I was sending some trades off this morning and the postal worker asked the usual questions(anything liquid, hazardous, or perishable?) and as usual I answered honestly(yes perishable, but it's just plants and bulbs). Nothing had ever been said until this morning, but she told me the post office could'nt ship plants unless they were from an authorized nursery with USDA approval. Have any of you had this issue? I'm wondering if I should use another method of shipment or be less than honest.
Priority Mail question
Where were you shipping them too? Some states packages can't be sent too.
Hmm, I have never been asked... wonder if that is something new... hope not.
Ive been ask several times! I always say NO NO and NO its just a lil white lie!
They know i ship plants at the post office! ;)
I've never had a problem but I've never tried shipping to CA or FL either. I think they are some of the stricter states that I remember. Did you talk to your postmaster or was it one of the underlings?
I think I will start something new. Inside the package I am going to write a note stating that the plant's roots were washed to remove all soil, roots packed in purchased spaghnum moss, plant stems & leaves washed thoroughly before packing. Perhaps that would help if it were opened.
I actually had a package that had been sent to me opened by the Ag guys, checked then re-sealed and sent on to me......AND in CALIFORNIA of all things! We are a VERY tough state as far as incoming plant materials! I had thought they would have destroyed the plants and read us the riot act (or worse!) but nope. Interesting, huh?
K
Yep - I am asked every time and I say nope. You can try UPS they dont ask but they cost more for most of my small stuff.
I say yes fragile---- and that's ALL - I have no idea of the laws of each state.. soooo I just do what I want- probably wrong I know...
Heather
I have always said yes, perishable. I've even told them it was plants before. This is the first time I've heard of such a restriction, and I've sent a lot of plants by USPS over the years. Guess I'll have to do some research.
I always get asked if there is anything perishable, at the post office. I tell em yep, plants. The clerk writes perishable on the box and sends it on its merry way.
KY lady, same w/ me. I thought I was important to say there's plants there so the pkg doesn't sit around longer than it needs to.
I've never had a problem before, although a few of the clerks are overly nosy about the contents in my opinion. Some have actually asked what was inside, which is really none of their business as long as it isn't any of the hazardous, toxic, or liquid things.
Most of them know what I mail already though and just get out the perishable stamp when they see me coming hehe.
I'm in Florida and haven't had any problem getting plants in or out. I just answer no to all the questions. Never had one not go through yet.
I mail-out plants here in Fort Pierce, Fl. Never had a problem.Last week , lady asked me about the contents. I told her "live plants". She didn't have a stamp for that, but she did stamp the package in several places with "Fragile".
I was sending boxes to Georgia and Maryland. I had already figured sending to California may be a problem, but that caught me by suprise yesterday. The lady at the post office was really nice about it and kept trying to find a loophole so we could go ahead and ship(I think maybe she was giving me an oppertunity to tell a white lie), like "if you bought them from a nursery or Lowes and are reselling them I can go ahead and ship"but I kept answering honestly(stupid me!). She even took my name and # and did some more checking and called me back and was very apologetic.
I'm going to check into Fedex ground; Kathy_ann says they're much cheaper for bigger boxes. Thanks for everyone's input.
HHmm, I write Fragile-Live plants on most of my boxes. My PO people know I wash everything off and what not, But I have never been told I couldnt ship plants. Im trying to remmeber if Ive sent anything to CA. I know for a fact Ive sent stuff to Fl and I never even got a second look. They ask the same questions every time but if I havnt written on the box already they stamp it for me.
Neal,
Take your package to a different post office and dont sweat it.
If you know there is nothing harmful in your package and you are not mailing illegal plants, just go with it.
I always say Fragile so the priority mail postal elephant wont sit on it but I NEVER tell them it is plants inside. Its just one of those rules that I dont feel guilty about breaking.
:)
I have told the P.O. fragile, perishable and I have sent some out with "live plants" written on the outside too. Hope they aren't changing the rules or I'll have to start fibbing.
I never have problems..even sending Plants over seas....They do ask the question everytime. I either say plants or no.
I've shipped from Florida to California with no problems. I wash all the soil off the roots as well as possible. I just don't "advertise" what's in the box.
Jan...
I get the same question.. I always answers no... how do you define "perishable" anyway ? I guess techically anthing is "perishable" so you can to some extend use your own judgement. If you compare to avacadoes, cutflowers, or strawberries then a rooted rose cutting or an iris all of a sudden seem pretty darn hardy or "durable".
You are allowed to mail a slice of pound cake, and eventually that is "perishable" too.
I accidentally packed some cannas in a "one rate" box and they didn't weigh much so I asked for a new box to repack them. She saw they were plants, and dirty too (I leave the dirt on) and she said looked like perishables, asked if they were. I said, "well, they are cannas so it would take alot for them to perish!" she stamped it and sent it on it's way.
Michelle
One of the upper level employees knew that I was sending you the potatoes Witch, and he didn't care, although he's one of the too nosy ones I mentioned in my other post in this thread lol.
MY post master knows i ship plants, that is the only thing I ever do ship LOL he let's me know not to pay extra for insurance because the post office will not pay for them if lost or damaged ....but never askes me about a phyto or anything and i have shipped to Ca and every where.
I sent a plant to Canada today and even wrote on the box what was inside, no problems here.
Indigoez,
The potatoes are doing great! I see them coming up!
Michelle
I try to always tell the truth. If you're caught in a lie, it's a federal offense with a big fine, possibly jail time. Are plants worth that? Not to me!
I'm friendly with the postal workers. In fact, they are planning on coming to my plant swap in May, along with my mailman. They know there are plants in my boxes and the only time I have a problem is with shipping out of the country or shipping to Hawaii. I also sell plants for a living, so I'm at the p.o. several times a week. It just wouldn't pay for me to lie just to mail some plants. I figure they have rules for a reason, whether I understand the rules or not. But in shipping to any other states, I've had no problem. There are a few plants I can't ship to CA, GA, TX, LA, FL, and AZ. So I abide by those rules and I don't ship those plants.
Gemini, I do believe your p.o. is wrong, unless you were shipping what is termed "noxious weeds" to any of the states I listed above. Parts of CA are under quarantine and can't accept plants at all, from my understanding. But you should be free to ship plants anywhere else. Maybe you could start printing the postage on your computer and have your mailman pick up your packages.
Fed X Ground is A LOT cheaper on bigger boxes. I use them a lot. I believe, if you ship a lot thru them, you can set up an account online and get a small discount on your shipping if you do a certain amount each month.
NancyAnn
Sometimes I say yes, some times I say no. It keeps them on their toes. Just kidding. It depends on which postal worker and which post office I go to. My favorite PO has a super nice lady and I always tell her the truth. Infact, she's told me about another woman in the area that sends plants all over the place for ids, testing, etc but privately.
There are 3 other tiny post offices in my county for little communities that don't even have a stoplight, and I've been using them the last few weeks. Some of the boxes I've used were from trades I recieved and have 'live plants' written on the box and I have had no further problems.
The lady at the main post office did bring out a big manual of detailed info, and showed me the section on shipping plants, and it was pretty clear that techcnically they are'nt supposed to. I think most PO workers are just unaware of this(it was a huge manual-I'm sure most of them have'nt read the whole thing!). So I'm just going to rely on the uninformed PO workers at the little post offices. I like them better anyway because I usually don't have to wait in line.
I just write FRAGILE on the outside and ive never had a problem.....
my PO here is really nice, they ever move im gonna CRY!!!!!,,,,,,,
they never ask what the contents are....they dont ask, i dont say......
i also wrap my plants roots in damp paper towels and place just the roots in a small plastic baggie....and place them in the box with shredded newspaper....
luv ya
cindy
Oh, I forgot. I usually write "Please don't leave in sun or wet." If they listen, that really helps. I've had plants cooked before.