1. Giveaways - most people are grateful but a lot of people give you grief about shipping around their schedule or the plant being smaller, bigger, roots being too big! You name it I have heard it. So my future giveaways will have strict guidelines.
2. Scams - I have gotten scammed from 3 people this year that I can remember. And I'm sure the names would shock you. Not going to admins because tried that and it didn't work. Not looking for someone else to resolve the issue. Simple fix for me is to only trade with the people I trust. Most likely if your not on a first name basis I will be weary.
Stricter Guidelines are the way to go with any sale, trade or give away. I've been buying, selling and trading live animals and plants online for about 15 years. I used to be loose with my terms but I've found that things just go smoother when all the details are covered. Type up some terms, save them and then paste them at the bottom of each sale/trade/giveaway. Once that's done, it's easy and everything goes smooth.
I've also had members forget to notify when they have received a giveaway from me. I do feel that it's polite to let someone know if you've received something for free. Also, I worry about the live plants I send out, and it's nice to know they arrived safe. I've found that if I ask a person to PM me when the package arrives in the last private message AND with a little note in the box, I normally get a "the package arrived" PM.
I do realize, that once I give something away, it's no longer mine. And the person who I give it to can do whatever they want with it. They might stomp on the box once it arrives, they might sell it, they might give it to a friend, they might love it and make it prosper and help spread it by having 100s of giveaways on this forum.
As for ungrateful people who complain about the size of a plant. I tell them that (1) the size was mentioned in the thread. (2) "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth". And (3) if they complain they won't receive anything free from me in the future. At that point, most will realize their mistake and then show their appreciation.
As for trade scams, I am very trusting but I look for a few things. I check how long the person has been on a forum. I check how many posts the person has. If they been on the forum for a shorter time than me, or if they have only a few posts, I make them send first (It's also worth checking what types of posts they make). Once their package arrives, then I'll ship out to them. After I know they are trustworthy, if we trade again, then I'll ship on the same day as they ship. (Do keep in mind, that if you are going to trade with someone else who has more post or years on you, and you haven't traded with them, you must be willing to ship first if they ask you to.)
But if something does go wrong, report it. Reports add up and can help identify a "bad egg".
the first post in the "trading" section be an offering, trade or giveaway before you can sign up to receive.
This is problematic because many new members don't have anything to trade. I was fortunate and I had some aquarium plants and fish to offer. Actually, Jcal, you were the first person to trade with me!
What I find on many animal/plant forums, but I do not find here, is a REVIEW SECTION. I think it would do the forum a great deal of good if we had one. That way, we could report the good experiences and the bad for each member we deal with. I have a huge list of positive reviews on other forums, but on here, no one knows it. Am I safe to trade with or not? On this forum, there is no way to tell.
But yes, this is my first and only Carnivorous Plant forum that I'm a member of. I'm still having fun and I hope to continue that!
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