Alright, as you all know we're working to put together a snazzy seed swap system here at ATP and while I'm programming it, Trish and I will host a mini swap. Up to 20 participants can play. You'll setup a swap list here and when the time is ready, you'll look at each others lists and pick what you want. Others will pick what you have. You'll mail the seeds to me and we will turn them around and mail back to you the stuff you wanted. You'll send us enough money to cover return postage (I'm thinking $6 for a small flat rate box).

US addresses only.

If you want in on this first swap, please reply to this and say you're in.

I'm in! I'm in! I am way too excited about this! Ready when you are!

Please add me to the list!
Alana

Great! Who else?

I'm in !!
Duane

I'm in

I'm In

I want to add that by participating in this first swap, you'll be making a huge contribution toward deciding how this feature will work, especially the whole trading system.

i would like in

I'm glad to join to contribute to this fantastic feature. (although I was going to take this year off from seed trading. Right!)

I'm curious, exactly what kind of swap is this? Will people just be agreeing upon individual seed trades and sending them to you to save on shipping or is this something else? I've participated in multi-trader swaps of very different styles so I know that there are a lot of options. It's just not clear to me at the moment which type this is.

Thanks much!

My thinking (and anyone can please correct me if I'm wrong) but the general concept is that when you join, you look at the lists of all the other participants and pick out what you want. Then others will also be looking at your list and choosing what they want.

When the time comes, you'll be notified by me of what was picked out of your list, and you then pack up those items and mail them to me.

When I get them, I sort them all, and then send back to you the items you requested.

I don't think it'll be an exact "1 for 1" trade but more of an approximation. If you are requesting 20 different seed packets, ideally you would have had a similar amount requested from you from various other members.

Is this the right approach?

If you're still taking sign ups, count me in!

That's basically what I think it is @Dave. Only thing I would add is to put the requester name on the seeds or put them in a marked baggie or envelope. Makes for easier sorting for the host.

I'm in.

A question has occurred to me: What if someone posts their seeds, and no one wants them, or just a few? I've been offering seeds of Begonia grandis from my garden for years, and I plan to do so now, but since by now so many gardeners around here have them and plants from them, I'm not expecting them to be a major attraction right now.

Soooo - could we have a bit larger lag in time between when our lists are made public and when our seeds are due? Ideally, our lists would include wishes as well as haves, and there would be enough time to clean a few more seeds and/or to order a bulk pack of seeds or two in response to someone's wishes. jlhudsonseeds.net usually ships within a week, and GeoSeeds, using the phone number that you google to order their print catalog, usually ships within a week from a phoned order, as well.

Hopefully, this idea would remedy situations where someone's have list doesn't get any (or many) bites.

Just a thought - this guinea pig will be happy with however this swap turns out:)

We have ten people signed up so far, if I'm counting right. We have room for 10 more.

Bluespiral said:What if someone posts their seeds, and no one wants them, or just a few?

I've thought about this scenario, and the only fair way to do this is that if nobody selects any of your seeds, then you can't get any from other people. The participants have to have things that other people want in order to swap.

If you can get 10 packets "spoken for" then you will be allowed to select somewhere around 10 packets for yourself.

There will be a multi-step process to this.

First, you'll go through all the lists, and select the ones that you'd "like to have".

Then once that period is over, we can see who all has had their seeds requested. Then we confirm with each member which ones they will for sure get, and which ones for sure they'll be sending. It is at that phase where, if you haven't gotten enough people to want your seeds, then you may be disappointed. The burden will be on each gardener to put up seeds that will be attractive to others.

I think Bluespiral has a point that we need to have someplace on the swap list for wishes.

I have more seeds than any normal person should ever have. Especially someone with a tiny yard. So I'd be overjoyed to give more seed than I get! I need the room! Even if they didn't have anything I wanted I'd be happy to gift them some seeds.

Most people in the city buy plants for their gardens so I can't even give seeds away.

Count me in.

In the swaps I have done there is usually one chat thread so people can ask questions , show photos , or maybe post a wish list .
The problem is it can be rather time consuming to keep up, especially for the swap leader
As long as it is just ''chat '' and all the real trading goes on in a trade only thread , there may be no need for the Leader to keep up with chat

I am easy to please and look forward to how ever this goes just for the fun of it

This swap is shaping up to be a bit different, and I think that's just fine. That makes it interesting.
Curious about this aspect: if trader A lists 3 packs of Penstemon digitalis and 4 players request those seeds, how will it be determined which traders get the packets if all other factors are equal? Divide the packs further? First come, first served? Draw straws?

Or, have participants put their list of requested seeds in order of preference and devise a metric to mete them out that way?