I have to agree with heynow5151 and JT...
Play nice with others, and do whatever makes you feel good.
Talking to a number of B/SOTL's at CigarFest, I came away with the realization that it's all about the
"giving".
Some of those crazy bastids just get carried away with their "return fire" .
Case in point... heynow5151 and I did a trade a few months ago. He was looking for some JAVAs. I sent him three, and some other sticks (for a total of ten).
For good measure, I threw in a couple of boxes of TASTYKAKES, (a Philly tradition), because it "made me feel good". I guess it made heynow5151 feel good too, because he sent me back just about EVERYTHING in the Drew Estate "Natural" line. And not just one of each...he sends me two and three of each blend, AND a couple of 5 packs for a total of TWENTY-SEVEN cigars!
(Because it made HIM feel good.)
Sorry...I got off on a tangent, but I saw an opportunity to give a fine BOTL some "props" and I seized the moment.
Now, getting back to your original question, I don't think, IMHO, that the originators of these contests are looking for anything in return. It's all about the "giving", with no return fire expected.
jes