PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEE.............
use bubble wrap or some kind of decent protection when you mail out seeds to another person. Even a few napkins go a long way. Trading is on both ends and it's not fair that one trader ends up with crushed/damaged seeds because the other trader didn't use anything to protect the seeds when they were packaged. Trading seeds means that you will most likely have to pay $.45 at a minimum to mail out a basic envelope with some padding inside. Everyone starts somewhere and is a newbie at one time, so please think when you are packaging your seeds that the receiver is hoping to add to their garden....and crushed seeds just don't work. Thanks :)
Trish
Reminder for seed senders....
Perhaps maybe..somehow.. this post could remain on the first page as people new to trading will know the appropriate method of sending seeds thru the mail. As obvious as it might seem to use bubblewrap, people who have never mailed seeds just wouldnt think of it. I am sure whoever mailed you unprotected seeds feels badly about the damaged seeds and if the above saves another from feeling badly (on both sides of the trade) then it might be worth the "reserved" space.
Just a thought
janice
Trish,
I am so happy to see your post on this subject. I agree with Janice, it would be a good idea to keep this noted as a reference for folks new to trading. We are all new at some time and I completely understand when someone sends seed unprotected when they are new to trading. Sometimes if I can tell someone is new I will hint , "I'll have your seeds bubble wrapped with .45 postage and hand canceled at my post office tomorrow". Many pick up on that. Otherwise, I politely write and explain when I receive seeds unprotected and have received many thanks for doing so. My complaint is with those who have been trading for some time, I know because I've traded with them before and they continue to send seeds unprotected. I have started placing on my posts on GW to please offer the courtesy of protecting the seeds with some form of "cushioning" and mail with a .45 stamp as I will do the same. Over half the seeds I received, even with that noted, arrive with .34 postage and many with no protection.....argh!
It's very frustrating, yet my feeling are that no seeds are worth hard feelings and discontent, they are only seeds.
As for those who continue to send unprotected seeds repeatedly, I've begun a list so I can either address this if we happen to trade again or just not choose to trade with them. They're nice folks, they just need to "get with it" :)
Just my two-cents!
Casey..I completely agree.
Minnie..good point.
I only posted the above to remind traders about the importance of some seed protection when putting them through the mail. I understand that new traders may not know to protect seeds at first, therefore, any helpful advice should encourage them to trade in the correct manner. Only with experience do traders become better traders.
There are always some experienced people, though, who trade the "cheap route" and try to get by through sending seeds unprotected with $.34 postage. These people should know better but since their choice is to risk the seeds, my choice is to not trade with them any longer. I don't hold any grudges, since good traders always outweigh the bad and make up for it in generosity. My garden is becoming the oasis that I seek due to the kindness of good traders and their generous hearts. This kindness is always contagious..so let's smile onward and trade well :)
Trish
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one for whom this is an issue.
Got to the point where I've been taken to task for constantly reminding people about cushioning---to the point where I've even been accused of having a "holier than thou" attitude for posting such reminders.
I always assume, the first time I get a badly packaged trade, or an SASE that is not padded one way or another, that the sender is new, and let him/her know what most of us expect. If I continue getting bad packaging from that person (or, in some cases, nasty notes asking who do I think I am to offer them tips) then I remove them from my trading partners list.
99.99999999999% of seed traders do things right, or are willing to learn what the right ways are. Life's too short to bother with the slim minority who don't care, or who have an attitude.
Trish, as a newcomer to this site (and seeds in general) the infomation is needed!!! I would hate to damage someone's seeds! (But now I know better!!) I found out on a earlier posting how to SASE & pad envelopes. Very Helpful!
Julie
I always use a padded envelope, and so do most of the people I trade with. I've only ever bought one, and that was to wrap a book I sent. I cut it to size and made two small ones for seed trading with the leftovers. Most of the envelopes I get have been used for several trades already. I don't know about the postal regulations in the US, but here they seem very flexible, so if I have a lot of seeds, I make a small box. I use the box that holds four or five ice-cream bars, cut it in half and fold it inside out. It's small enough to fit in the post box and it doesn't cost any more than an envelope. The only problem (!) is that I have to eat so many ice creams!
Well, I appreciate the advice. I have only swapped one time last year from another site, and that person didn't pad so I didn't either then. I had noticed since I have some trades in process, that some mentioned bubble wrap, etc. I had wondered if that wasn't more than necessary(not knowing any better), but I guess not. See, I'm new to this and didn't realize seeds would get crushed in the mailing process. This really does need to be posted somewhere on the trading pages so new folks will know about it before they send seeds. Thanks
I've been trading a couple of years now and have only received a few unprotected seeds trades, however, I was able to salvage enough of the seeds to plant.
What I have noticed most as the seed trades came in was the amount on padding used. I received a business size envelope last week, and the seed packet only was wrapped in bubblewrap,it had shifted to one end of the envelope...guess what? It went through the machines (bar-coded) and the seeds were crushed. (Not from a Dave's trader tho).
Since I am spending 45¢ for postage, I make the envelope nice and FAT with bubblewrap from one end to the other and tape it closed so the seeds will be safe. As far as I know, no one has received crushed seeds from me.
Any more ideas for safe seed sending?
Jean
That's one of the reasons I only use padded envelopes. They're a lot more convenient than bubble wrap, and protect fully. And they do not go through the mail rollers.
Although they seem more expensive at first they're really not, because they get reused by almost everybody. I have some on my shelf right now, for instance, that have been used seven and eight times.
Matter of fact, I started this trading season with ten new ones (only because I've started to do a lot of overseas trading) and I have 19 envelopes on the shelf right now.
BTW, to facilitate reuse, savvy traders do not use the gum on the envelope flaps to seal them. Just a strip of tape. Once that is slit, the envelope pops right open with no damage.
I also take the seed packages to the PO and have them hand cancel. I know they say the thick envelopes don't go through the rollers, but I don't believe much of anything the PO tells me. So hand cancelling is just an added layer of protection.
Since going to this system, I haven't had any complaints. Unlike my first trading year, when I hadn't a clue what I was doing.
Thanks, Trish. Maybe it would be helpful to post a few reminders somewhere on just the trading forums about the best way to send seeds. I just tried to start some seeds yesterday from a trade that Dave did, and all of the seeds were crushed. Out of all of the new flowers I'm growing this year, these were the ones that Dave was most looking forward to. Poor guy!
There will be newbie traders on DG, just like on other sites. I'm all for educating them. That way, we all win.
Trish
I'm thinking of sending my trades in the 3 1/2" floppy disk mailers. I can get them pretty cheap through work, and people can reuse them over and over. They have a nice layer of protection in them, and since they are for floppy disks, the post office tends to handle them a little bit better. I'm gonna try it with my next trade, and we'll see how it goes!
HI Nepthys,
That's a great idea! I used them to send seeds to other countries and they worked very well. Those disc covers give the extra protection when you are mailing internationally and you want to be sure nothing gets crushed. For USA mail, though, I use the legal-sized envelopes with bubble wrap or foam insulation (it comes in rolls at Home Depot). It really depends on the types of seeds I am mailing and their destination for the choice of the mailer and padding. People get really creative and you see all sorts of nifty stuff when you've been trading awhile. Keep up the good suggestions!
Trish
I started seed trading for the first time this January. I have received envelopes bearing 45-cent stamps that were run through the postal sorting machines. The seeds were fine, so I didn't say anything to the trader, BUT if there's any way you can get to a post office, PLEASE DO! If we're paying extra for hand cancellation, we should receive that service.
is the extra postage for the weight or for the hand canceling.??so much to learn and so little time..
Gee, I really appreciate learning about mailing the seeds..
My husband usually goes to the post office and gets my envelope hand stamped so as to protect the seeds., I didn't know about mailing them in bubble wrap until I read Trish's
input....Thanx Trish
Hi,
I'm very new to seed trading and one of the first envelopes of seeds that I rec'd had NOTHING in it except crushed seeds! Don't know if any are good enuf to plant, but I will try. When I send out my seed trades, however, if anything I pad it too much!!!
I also write in red, big letters HAND CANCEL and put stars all around it. I figure that may catch the postal service workers attention and every little bit helps.
Hope this helps any other newbies. I would rather pay the extra and know that the seeds I send arrive as seeds rather than dust.
Lori :)
Eiro..
The extra postage is for the extra WIDTH of the envelope.. YOU WANT THIS. If your seeds are heavier, there is an additional weight charge but usually the $.45 covers basic seeds with basic padding. My padding can sometimes get to be 2 inches thick but is very light, so most of my seeds get within the $.45 seed-sending rate. When you pad your seeds, not only is it protecting the seeds but it supposedly keeps the envelope out of the automatice mail sorters (READ: seed crushers). BTW..I received another envelope with seeds that were crushed beyond use, however, it was a new trader and I accept that it was a learning experience for the sender :)
Trish
Wow. I must be the very lucky exception to the rule. I have done in excess of 80 trades my first year and all of my seeds have arrived in perfect condition. They've been wrapped in napkins, paper towels, bubble wrap, you name it. As long as they arrive, I've been thrilled!
I've had a couple of envelopes (during the holidays) that came completed multilated, but through no fault of the senders.
Have I just been lucky? Is it typically the larger, hard shelled seeds that arrive mutilated?
Bonnierh,
Although larger, hard shelled seeds are more suseptible to damage, all seeds can be hurt by the automatic machinery. The PO uses rollers to move the envelope, so it combines weight with friction. Basically, this is _exactly_ how a grain mill works. The only difference is that a mill uses stone rollers, and the PO uses rubber ones.
Thus, even lightweight, flat seeds like those from tomatoes and peppers can turn into so much flour.
I'd say you've been very lucky.
Dicentra: The postal surcharge is not just for width. It applies to any "oversized" envelope. Most usually, so far as the PO is concerned, this means thicker than usual (there is a precise measurement, but I forget what it is, offhand), as well as non-standard width or length.
The theory is that these objects require hand-stamping. But don't count on it happening unless you bring it to the PO and have it hand-stamped at the window. That word came to me directly from the clerks at my local post office.