can you trust swapping

[hawthorns]

i have a warning for swappers of seeds. make sure you recieve your seeds before you send some back. its all done on good faith but i have just been stung twice by the same person. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. i wont be doing it again. if you want to know who the culprit then pm me

[lainey lou]

i have a warning for swappers of seeds. make sure you recieve your seeds before you send some back. its all done on good faith but i have just been stung twice by the same person. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. i wont be doing it again. if you want to know who the culprit then pm me

I,ve had this problem too Hawthorns. If you need any seeds at all check with me cause I,m just up the road from you and could drop any off. Having said that I am away after today for a week or so but if there is anything you want pm me and I'll see if I have it!!!

[Seahorse]

i have a warning for swappers of seeds. make sure you recieve your seeds before you send some back.

But if everyone did that...

I'm sorry you've been let down hawthorns but I guess the bottom line is that no-one should send anything they're not prepared to 'lose', either through dishonesty, unreliability, unforseen difficulties or postal problems etc.

The vast majority of swaps here go very well!

[hawthorns]

once you can blame on the post etc but not twice

[Kristen]

On the strength of Cloud sending me some leeks (which are looking great, thanks Cloud) and point blank refusing to take anything in return I sent off plants and seeds to a number of people, only one of whom bothered to say thank you and acknowledge receipt without prompting, and one person has still not responded despite me asking if plants were received. Not sure how keen I will be to bother in future ... bit sad really.

[Alice]

What a sad thread. I know it's a seed swap BUT I only enter into it if I'm pepared to just give the seeds with nothing in return. One way or another I've always found I get back twice what I've ever given.
Thank you to the Grapes who have sent me great seeds. You know who you are.

[smallblueplanet]

Its sad to be let down by people, especially over something we all profess to love so much.

But to not swap, well thats even worse. Thanks to everyone I've ever swapped with. You know who you are!!!!

[lynda66]

I'm apologising now ...... not for any of the above (well i hope not anyway) i've got some seeds still to send out, i haven't forgotten, i just haven't been able to get to the post office and all the ones I've received off have been sent........ though regarding royal mail, in the last month, there have been 6 or 7 packages that i've either sent, or had sent to me, that have not arrived ....... and when i look at the amount of mail i get that's not mine is unbelievable ....... at one time you used to take an aptitude test to be a postie, i'm guessing they don't any more, or they have dumbed it down to allow anyone to deliver mail ..... yes mine is a rant at royal mail, who have today smashed beyond all recognition, a new grow lamp, sent by special care special delivery ....... grrrrrrr ROYAL MAIL SUCK.

[shirlthegirl43]

Hawthorns, sorry to read of your disappointment. Hope I am not guilty of promising you anything I haven't sent - I have such a rubbish memory that if I have promised anything, let me know and I will kick myself and send it. I know I have seeds to send to 2 people who I have received stuff from and I am hoping to be organised enough to remember to do that today.

(bloomin ME/CFS scrambling what used to be a working brain)

[danmon_81]

Received mine....sent mine and received....Pak Choi in the ground and growing!!!
cheers Stacey Steve

[Flummery]

I usually just offer to send seed without anything in return (although lots of people then offer something so tempting ..!) I have had so many wonderful free seeds, no SAE asked for, from you lovely people - and again, you all know who you are - that I am happy to send out stuff free to others. What goes around comes around.

[lainey lou]

I,ve had this problem too Hawthorns. If you need any seeds at all check with me cause I,m just up the road from you and could drop any off. Having said that I am away after today for a week or so but if there is anything you want pm me and I'll see if I have it!!!

Having said I have had this problem, I just want to say I have had some lovely swaps too and some generous gifts from folk who would take nothing in return, Bazzaboy sent me a fab fig that's doing great and I even got some ovaltine chocolate from the scaries and a tube full of goodies from Haywayne. So It's not all bad, just a bit disappointing when folk let you down.

[amandaandherveg]

I've had some lovely swaps too, some of the best things growing in my garden are courtesy of other grapes.

I too swap things that I no longer need or want so no big loss if I receve nothing in return. I've sent out 8 swaps in the last couple of weeks but received only 3 in return, but it won't put me off doing it again. Having said that, I get all confused when I have a bunch of swaps going on at the same time, must get more organised.

I hope you received your Italian Leaf from me Hawthorns, would hate to think I was a bad swapper. When the rain stops (fingers crossed) I plan to sow your broccoli seeds.

[HeyWayne]

I have the memory a goldfish would be ashamed of and am often forgetting simple things. That said, if I say I'm going to do something I will ensure that I do - even if it's a bit later than anticipated. If it is late, I will ensure that I make up for it with "extras".

Sorry to hear of the disappointments people have experienced on here, but in my opinion The Grapevine hosts some of the most generous people imaginable. I have little to give in terms of experience let alone seeds/plants, but it hasn't stopped a number of people being very generous in my direction.

[quark1]

This is always a shame to read of disappointments such as this. I seem to get mail only around 3 times per week - with the postie doing my street on 'overtime' at around 3pm one day. I'm sure the PO is constructively reducing some daily services by stealth so we don't notice.

I have recently done a big distribution of seed but as I have a large collection of seeds waiting attention I decided that I'd do it 'one-way' with an 'in-the-bank' possibility that if I spotted something unusual on anyone's swap list I'd sent to I'd be able to get something from them in the future. I've had several kind offers of home saved seed which will not be availble until later in the season - which is fine.

We do have to rely on people's honesty and goodwill and the sporadic delivery system. As some have already said - don't send what you can't afford to kiss goodbye to - including the cost of postage. Ask for SAE if only one-way. If you have had a bad experience with an individual then perhaps privately black-ball them on the 3rd ask.


It would be a huge shame if a few individuals who do not play fair put an end to such a wonderful co-operation of spreading heirloom and perhaps developing varieties from our own shared sources. I'm prepared for the odd disappoinment - so long may this seed swap last!

Forgot - so adding - its the not acknowledging arrival or any degree of thankyou/appreciation which gets me more - thats just plain RUDE.