Four days isn't too long. Many things impact how fast a sprout occurs... depth you planted or how compact the soil is etc..
Barring very poor storage practices, 1-2 years is no problem. I just had 100% germ rate (4 for 4) with seeds that are ~5 years old. I made them, so i know for sure when they were produced. Also, i haven't done anything too special with storage .. just in a bag in a desk drawer.