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+---- Forum: Seed swaps (https://gardenandgossip.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=58)
+---- Thread: Alternative Seed swaps! (/showthread.php?tid=1331)
Alternative Seed swaps! - Veggie - 21-11-2021
Vertical Veg (Mark Ridsdill Smith) runs a seed swap on FB.
Has anyone ever joined it or knows how it operates please? I'm curious how it can work!
From what I can gather, you pay some money (£6 +) and you're emailed a spreadsheet on which you list the seeds that you have to swap. All these lists are amalgamated and sent to all swappers who choose the seeds they want from the list. Once the list requests are over, the swapper packs their seeds individually for each requester and sends all the packs to Vertical Veg who shuffles them around and sends them back to the requesters.
My initial thought is what if I only have 10 beans to swap and 20 people want them? Who decides who has the beans and what about the 19 people who won't receive any?
I really can't understand how this swap takes place so, if you know, please tell me.
RE: Alternative Seed swaps! - Small chilli - 21-11-2021
Can’t help, sorry. That sounds very complicated to me
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RE: Alternative Seed swaps! - Veggie - 21-11-2021
It must work in some way as he's been doing it for a while but I can't find any reviews.
RE: Alternative Seed swaps! - Mark_Riga - 22-11-2021
(21-11-2021, 11:03 PM)Veggie Wrote: It must work in some way as he's been doing it for a while but I can't find any reviews.
If you really want to know, you could pay your £6 and find out. Or just ask him.
RE: Alternative Seed swaps! - Veggie - 22-11-2021
But I'd rather ask somebody who has participated as they see it as a user, as I would be.
RE: Alternative Seed swaps! - Veggie - 23-11-2021
For information, I'm also a member of the Cottage Garden Society and they have an annual Seed Swap too.
Members collect seeds and send them to the coordinator in ?October. She lists all the seeds and send the list to members. Members list the 20+ packets they want in order of preference and will receive ?10 of them as there may not be enough seeds for everyone.
There's a team of volunteers who split the seeds into individual packets and they're sent out in January.
RE: Alternative Seed swaps! - Small chilli - 23-11-2021
Big seed swaps like that are just mind blowing!
It took me long enough to get my head round our seed swaps. Mind you, I think that has more to do with me than the seed swap
RE: Alternative Seed swaps! - Veggie - 23-11-2021
There's a group of people who do the bagging and labelling. Maybe putting up the orders too although there's one dedicated lady who handles all the correspondence - receiving incoming seeds and sending them out again at the end............bit like me multiplied by 500.
RE: Alternative Seed swaps! - Vinny - 23-11-2021
Sounds like a scam to me.
What's the £6.00 for? If you are paying six squid you are buying the seeds not swapping them. 
RE: Alternative Seed swaps! - Veggie - 23-11-2021
The £6 is for the P&P and the work entailed in running the swap. It also subsidised others.......and the £6 is the minimum suggested amount - you can give more if you wish.
I'm not really concerned about the cost, more about how it can work and I'm not prepared to throw some money in the hat without knowing.