You read a post heading and if it attracts you then click on it and open it up...Let's see how to make a trade with "Gardener_Jane" "HAVE: Marigolds, cosmos, banana melons, and others seeds." Okay.....you go ahead and click on the link and there's Jane's list and you like a few things on it. Let's see Jane's list.... I have these seeds to trade: ANNUALS: orange marigolds pink cosmos green nicotiana purple balsam PERENNIALS: blue sea holly pale pink halberd-leaved marshmallow black knight butterfly bush orange conflowers unknown vine with white trumpet flowers....nice VEGGIES AND HERBS: Banana melons habanero peppers (Ultra HOT!!) cherry peppers (hot) feverfew SO....you need to reply to the post. Here's some adaptable examples of good replies: Hi Gardener_Jane! I'd like to trade for your marigolds, cosmos, banana melons, and habanero peppers. I've got white zinnias, mixed morning glories, mixed portulaca, and heirloom yellow boy tomatoes. Please let me know if you would like to trade. Thanks, Overall_Jim OR...... Dear GJ, I like your list and I would like to trade for these seeds: marigolds cosmos banana melons habanero peppers Please look at my trade list on my member page. I hope we can trade.....let me know. Thanks, Overall_Jim Those post replies are very clear. Jim tells Jane exactly what he wants to trade for. Jane likes that, she's a busy person. She doesn't have to take the time to send extra emails and she can make her trades quickly and easily.

Occasionally trades go wrong, but that's very rare. If it happens you handle it in private emails with one or two letters (no public cussin' or "naming names" is allowed on the seed exchange). Eventually you get your seeds. If you don't then "so what".....it's just seeds...not sport cars or mortgages. It isn't worth getting aggravated over. Don't ever take a failed trade personally. More than likely the seeds got lost in the mail, a responsible trader will offer to replace them and send another set to you. Sometimes, sadly, a trade doesn't arrive because the trader on the other side may suddenly be having a brutal time with life and that awful distraction can be enough to drive a trade out of one's head....the responsibility of the trade could be insignificant to the agonizing matters at hand. So if you do ever have a trade that doesn't work out please be very-VERY kind to the other trader when you write that the seeds haven't arrived yet. Send one reminder email...wait a couple of weeks before sending another one if it's needed, then be just as kind as you were in the first one. After that DO NOT send another reminder. Just let it slide if the seeds never arrive. The vast majority of traders are extremely generous and in just a month of trading you'll have more seeds than you know what to do with.

After exchanging addresses you can mail your seeds. The seed packs are carefully wrapped with bubblewrap and placed in an envelope or you can use a padded mailer to send them. You need to cushion them in fat packaging so they don't go through the PO's automatic mail sorting machines. Always make sure that your email address is included with the seeds. If the trader needs to contact you later on the email address is right there for them to use. Always write your return mailing address on the outside of the envelope. The post offive will charge a bit more for mailing a fat letter, it is because the letter gets out-sorted into "hand-mail". It's too fat to go through their high-speed mail sorters. The width should always be over a 1/4" thick to keep a letter out of the mail-sorters because these high speed machines can crush the seeds to powder. It's courteous to let your trader know when their seeds will be on the way. If you've promised to mail on Monday, but something happened to delay that then email the trader to let them know when the seeds will be mailed...and keep that date! A good trader is a responsible trader. Good traders use bubblewrap or padded mailers to assure that the seeds are not crushed during their trip through the mail.

"I don't know the botanical names of my seeds, what should I do?" Just make a well described list, that's all. Here's an example: Blue Bachelor Buttons Pink Cosmos Black-eyed Susans 3' annual plant with pink trumpet flowers, likes sun, very pretty! Yummy Cantaloupes from my Dad's garden Bush Tomato, meaty, sweet, not too acid ===================== That's a nice list!...I'd be happy to trade with you!