It really annoys me that people DO NOT SEEM TO READ THE ACTUAL POST anymore!
They just see something posted for SASBE or POSTAGE and just JUMP ON IT!

They can't follow simple instructions it seems either SO in that event in the offering I would and will when I offer things say IF YOU DO NOT FOLLOW THESE SIMPLE FEW INSTRUCTIONS HEREIN YOU WILL NOT BE RECEIVING THIS OFFER.

It may be a cruel lesson BUT if they do not send their address WITH the envy or mailer then I wouldn't try to track them down. LET THEM CONTACT YOU!

Instead of worrying checking the post to see if there are replies I try to remember to click the: 'Check here if you would like post replies emailed to you.' Box under the post.
It is just easier then having to go back an check the posting.

It does annoy me too when they do not send a list of what they requested IN THE MAILER, because then I have to go back an search through the emails to see what it was they did want.

I understand your frustration, because people do not read the post. I am sure this is part of it, for newbies I am sure they get all excited about getting the offer and they do not know exactly what to do.
I try to have patience with people but sometimes it is really really hard.

Please don't stop offering, if really is a great way for some people including myself to get things they wouldn't or couldn't get otherwise.

I have never gotten anything from you but I would hate to see you give up completely, there are some out there who greatly appreciate all offers and those who offer them, myself included in there!

So please give absolute instructions on the offer and for those who don't follow them skip to the next person on the list who did!

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

:) Aqua

I used to offer plants for postage quite a bit, but havn't for a while just because of things like this.

Just recently I decided to offer leftover heirloom tomato plants and peppers for postage, and I made a deal with somebody to package up their plants and weigh the box to try and get the cheapest shipping rather than go with a flatrate. Well they didn't get back to me the day they were supposed to, so the plants sat in the box for that whole extra day. They did finally get with me though and pay their shipping, but they were upset , or seemed to be, when I went and posted the box of plants to give away again the night of that first day. I assumed, after not hearing from them that I needed to quickly find a place for these plants to go, or they would be wasted.
Anyway...what has totally turned me off now, is this person who posted on my giveaway post, saying they wanted my plants but couldnt pay anything. Well, wouldn't we all ! They then followed up with an email to me this morning which said the same thing, they couldn't pay shipping. They just joined yesterday as well. I replied with how rude I felt it was to ask somebody not only for their plants, which would cost you money if you went out to buy them, but to ask them to pay shipping too ! And their reply ? 'Well sorry for asking'.
I tell you, The Gardenweb of today is NOT the Gardenweb I joined so many years ago.

Don't worry Aqua, I won't let a few people ruin it for everyone else. I'll continue to do plants for postage as I have them. I don't have much this year. Almost all of my plants have been destroyed this year by my senile father and the awful landscape service my parents hired. Really, if some one is hired to mow the LAWN, why would they mow into flower beds? But not just into flower beds but SEVERAL feet into them. And if someone is hired to weed, why would they weed a well sized rose bush? Sorry, must stop ranting...

Smoky, that's really a shame. And good advice too. I thought of that AFTER I posted my last plants for postage offer!

Check out this random email I got today (I'm not even offering any seeds for postage at this time), "[This message originated at GardenWeb]

do you have any seeds i may have free"

Now, some people have sent ME some things this year completely for free but didn't ask for them to give them free and I tried to get them to accept at least postage in return but they wouldn't do that either. I wouldn't mind doing the same to other people when I have enough money to do that kind of thing, but to people who send emails like the one posted above.

I was a long time member many for years and sometime ago, I stopped gardening and trading for a while and this year I finally felt like doing it again so I thought I would come back here and hope for the best.
THIS IS NOT THE GW I remember, the people are not as friendly and these that are here asking many people for free anything is just beyond me!
It is just plain rude, I can't believe they actually have been emailing people. I mean I know they have I just am in disbelief it is actually happening.

ms_minnamouse, I am glad you are not going to let a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch....I might like to do a trade with you sometime :D LOL
OMG that is horrible about the grounds people, I would have went on an all out and out rave and someone would be replacing or paying for the damage! That is SO unprofessional!

smokymist, you were one of the friendliest people I knew on here. I am sorry you have had some really bad experiences here. Your right, NO ONE SHOULD BE ASKING FOR SOMEONE TO SEND THEM FREE PLANTS and FOR FREE AS WELL, if they can't afford shipping in my opinion they should not be here, and surely not begging for plants.

I can tell you IF I had plants for postage at the moment, I would tell them flat out, IF YOU CAN'T PAY POSTAGE ASAP DO NOT POST and DO NOT REQUEST THESE OR ANY OTHER PLANTS FROM ME FREE!!!
What is wrong with people now a days?

:( Aqua

Aqua thank you..you are right it is not the Gardenweb of the past. I just received an email from the person I sent the free plants to and she thanked me for them but said they were not in good shape and made a comment on the 'little plants', which hit home. I said in my post, these were small plants, not to mention they sat in that box at my house for an entire extra day waiting on her to pay the shipping. Apparently the post office took two extra days also to get a priority mail box to her. So I don't think she is all that happy. This entire experience has turned me off of offering plants for postage anymore. I think people just expect something for nothing, and that is the way of the world in all things.
I do love to send extras when I do trades, and I have to say that last year I received a surprise box from somebody I have traded with in the past, and it just had a note in it that said ' something said I should send these to you today'...I had been having a very hard week, and that box just made me smile for days...so I will never forget that, and if that opportunity arose for me I'd do the same thing.

ms_minnamouse I have been getting emails like that too, and I think the new people joining just have the totally wrong idea about what this website is all about.

Smokymist I think you are right about what people think this site is for! An your welcome.
Honey, you know you can not please everyone, and there will always be a bitter pill somewhere. I know you have wonderful plants because I HAVE gotten stuff from you before...we were 'friends' I felt at one point in time here.
You told the girl they were small, she is the one who delayed the shipping. If I were you I would just chalk it up to yet another GW experience.
You can't help how long the post office takes to get something to where it is going, this is a chance we all take when we do plants.
People just seem to be so much ruder in general, I guess the economy has gotten to people at least I HOPE that is what it is.
So smile and say 'C'est la vie' or if you are old school 'Sa la vie' dust off your hands an be glad you don't have to deal with some people anymore! lol.

ms_minnamouse that email just goes back to the whole rude thing. It is a shame really GW used to be so much fun there were friendships and fun and well it just isn't the same.
Oh well, such as life I guess...

:) Aqua

I started a thread similar to this a while back. I used to post offers all the time but rarely anymore for all the reasons listed. It just seems to have gotten much worse over the past few years. It's like they are doing you a favor by taking your plants and seeds and even paying for the postage. I guess that I should be honored to send them plants and pay for getting there too.

Most people really are appreciative and very nice but it's the jerks that stand out and there seems to be more and more of them lately. I now compost so many plants and toss seeds that I can't get rid of to people I know. I still occasionally post an offer but usually ask for a trade even though I'm not really looking for one and I never put SASBE/postage in a thread title. It cuts down on the number of people that just jump at any free stuff regardless if they can grow it or not.

If you take a look at my feedback you can see the difference in my activity over the years and less then a quarter of people leave feedback to begin with.

Hi Aqua,
Were you here under a different name in the past? If you saud I didn't see it. I see you are in NC and wondered if we might have met or traded in the past. I am between Shelby and Hickory. Are you antwhere close?
Things have changed so much over the 10 years that I have been here but some things stay the same gardeners are still the best people. I think many of the oldtimers are coming back where for a while I didn't see a name at all. I don't often offer plants for postage but if you can make the drive to my house I promise to send you home with a carload of named plants. I still offer seeds for postage and have really had great responses from most of them. I ask for the actual cost of postage and for them to send the ziplocks for the seeds. I will supply the bubblewrap envie. I got the email 'Do you have any seeds that I can have for free' I responded 'Not at this time' and then received an email offering to trade two seeds from my wants (one new on T&M this year) for tomato seeds. Just too much of a coincidence.
Rambling here I know.

I actually posted a few seed and plant offers for the first time in a while. We'll see how that goes.