HAVE: My 2 cents Worth!!

All I ask is that if I'm quilty of anything, please dmail me and give me a chance to make it up before you leave a bad feedback on me. Right now I know I owe someone something and can not remember who.

iris,
I am learning about keeping a journal and you posted some good information for me on how do keep a journal properly. Thank you.

If I owe anybody, please dmail me so I can fix the problem.

Marti

Marti, I know how you feel! I'm always thinking that I should be sending someone something, just can't remember who or what it is, lol. Especially this time of year, when everyone has been growing things for some time, and our spring is just starting! It is such a simple thing to just send a dmail, and a friendly reminder which I really need and appreciate! Iris, thanks for the info on keeping a journal! I am definately going to start that. Sure hope I can remember where I put it tho! LOL! I am a relatively new member, and I will say that for the most part, the people here are awesome and great to trade with, and truly generous people.

I have left a Negative review...It is mentioned in a post here. I will not rehash the facts. I know and she knows what took place. I have no guilt or shame and feel I took the correct action. Se was on DG at the time posting. All you needed to do was send a yes or no to me in a Dmail.

IRIS...
Wow wow wow! That's all I can say. Thanks for sharing that.

The part that is so true and really got me is:

"I would also suggest to always keep a journal for yourself of who you traded with, what the date was, And what EXACTLY it was you traded for ( And watch the size of plants your giving for what your getting) so that if plant/s that you get in don't bloom untill the following year and you come to find out that it's NOT the plant/cultivar you were expecting, You will know exactly who it came from! Beware, Because that Does happen on here!! Another words, If you send someone a $50.00 daylilly and they were suppose to send you a different daylilly at/around equal value and it doesn't bloom until the following year and you discover what they sent you was really a ditch lilly, If you keep a journal, You will know exactly who the person was that did this to you!! People DO do this! They plan on you NOT Remembering what was sent the year before and by who, And most people that don't keep a journal, Wont remember, And thats what they count on!"


TRADETRACKER - For those of you that think you owe someone something. When I finalize a trade that's the next link I'm clicking on!! This is a great Tool.

1. Tab at the top of Page - under the Words Dave's Garden "My Tools" (click it)
2. The 4th Link down on the left "The Trade Tracker"
3. To the left last link "Add a new trade"

This message was edited May 21, 2010 8:41 AM

nanny I can understand that..That kinda falls into it's own category. Everyone has a right to change their mind. But if someone says they are going to do something and it doesn't get done. Then it is a problem. Depending on the circumstances and I'm sure you had your reasons.

I use the Journal here on DG and in the Comments section I make note of where I get each plant, be it bought or from a trade. I find that very useful and that way I have all the info here as well as my notes.

This message was edited May 21, 2010 9:21 AM

Thanks Kim! Great knowledge to have on the trade tracker. Now all I have to do is train myself to use it every time. Will definately come in handy!

Understood! Thanks Terry

Kim_M, your Very Welcome! ( And " It sadly is " very true)

This message was edited May 21, 2010 11:11 PM

Would you all suggest getting comfirmation upon delivery whenever you are mailing something?
No matter what I try, I can't seem to get the shipping charges down. I've just about decided that multiple trades are the best route to get your money's worth.
I can certianly understand the frustration that one goes through when they have shipped nice things and get nothing in return or something not as expected.
I have started my journal, because goodness I am forgetful too. And, I'm wondering if when a person gets over-whelmed with a lot of trades, how easy it would be to stick the wrong plant in someone's box. I had already packed some boxes the other day, and had to unwrap one of them to make sure that I packed the right things. I see how it could easily happen. I also realize that there are people who would deliberately cheat you out of a $50.00 daylily and send you the wrong plant on purpose and it stinks.

PS Just to reassure some of you. If a person has several red marks, yet has a whole lot of good marks it won't keep me from trading with them. I have been dealing with someone with a whole list of good marks and a few bad marks and the comments that were left by the other party were unmerited in my opinion. I have found this person to be very accommodating and generous. I am very pleased with my dealings with her.

angedawn47, I always use delivery comformation now and have never had a problem, and this way people can't say they didn't get there package if they really did, It's a little extra cost, But, Well worth the piece of mind to me. I agree that people can sometimes make a mistake when they are overwhelmed with trades, I have learned to keep things at a minimum, Makes trading a lot less confusing. In my own opinion, I find it much easier to stick to certain catorgorys of plants that you are the most interested in instead of a variety of different ones ... Example, Pick the type of plant you are most interested in / In your garden, Be it Iris's..Daylilys .. hosta's ..ect. and stick to that one and do your trades/info in that catorgory before moving onto something else, If you have something in whatever certain catorgory you pick for trading, Look in the plant files and see what particular plant you would like to trade for and you will more then likely find others who want what you have and who have what you want for trade and then work to the next type of plant ect. You can still do a large quanity most times, But, It will be one particlar kind of plant ( And, Of Course there are all different varietys of one particular plant)... It makes it a lot less confusing this way, but, I know there are many times when trades are offered of plants you'd like and you have what they would like in return and that works out good also ( usually) But, Too many trades can get confusing. I feel it's best to keep things at a minimum, Helps make trades and communication go smoothly, There are usually always trades going on, So if something's missed the first time, Theres usually another that comes along. ( Just my thoughts on it, Everyones different of course) I have a huge journal, Small compared to some others I'm sue, but, I keep mine on my home computer like a spreadsheet and whenever I get something new, I just easily alphibetically add it to what I allready have so it makes it a lot easier to keep track of things.
As for the 'bad part' of trading, I think I'd rather get nothing at all then get something that is totally misnamed or highly unwanted.Not being what it was suppose to be at all, I have limited space here and pretty much need to make sure that what the space is saved for is the right plant. But, I have pretty much luckily had good experiences trading on Daves, With just a couple bad trades for the time I have been here. I was never cheated out of a $50 daylily, I was using that as an example and used the $50 price to get attention, Not that it can't happen though, I did however lose out on a good amount in one particular trade.I'm hoping that others will use the tools provided on Daves in hopes that it won't happen to them ..... Best to keep a journal and not forget who the good ones are ( And bad ones) when it comes to trading .. Another good idea is if your d-mailed about doing a trade from someone you don't know, Make sure to check out if they are a member and how much time they have left on Daves, Sometimes people sign on for a very short period ( Enough time to do some trading) and then once your end of the trade is sent, You recieve nothing in return, and by the time you realize your not getting your end of the trade in, They are allready gone from Daves, And "You" lose out. It's sad the way scammers work sometimes, But, They do do this so you have to be carefull, The other sad part about it is, It makes it hard sometimes for the newbies who have signed on to check Daves out for a while.

Yes, I signed up for a short time just to try it out. I like the idea of a spreadsheet type journal. Thanks, for that idea. And also the idea of trading for a certain plant at one time.
I like the idea and am happy that some people post boxes for newbies for postage. That is a nice way to get a start on a variety of the same type plants or different plants. So thank you all for doing that for us. It makes it nice.
I will definitely start getting a confirmation on all of the packages that I send out. I would like to know which bulbs, tubers, rhizomes, corms, etc. need to be dried for a day and which ones don't. And should all of these be wrapped in a wet paper towel?
Thanks for all of the advice.

Dcartphoto, don't be nervous about trading. While many of us trade to get new and exciting plants for our gardens, we also have plants that have become thugs in our gardens and have so much of it that we're happy to give it away. Of course, we don't want to trade a $50 daylily for a purple coneflower. But if we're trading for other things and you mention you'd love a start of my purple obedient plant, I'd be happy to throw some in as a freebie since it's expanded beyond its boundaries.

Also, let your trader know that you've never done this before. If you're honest, many of us would say, "No problem. I'll send my end first so you can see how we do things." This way, you can see what size plants we ship, how we wrap the roots and pack them.

Another way to get some experience is by responding to SASE or For Postage offers. Then you just pay the postage and the other person sends you plants. Then again you can see what they send and how they pack it and learn from it.

One thing to remember is to look up your plants and be sure it's really what you say it is. Use botanical names in addition to common names. I have a plant that my aunt gave me years ago. She called it Sweet William. I have since learned that it's actually Tall Garden Phlox (Phlox Paniculata). Fortunately I found this out before trading it. Someone wanting Sweet William (Dianthus) would be disappointed.

If you'd like, let me know and I can ship you a box of plants for postage. I have a few that are headed to the compost simply because I have tons of them. (I like just one or two of each so I can grow every kind of plant I like.) Email me and we can see if you might want any of these. I can ship the box and let you know how much postage is and you can send a check to cover it.

Angedawn47, I'm not sure how much you're spending on postage. My boxes usually run around $7-$15 depending on what I'm trading. The goal is to get as many plants in a box as you can and to acquire as many plants as you can for the least amount of money. It might be that you're shipping out huge plants, which really isn't necessary. In most cases, we're all just looking for good, small, healthy, rooted starts. Think about what you might get in a 4"-6" container at a nursery. Have you ever mail-ordered plants? Think about the size of plants the nurseries mail out. Of course some plants are naturally big anyway. Daylilies can be rather large even for just a double fan. But generally, you can still fit several in a large priority mail box. Some crinum bulbs are as big as softballs, but they do make babies. It's the babies you can ship; bulbs about the size of a quarter would please most of us.

Also, go online to www.usps.com and print your postage. You'll get free delivery confirmation on priority mail as well as a discount on the shipping too. And go to their postal store online and get some free boxes. They even have flat-rate boxes of different sizes, so no matter how heavy the box is, you won't pay more than $15 to ship it. (I can't remember the exact costs--$5 for a small (video sized) box, around $11 for a medium, under $15 for a large.) I try to do one trade for lots of plants so I can ship out one large box instead of doing smaller trades and shipping out 3 or 4 boxes at $7 each.

Feedback I often don't bother with anymore unless it's for a newbie. I try to leave most newbies I trade with some feedback since I know how hard it is to trade if you don't have feedback. (If we've traded and you want feedback, let me know.)

I leave honest feedback. If it's a bad experience, I state the facts and try not to get personal. Most of my trades have been great. When one has been particularly outstanding, I try to remember to leave incredible feedback. But I'm sure I've forgotten some.

I think most folks don't think to leave feedback. I've sent out lots of plants and seeds for postage, and it's rare that a recipient leaves me feedback. I don't think they're disappointed as many will dmail me after they receive them. People just don't think about it. I have enough feedback so it really doesn't concern me. If people want my plants, they'll trade with me. If not, it's not a big deal.

Just a note to tell anyone reading this thread that Butterfly Chaser is a super excellent trader and shipped the fastest possible co-op when I was involved in co-op's.

Most of my trades have been with wonderful people and the disappointments, like a recent trade where I received insect eaten hostas, are few. It's those who feel they don't have to pay that led me to end trading.

Thanks for your support, IRIS, and good advice everyone.

I agree with several of you on wanting to trade several plants at once, as postage is so expensive. It's not usually worth trading for one plant unless it's something very unusual and hard to find. And in addition to the postage, the time digging and properly packaging the plant, plus, in my case, waiting in line forever at my always undermanned post office, also makes it quite a chore during times I have a lot to do.

I also always get delivery confirmation now. It's not just a question of not trusting the other person. Since my post office is so flaky, often delivering letters to the wrong address, or not putting them in the locked mailboxes they're supposed to use, etc., I think that having delivery confirmation might make them more careful about delivering my package to the right address.

I no longer use usps.com to ship. At one point, they would not take debit cards as a means of purchase, then it was specifically some Master Card debit cards. We got rid of all of our credit cards two years ago and don't plan to get any new ones.

I use Paypal to ship. You get a really small discount if you print your postage from Paypal and you also get the tracking number the same as you would with usps.com (I think it actually still ships through usps.com).

Just throwing that out there in case you have problems with usps.com

Yeah I use Paypal too.. Also have Stamps.com so I use that for my International Trades..lets you print those perfect custom forms.

Dcart did D-mail me and she seems to be a very nice person. And believe me, if she doesn't have anything to trade right now, she will in the not too distant future. She grows some beautiful plants that I want and intend to have next spring.


This message was edited May 22, 2010 11:19 AM

Pirl, thank you for the compliment. You know I think you're one of the best too!

I'm not going to start naming all of my good traders. It would take too much space and I'd be afraid to forget someone. :)

What a good thread. So much good info. I didn't know you could print postage from PayPal. It's great to have options.

The Paypal multi-shipping really saved my buns when I could not longer use usps.com I used stamps.com for awhile but it got pricey during winter months when I do not ship.

Regarding my post above about good traders...I should have also said, my list of bad traders would only take a few lines.

I had ONE bad experience trying to get castor bean seeds. She suggested postage in return, or maybe a $5.00 subscription. So I thought I'd be generous and I paid
for her sub. When I got the seeds, there had been bugs in them, they had holes in some of them. I told her about it and she said she didn't check them, did I want more seeds? Of course I didn't want more seeds! She had gotten them in a trade. I didn't want more bad seeds! They didn't come up. I didn't know then that you could leave feedback. I might still do it, I have the d-mails we sent.
BTW, Wal*Mart WILL give your money back if you have the receipt, for up to 2 months after a sale, if it breaks. Or another item.
I've always had good luck with ALL my trades till I tried to get those seeds!

perenniallyme, and angedawn47 Your Welcome!!
I hope I didn't cause confusion by mentioning sticking to one variety at a time. What I meant by that was not trading One plant at a time , But, One type of plant, Example would be Daylilys ... There are Soooo many different cultivars, And quite a few can fit in a Priority mail flat rate box. Thats what I meant by one type at a time, There are a bazillion different plants with all different individual forms. . Great thread here, Lots of info, I learn something new here almost every day!
I

Interesting reading and some great ideas here.

One thing though.....I know how to check others feedback, but not my own.

I have been a member here at DG for many years......just haven't posted on here since like .....June 2007.

I don't think I left without taking care of all my trades.....as I kept of journal of all of them...but if I did miss something....by all means contact me and we will fix it.

BTW.......I'm Back......no more school for me.....I am done!!!!!!

Dee

dbibb, You should be able to click on your own name and see feedback you have left and feedback that has been left for you.

You people have scared me from doing any more trades. When I here of someone making such a fuss over a few seed, it just blows my mind. I worked a trade early last year with someone for rare Gingers for rare Gingers. I sent mine and they just disappeared. The average value of the plants were close to $150. but if they are gone, giving bad feedback is pointless. It won't get my plants back. I think I will just buy my plants from now own. With shipping so high, small trades are not worth the shipping and large trades are too risky.

Badseed....I can see feedback I've left for others int he past....but don't see any that has been left for me....

dbibb, click on your name. Then scroll down the page to the Actions section and click on "Leave feedback for dbibb or read feedback left by other members."

This message was edited May 22, 2010 6:46 PM

Thank you Butterfly Chaser......I guess I've just been away from the site waaayyyy tooooooo long...

kenboy, I don't believe anyone was writing to scare you off from trading, Just stating there experiences and pointing out the cautions. Everybody is different, I myself wouldn't really get upset over seeds. But, Others are different, I had written above about being carefull for people who trade and then dissapear, It unfortunately does happen, But, To me, Thats where feedback usually does play a good role, If you look at peoples feedback ( And ...How long they have been a member at Daves) And it's been good through the years, That says a lot about the safety of trading with that person!
Unfortunately and obviously, There is usually not going to be bad feedback for those who take plant trades and then leave Daves without ever sending there end of the trade, What would be the sense, They are not here anymore so no one else will be trading with them. So it's Always a good idea to check someones page for there feedback and how long/ And how much time they have left on Daves, (Though some people do visit for a short time to check Daves out before they sign on for a good length of time) Or wait untill the end of there time limit before they renew. I ( In my own opinion) would be very weary of people who D-mail for a plant trade who have never been a member of Daves and that only have a several days left here, It's like a major Red Flag to me. I do large trades sometimes, But, It's usually with people I tend to trust, I'm sorry to hear that you had lost out on $150.00 worth of plants, I can imagine how you felt after having that happen. It's a really good idea to check the person you are trading with and I find there are many great traders on here, It does take a bit of caution though when you are looking at the person you will be traing with. I can understand though how your experience and cautious words of others can leave a bad taste in your mouth about doing trading.

dbibb, LOL! .. I've been a member here for a while and there still some tools on Daves I don't know how to use!! :)

Iris, a lot of times those bad traders don't leave. They just dmail privately instead of posting on the forum. Those are usually the ones who stiff me. And I do leave feedback to that effect. Others need to know. Because they aren't active on the forums doesn't mean they're gone. Because their paid memberships expire doesn't mean they're gone, just that they're not subscribers anymore. They can still dmail you.

I have to admit, I don't usually check feedback. And if I do and someone doesn't have any, I don't get too alarmed. I'll still trade if I've seen them around and they have something I want. I've stopped trading my "prized" plants here because most people don't have anything comparable to trade for them. And like Kenboy, I can't afford to gamble with $150 worth of plants.

ButterflyChaser, Thankyou for pointing that out ( I miss things along the way) It's good for all to know. Don't blame you for not wanting to gamble with $150 plant! Thats a good chunk of change!! It's something I would do "With the right people " on here, But, For someone I didn't know, It would never happen.

Ken!!!! Oh No don't feel this way. I hope you will find it rewarding around here. And nothing like that ever happens for you again. If you could see my gardens and half of them came right here from Dave's! Hopefully things will get better and the JOY part of trading will be bestowed on you.

If I bought all the plants I wanted I'd be in the Poor house...LOL!

dbibb

click on your dg name and you will see
Leave feedback for dbibb or read feedback left by other members. you can look at your own this was

click on it and you can see your feedback

Ken this was a Box of plants I received yesterday from A DG member. Just posted to give you Inspiration..These were things I had on my want list forever.

Good things happen around here. She hasn't asked for anything in return and the GOOD ALWAYS outweighs the bad.