Thanks, DogsNDaylilies, I added the [ / u ] that was missing.
I think you're right that AS TIME PASSES , we'll learn more about what each swap needs, for rules, and what universal rules are needed, and software features to tweak or request.
My thinking is that offering and making available is (in this Beta Swap) the "promise". Or maybe the things you list as "available" just before the swap starts officially. Those, if anyone requests them, we promised to have available and mailed out by whatever date.
The ones not requested, each trader will keep (unless some host sets up a "Bottom of the Barrel" phase for junk-seed-sharing).
Or some themed swap might declare in it's rules some category like "donate seeds to XYZ good cause", and then traders could choose to send any left-over offerings or unlisted-re-traded-whatevers to that cause. Or brand-new seeds, collected fresh this year!
I would volunteer to print up and cut up hundreds of small slips like "Gift from Dave's Swaps" to be inserted into all such resealable pkts, with the ATP Seed-Swap URL, the name of the themed swap and host, and maybe some polite version of "we know these may be old and the ID may be illegible, ambiguous or dubious, but we hope you'll get some nice plants from them. You can always trade for FRESHER seeds here" and list the URL.
Or is that too-blatent proselytizing?
I have some deep-rooted desire to pimp my seeds. And encourage others to do so!
