I know there are lots of folks who say they have been burned, yet when you do a search on their member name at the Rate and Review forum, you find they never made a review about it.

There are negative reviews there. I have most of the names saved to a folder...just awatchin to see if they resurface and reply to posts. That is why I always encourage folks to ask that members be sure and post to the thread, but can then email me additionally. I am always suspicious of anyone who doesn't post as I ask, even if it is just to say, "Sending you an email."

Try doing a search at R&R for negative, or bad trade and you will see/find several of them. All that come up are not bad traders, so one would have to read the thread.

If I receive in a trade that is maybe ho-hum, I won't do a negative review, as I figure maybe I too have sent what others maybe thought was ho-hum...particularly when I was new, and maybe not as good at packaging stuff.

Sue...resident busy body

I'd just like to make a comment as one who posts "Sending you an email." on the forum.
I do this often. My reason is because in the past when I've listed what I have on the forum when responding to an offer, I've gotten bombarded with people wanting something I listed for postage or with offeres of trades for more common things for the choice things I listed.
Sending them an email keeps me from having to say no thanks over and over again. Others may have different reasons. But this is mine. But I know what you mean. I feel uncomfortable when someone doesn't post on the offer but emails you instead.

The neg reviews are there, There's just more good reviews. Maybe that's why you haven't run across them yet.

Joy

Christine,
I think people are pretty honest on the R&R. Sometimes reviews aren't too specific though. Like someone can be a great seed exchanger and not be so hot at plants. So you could see a "great, prompt trader" but not know what the trade was for. I try to remember to specify if the trade was for plants or seed.
People who refer to getting burned are often referring to the time before the rate and review forum. That forum isn't that old in the history of GW. Before the forum there was no system in place to know who to trade with or not.
I don't ask anyone who has good reviews to send their end first. I saw a post where a person said that anyone responding would have to send their end first and I got turned off by that idea. Maybe though they didn't realize that veteran traders like myself would find it insulting to suggest that. I only ask that of new people that I get an uneasy feeling about. Sometimes, I would actually send my end first to a new person who felt unsure of how to pack. That is what prompted me to to make the photobucket pictorial on how to pack plants.
I always ask for people to post to my offers even if it is just a "Sending you an email." If someone else I know sees a bad trader posting to my post, they can inform me to be cautious about sending anything.
Remy

HI Christine. I haven't done any trading this year except for the past week - but I have done more in the past and I will not send my part first unless the person has good reviews. If not, I ask them if they have any trade references or else I ask they ship their side first. I have never been burned (done about 25 trades over the past 4 yrs). If I was burned, I would have left negative feedback so no one else who get burned.

I am searching for a person and I am not afraid to mention the name because I want to know what has happened. I sent out a nice box a week ago and have not received anything or have heard of anything yet. In case your out the Jenn Hill what has happened to you? Did you get sick? Has there be an emergency? Please I would like to know. If I don't hear from you I will diffenently use the rate & review.

What no one has mentioned in this thread is that in the past if you said something negative about a persn, you were kicked out of Garden Web. My assumption was that the rate and review was a place to put positive info about trades so there was "proof" that a trader followed through. Old timers like me that have been trading for 10 years or so may be going by those rules? I haven't participated much in the exhanges these last couple of years because I had more plants than I had garden space, largely due to trading on line and locally, so maybe I am just out of the loop. I'll go to the FAQs at rate and review and see what it says....

Another thing you can do to check on "bad traders" is a search or their name. There are always posts like "looking for Carol Simons...haven't received your end yet?" or something to that effect. But remember, people who are intentionally scamming are using more than one name and even different computers.

I was once advized "Never trade with an new person something you'd be upest about losing." It's been good advice.

What no one has mentioned in this thread is that in the past if you said something negative about a person, you were kicked out of Garden Web.
That of course was under the old Spiko regime. Members begged him for a rating forum for members, and it was a big NO-NO with him.

I'll go to the FAQs at rate and review and see what it says.
There aren't any FAQ at this time...just the general instructions at the top of the page.

Remy has undertaken the challenge of getting some FAQ together, and input after they are OKed by GW.

There is a thread at The Seed Exchange on the Conversation side.

Well, here ya go....FAQS for Rate & Review Forum, there are None She is asking for input there from everyone.

Yes, there are several negative, or bad reviews at Rate & Review Forum
Just do a search there, using the box found below the list of thread, and put in negative, or bad. You will find several bad traders, as well as a few with mixed reviews.

Sue