Plant Handoffs

Passing a plant on with RareDex

A Plant Handoff is more than giving up a plant. It lets the next caretaker follow the photos, growing conditions, changes, and notes collected from the day the plant came home.

When a handoff is completed, the plant profile, records, photos, and history move to the next caretaker's MyDex. The previous caretaker can still find it under plants they once cared for.

Who is responsible for the transaction

Any sale or transfer agreement is made directly between the current owner and the next caretaker. RareDex provides tools for records, selection, payment coordination, shipping and delivery confirmation, and ownership changes. RareDex is not the seller, buyer, carrier, or plant inspector.

The owner must confirm that the plant may legally be passed on, obtain any required permissions, and describe its condition and total cost accurately. The next caretaker must review the photos, records, description, shipping terms, and the possibility that a living plant may change in transit.

Plant Handoffs are currently for individuals passing on plants they personally own. They may not be used for repeated resale of purchased plants or for commercial inventory sales.

Plants that cannot be handed off

A plant cannot be listed if its transfer, sale, advertising, cultivation, possession, transport, or propagation would violate applicable law or another party's rights. This includes protected species, designated invasive species, protected cultivars propagated without authorization, items subject to import or export restrictions, and stolen property. Restrictions may apply even when no money changes hands.

What happens to earlier records

Records created before a handoff are part of the plant's history. After the handoff, they are preserved and generally cannot be edited or deleted by users.

This helps preserve the plant's provenance and changes in condition in a calm, trustworthy way.

How a Plant Handoff works

• The owner reviews the plant's condition and records, then opens it for handoff.
• Interested caretakers send a request from the plant page.
• The owner selects the next caretaker and both parties move through the required checks.
• Shipping details, delivery confirmation, and a final review are completed before ownership changes.

Who can open a handoff

Only caretakers who have built a meaningful record of their time with a plant can open a handoff.

• The account must be at least 30 days old.
• The account must include at least 20 records with photos.
• The plant must have a record from within the past month.

These requirements discourage short-lived listings and give the next caretaker enough history to understand the plant's condition and journey.

Shipping and delivery confirmation

Handoffs are completed by shipping only. RareDex distinguishes between tracked services for plants and untracked mail that may be appropriate for small items such as seeds.

The owner must ship within three days after payment is confirmed. If shipping details are not recorded by the deadline, the handoff will be canceled.

The next caretaker's delivery confirmation is the primary signal that a plant arrived. A tracking number can be recorded when the shipping service provides one.

Total cost and RareDex fee

Each handoff page and confirmation screen shows one total that includes shipping.

The owner must set a total that covers the shipping method and packaging, so the next caretaker is not charged additional shipping. RareDex does not add a separate fee for the selected caretaker.

RareDex charges the owner a service fee equal to 10% of the handoff total.

Payment and RareDex review

The selected caretaker continues to Stripe from RareDex. RareDex tracks only an internal reference and the handoff status; shipping details themselves are not stored in the RareDex database.

Payment confirmation does not complete the handoff, change ownership, or update the Plant Passport. Those changes occur only after shipping, delivery confirmation, and any required review period.

How personal information is handled

RareDex is designed not to store the recipient's name, address, or phone number in the RareDex database.

Shipping information is collected through standard fields provided by the payment service and is not retained by RareDex beyond what is necessary.

Before you proceed

Follow the instructions on each screen when opening a handoff, sending or selecting a request, completing Stripe steps, shipping, confirming delivery, and completing the final review. Payment confirmation alone does not change ownership or update the Plant Passport; those changes occur after final confirmation.