I've got a lot of my plants added to 'my plant list' on here, with some marked available for trade but I can't figure out how to search for plants available for trading in other people's lists. I can't figure out how to look at mine by which are marked available to trade either. Is this possible? What am I missing?

Thanks!

Hi Tiffany.
I see on your plant list that it shows the plants you can use for a trade.
If you have a specific plant you are looking for, just look it up in the database and it will show anyone that has it, or wants it.
As in this one. There are 8 people that have this plant, and one that wants it.
Ghost Plant (XGraptosedum 'Ghosty')

When you look at someone else's Plant Lists, check "View Only: Have". At least then you know they do have them. If they set up categories, there will be a list of categories on the far-right. Hope they made one category for "willing to trade".

Alternatively, check out these forums frequently, looking for Want Posts or Offer posts:
Plant and Seed Trading
Co-ops, Group Buys and Classifieds

You can post lists in Plant and Seed Trading of what you offer, and what you are looking for.

I like to keep easily edited, hopefully searchable lists somewhere, and then keep a link to hem in my signature block.

When you go into the Plant Database and list a plant variety that you WANT, other people who look at that plant in the database will see your name as "Wanting" it. They may contact you.

You can make you lists more "trade-friendly" by creating multiple categories. One such category could be "Plants available for trading" or "Seeds available for trading".

Then also make a category for "Plants I WANT to trade for", or "Plants I REALLY Want a lot".

Then when people look at your list, they can click on a "category" on the far-right, instead of the "Have, Want, and "Used To Have" check-boxes over on the left.

For example, I have these categories:

Thanks for the replies!

If I click on "lists" at the top, there's people who have a list. I've poked around it a few times. If I click on someone with a few hundred plants, I have to scroll through all of the ones they have to find those available for trades, I think? And I don't know until I scroll through all of them how many are marked available for trade?

Trades of one or 2 things at a time are fine, I'll do those sometimes, but exchanging boxes with a dozen or more things is much more economical and fun. I feel like I'm missing something here, haven't been able to drum up those kinds of trades which I was attributing to my failure to find trade lists. If I'm trying to do something that doesn't exist, maybe it could be considered?

I could make a separate list of my plants available for trade, but that still limits me from 'shopping,' for finding stuff in return, with any possible trader who hasn't done the same. As a user, it would be easier to be able to sort people's lists that way but I know somebody would have to do the work of adding that to the page. The checkbox is already there to be used this way.

Thanks for reading and any possible consideration given to this idea!
- Tiffany

Tiffany, you may want to check out the Plant and Seed Trading forum. I don't do much trading other than locally exchanging plants now and again, but I know there is the option when adding an entry to your list to mark each plant as available to trade or wanted, so I assume there is a way to use those to sort with or search by. You may want to repost in that forum, or perhaps just look through the existing posts for tips and tricks. Good luck.

Maybe @Dave would consider adding another check-off option. At the top of everyone's list is "View only" where you can select from Have, Want, Used to Have. Maybe another field that would work for finding plants that someone has available besides the Have would 'Available to Trade' or something along those lines.

I looked into the feasibility of that and it's not a simple thing but I agree that we need some tool to make it easier to drill down and find those trading opportunities. Let me mull this over a bit.

Great idea Sue.

I like that idea, Sue. And what the "heck" have you done to your avatar?

Cross posted with you Dave. Can't wait to see what you come up with.

woofie said:And what the "heck" have you done to your avatar?

@woofie, LOL, well, we just posted my beloved Jeep a couple of days ago on Craigslist, (it sold last night ) and I was finding photos for the posting and came across this shot of me, one of many fun trips with that vehicle! Lots of good memories.

I hope it's something you can do Dave. I wanted something that stood out from my inventory lists so I made separate Trade and Wish list categories but I always thought those options should really be a consistent feature available to all members

>> Maybe Dave would consider adding another check-off option. At the top of everyone's list is "View only" where you can select from Have, Want, Used to Have.

Sue said it before I could. Either a subset of "Have", or an alternative.

>> If I click on someone with a few hundred plants, I have to scroll through all of the ones they have to find those available for trades,

I think that's correct, unless they have created "Categories" that specify "available for trade".

Fo some reason, there seems to be relatively little interest in seed trading here at ATP. More people seem into trading plants.


>> but exchanging boxes with a dozen or more things is much more economical and fun.

I strongly, strongly agree!


Anyone intrested in trading could create a category "Available to Trade". But, spot-checking, I don't see any of those.

Maybe search forums or ideas for fairly specific terms describing plants you're eager to find. Then post on those threads "I'm looking for XYZ and have ABC to trade". Then a "match" may stumble onto your request/offer, or someone who knows someone may draw their attention to it.

Maybe one of our Months or Weeks could be "ATP Plant Trading Week".

There already is a checkbox for "Available for Trade" and it is built in to the system. Making it accessible for browsing in a convenient and non-confusing way is the challenge.

Thanks for the helpful inputs!

Thanks for considering this feature, and any efforts made to make this possible. I sincerely appreciate it!
- Tiffany

Don't worry Tiffany, Dave is on the job & once he sinks his teeth into something, he never gives up. He'll figure it out & we'll end up with the easiest to operate, best darn trade list on the internet. You can count on it.