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The Kitchen Table

Plant Trading: determing a fair exchange when items are not the same

10 years ago

If I want to trade one of my extra plants for bulbs or seeds, let say, how do you determine a fair exchange? how many seeds/ per plant? Or how many pair of garden gloves per plant? Anything that is not like for like? Do you try to place a $ value and go from there? Some people feel extremely attached to their plants b/c they remember how hard they worked towards growing them, or they grew them when they were less experience and it seemed a "harder" accomplishment. How do you not offend somebody that wants to trade emotion to $?

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Comments (3)

User
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
I've done over 100 plant trades on Gardenweb's old site. Most of the trades are not fair money wise for the postage each paid, but everyone got what they wanted. Some peoples expectations were not met, they worried while the plants were in transit and they expressed it, but it all worked out. My garden is FULL of things I traded for.

They had a plant exchange and a seed exchange. Garden gloves were not part of the equation.

Now I answer "free" ads on CL. They don't expected anything in return, they're just thinning their garden....rehoming.
sweet_betsy No AL Z7
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
I say just go for it, Bossy, and don't worry so much. I have traded on the Seed and Plant Exchange for about 15 years but not so much anymore. The cost of postage has shut down a lot of the activity as well as the influx of people who are just looking for you to give them free plants. In that 15 years I have only been stiffed a couple of times. More often than not I get more than expected--most gardeners are a generous lot. Since I always include bonus plants with my trade, I don't think that anyone has ever complained about what they got either. Everyday I enjoy something in my garden from a gardener whose name I no longer remember. Trading plants was some of the best fun I have ever had.
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bossyvossy
Original Author
10 years ago
I'm not so much worried about what I get but more worried about being fair, polite and EXPEDIENT. In fact, If I didn't plant another thing in my garden, nobody would notice. Problem is, I get a little impatient when there seems to be a "dance" about who offers what. Usually goes, How many bulbs do you want? answer: I don't know, YOU tell me. It becomes email ping pong. I'm just trying to learn what others do to make it a more efficient process, with "no dancing around issue".

@Betsy, I think I still trade b/c I do like the thought of virtual friends living in my garden. If not, I would've stopped long ago. And you are also right about most people being generous. I'm just trying to get past the "dance".

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