners out there I can learn from makes me happy even if my day did not go that well. I too was not aware that was the function of the disable option, I will change that. It is very disheartening to know that one of the top features designed for this site has become "void" for a lot of users. I feel that if you EXPECT mature size specimens in trade you should say so. Gothqueen does, I've seen it in the plant trading forum. I also believe that you should be greatfull for what ever you receive in return.

Actually the people who dmail me do want to trade, and most times always have something to offer in return. I've never had anybody ask for postage, I've offered . But, They get down right nasty when I say I don't really want to trade. It got so bad, that I had to delete my trade list. is what I meant. Now I have no troubles what so ever. Trade lists aren't what their cracked up to be. I only refer to them when they say, well, go to my trade list and look at it.

I think folks should use their trade lists to how ever it benefits them, weather it be for inventory or trade . It's their perogative. Just my opinion.

In the six trades I have done in the past month, still waiting to receive three of them, I always state in my dmails after each plant name if it is a plant, cutting or seeds for both things I offer and for things I am requesting. If I feel something I have is small I say so in my dmail. I even state if it is currently potted or needs to be dug for the trade.

If I feel a plant has too much leaf damage, I send extra to make up the difference. I try to send what I would be happy to receive. It's the do unto others as you would have them do unto you thing.

Even though it is a sad thing to receive damaged plants or plant soup I try to stay opptimistic about it. It just makes it more of a personal challenge of my gardening skills to bring a plant back from the edge. The internet will always be the internet. Some people come and go with the breeze, guano happens, internet connections get cut off, people get sick, etc. The longer you stay online the more you learn how things are. You can be excited when you think you found something special only to eventually come to the realization that the person is no longer around or you are a day late and a dmail short. I understand why one of my trades is two weeks late in arriving. I have read her recent posts as she shares much of what is going on around her. She is a good person and what she is doing for others trumps my urgency to receive her side of the trade.

I am a noob and have made mistakes. The plastic on leaves thing in shipping. The using my trade list for inventory. No one had said anything to me about doing them, it was just mistakes I learned on my own on how to not make again. It took me a minute to realize what that disable link in my tradelist was for, it took me awhile to read the sticky on shipping plants. I had thought I was doing an exceptional packing job until I read that one about plastic. My bad.

There is so much to DG and it takes a long time of continually discovering the many different places here and how they work. This is a great thread that new & old members will learn from.

If I am really wanting to seriously trade with a specific person, I use the disable/enable feature on my trade list to toggle on all of my plants so that the person I am dmailing with can see all of the plants that I do have so they might see something they want so I can get what I want from them. I usually keep my smaller plants disabled but I can divide almost all of them if I really want something badly enough. Then when I am done showing them, I toggle them back off. It does cost quite a bit to trade plants through the mail, it is a lot of work as well but I will continue to do it because I like the excitement of receiving new plants and I like the thought of making someones day better when they open the box of plants that I sent to them.

The good thing about DG is that everyone has options. Use them or not. Do what works for you. On the plus side of people listing new unavailable plants, you can keep them in mind for future trades if you are willing to wait for their plant(s) to mature for trading. I do wish more people would use their trade lists and update them often.

Kathy, I agree with you entirely that people should use their trade list in whatever way they want. Presumably people join Dave's Garden for different reasons, pay the yearly fee or not to use the available tools and resources, and should be left to use them in whatever manner they choose, so long as no one else is harmed or swindled in the process.
Manners and attitude are another thing entirely. I don't understand at all, Kathy, why people should be outraged if you don't want to trade for plants you don't want, or with someone who has lots of negative feedback, or simply because you don't have time or don't feel like trading. Where does the attitude of entitlement come from? I'm not an ungenerous person, and I've given away plenty of plants and sent plants and seeds as gifts to people who I have some sort of relationship with. But the person who joined DG yesterday, or who has been a member for years but never participates and is suddenly asking me to dig up plants, package them, and wait in line at the post office to send it to them, either for postage reimbursement or for something that doesn't resemble anything on my want list, I don't understand that at all.
catzgalore, I have to object to your statement that people should be grateful for whatever they receive in return. I believe that people should receive what the person has agreed to send in a trade. If I spend $10 or $12 and a lot of time packing and sending many plants, and receive a tiny box of dead unlabeled corms in return, or a tiny box of cuttings when I was supposed to receive plants, etc, I am most definitely not going to be grateful. I am going to be outraged, and it has happened several times.

franknjin, we cross posted. Agree with you and your attitude 100%.

franknjim, I think one of the problems with people using the "trade list" for their "inventory" is that some lists get enormously long (200, 300 or more items). When I've requested plants from some of the lists, almost everything I've requested is "out" so I've wasted my time looking at the list and making my list of wants from the list. The "trade list" is called a "trade list" because it's what you have to "trade", not what you have in your inventory. Like someone said above, use the disable feature on the ones that are inventory only so you can still see them but I'm not bothered with them.

I'm in the process of creating a trade page here now. I've never done that before. I just always copied from a word document into the my post. But maybe this will be easier when I get it all done. It sure seems like a lot of work the way it's set up. I would prefer to be able to just copy my word document trade list into it. But I also like being able to add pictures from my gardens. When I'm actively trading, I'll try to keep my list uptodate. It just saves everyone so much time and hassle.

Everybody has GOOD POINTS! WOW!

For those of you who would like to use your journal to keep an inventory list, it is not that difficult. But - you cannot enter a plant from Plantfiles, unless you have Categories set up in your journal. Even just making one Category called Want list, will let you Add this plant to your journal.

It's true that people can use their list anyway they want but then they should not fuss when people don't respond to their requests for trades because many of use don't have time to wade through the "unavailables" trying to find something we may like. I for one go the first page and when I see "not available" or "perhaps next year", I'm out of there and no trade.

budgie, even though I have many unavailable plants on my trade list, when I dmail someone about trading, I always say I have this and that on your want list, so they don't have to wade through my trade list if they don't want to. I rarely dmail someone if I don't have at least a few things I think they want, so presumably I am responding to their list as well as making a request. Occasionally I won't have something specifically on their list, but will have related plants that aren't on their have list, that I think they may be interested in. If I don't think I have anything that someone may want, I will not ask to trade.

perreniallyme, perhaps my statement was not clear enough. Obviously you would have a right to be upset if you did not get what was AGREED upon for your trade. What I was referring to was the mature plants vs smaller plants. All I'm saying is people should be CLEAR on their expectations when they trade. I have not had the experiance of trading with anyone on here, and quite honestly after reading through this thread am not sure if I would really want to. This has unfortunately jaded me.

You know that there are easier ways to see what people have plants that you may want than 'wading through their tradelists'.

The first is to go to PlantFIles and look up the plant you are interested in. It will say whether anyone on Daves has that plant for trade, wants that plant for trade, or has that plant for sale. You can then see who has it, and contact them. Or inversely, you can see if someone wants something that YOU have, go to their tradelist and see if they have anything YOU want, and contact them

The second is to just post your 'wants' and 'haves' individually on the Plan Trade forum and forget the tradelists. That way when you are ready to trade, have the time to trade, and know what you want to trade for, you can just say so.

catz, please don't get discouraged. There are so many wonderful people here that do a wonderful job of trading. I am new to the trading (only been doing it for a month). I have already met a number of wonderful people and received and sent packages. Every box that I received was an adventure. We all have different ways of seeing things, but what we have in common is our love of plants. Come join the fun.

catz, sorry I misunderstood you. Also, I don't mean to put a completely bad face on trading here. I have had some wonderful trades in addition to the terrible ones, and some in between. You should probably experience it for yourself, if you're interested, but definitely be clear as to what you are sending and what you expect in return. And do check people's feedback before trading. If several people have had a bad experience with a trader, you'll at least know it's risky if you want to proceed.

Catz, Please please please don't be discouraged. This is ALL a learning process. Some of us have been around here for a while and have seen and experienced just about everything. And some of us have traded with each other almost 10 years ago on Gardenweb and are still around. So we go wayyyyy back in the Trading game :-) Nonetheless..you live and learn. Let me tell you about my very first trade. How could I EVER forget!

It wasn't even on Dave's because I wasn't a member back then.

But anyway. I had an Illinois Heirloom tomato seeds. I traded them for some Balloon flowers. Well when this gal received my seeds she was LIVID! She ripped me to shreds and told me How selfish, inconsiderate, and awful I was. She went on and on with this email. And said HOW DARE YOU SEND ME 10 Seeds!!

Here was the problem...
1. I was new
2. I have never sown more then 5 tomato seeds
3. I get a plant for each seed
4. I just didn't know I was doing something wrong
5. It's ALL I had left!!!! LOL

We live and learn..and it has NEVER stopped me from trading. I have even repeatedly traded with people who I hated one or more of their trades..Every plant came wilted, dead, or damaged. I say this because We rectified it...start over...and keep sharing plants.

Many people have built exceptionally beautiful gardens and plant collections via trading over the past 10 or so years. I know I am one. But unfortunately, its gotten so expensive to ship nowadays, that sometimes its really just not worth it.

Back in the not-so-distant past when a pretty large Priority mail box could be sent for $3.20-3.50 to just about anywhere, trading was a real boon to people. Now that same box costs almost $5 plus, and the farther it goes from your house the more it costs, its not such a bargain. Even if I did ship plants out of state to somewhere like CA, the cost is prohibitive, because I try to send really nice, large plants. Not eentsy little plants.

Its my personal opinion that many trades go bad because of the money issue...people want to save dollars on shipping, so they bareroot plants that shouldn't be in a box for 3 days bareroot, or they make cuttings instead of sending rooted plants of some plants that just don't propagate well from cuttings, and they send small pieces/offsets of more mature plants that may kick off from shock, because they don;t want to send their larger specimens.

Since its pretty much illegal to ship the soil with the plants to most states, there is an excuse for that one. But for the others, well...just realize its 'trader beware'. You can;t kick the tires through the mail, and sometimes, even photos don;t show the real story.