Just a quick follow up to see if someone in Canada received an airmail envelope from me? It went out Friday so I would think it would have made it by now? I have not received anything in return this time.
What did you get in the Hoya Swap?
Guess what I got! A box arrived this morning from Kelly (kaykay1010) LOADED with cuttings!
Here is what I got:
H. uncinata
H. mindorensis (red)
H. burtoniae
H. brevialata
H. memoria
H. lacunosa var. lacunosa
H. wayetii
AND on top of all that, she sent me the cutest little windchime with moons! Thank you so much Kelly. I am SO excited about the new cuttings and I love the windchime. It's also nice to get a box on Saturday when the DH is home and be able to tell him, "I didn't pay for these, I got them in a swap!" (I'm not sure he was convinced) Have a great day, I hope all is well with you, and God bless. -joanne
Thank you so much!
Hi Bec-No-Va
Postal to Canada is very slow it has always been 10 to 14 days for me to receive something. Ups is much faster 5 to7 days at the most. It is Customs that holds it up so long they move courrier stuff through faster.
So don't panic it will get there just slow.
Bea
Bea, thanx! I know I should have sent it UPS and come to think of it I am kicking myself for not going to the Mailboxes etc. here in Woodbridge. Well, crossing fingers and hope they get there! :)
Gl;obal Priority (USPS) to Canada is a bit more expensive...but not as pricey as UPS.
sigh....i see from reading this thread that i missed out on some fun...but it was a blast reading all of it...i agree on that speckled obovata...it is gorgeous!...i see also that bec_no_va is from woodbridge,va...i have family there...cool...they arent from there but they moved over there a few years ago...well it was fun reading about your fun...lol...hummingbird
Hummingbird - we will do this again...I am sure! I think Mark is going to be in charge next time! It is getting complicated because some people are reluctant to send to Canada or abroad.
For those who are gun shy about sending boxes out of the USA: make up a name and address, and go to a post office where they don't know you. Mark the box "plastic party decorations"... I know someone who does this and it works every time. I think that lining a box with alum. foil will only scare the screeners to death!!!
For what it is worth, I have a small opinion here: I don't think any trading across International Borders can be guaranteed by anyone and when we 'play' this game, we need to accept this fact of life. Shipping Global Priority is expensive and if the sender is required to send and then RE-send because of a Customs glitch or a shipping glitch...I think it is unfair to expect a replacement... I guess that goes for even within the US. We are all grown ups and we 'pays our money and takes our chances'.
What do you all think?
cool...i will look forward to that...i agree with you as far as the shipping/replacement thing....i have never shipped anything out of the u.s....so if i ever have to...will you help me with some tips when / if the time comes?...i would like some shipping tips in general..as far as packing etc.....for even within the states as well as international...thanks ...hummingbird
Sure...no problem. :>)
Great tips Carol.....I also find when you put "Hobby Materials" on the customs form, it goes through good too....it seems that packages going to the US is always quicker than receiving from the US, from my experience up here in Canada...
Sandy
Becky, I am assuming that your package was sent to me, right? Since I haven't received anything in the Hoya trade yet, I put 2 and 2 together and ...
I agree with Carol, that shipping internationally is getting too risky. We had problems in another forum where Customs at the border caught the "plant material" and would not forward it on. She had the choice of having it destroyed or returning it to the sender (which she did) and they, in turn, had to pay a fine. Ruined a great DG relationship. Rules and Laws, whether we like 'em or not, have to be abided.
In this trade, I asked Sandy to give me a Canadian member to avoid such a situation...not thinking that I should have specified it the other way around too. I apologize for any problems it has caused. I'll keep my fingers crossed that your package makes it here Becky; I have been lucky in the past, but should it happen that customs approaches me, I will have them destroy it rather than cause you any problems. Let's hope for the best!! Ü
Don
This message was edited Sep 11, 2006 10:23 AM
Don, yeppers, you be the one! And, no it wasn't a problem, just hope they make it :) OK, just keep me posted, I shipped it on the 1st (for the second time), so all we can do is wait and see!
A couple more tips would be to put stickers saying happy birthday or the like on the outside even use a more plain gift wrap. Yes for sure if you are worried about it put a funny name on it and a couple typo's in the address. They use the name and the address to be able to contact you to tell you not to send plant material. If the name and address isn't correct they can't do that:) right!!!They will only send or call the person in Canada to say it is being destroyed.
Some time ago I switched to using UPS or Fedx and they go right on through with flying colors in 5 or 6 days. If you do a google on UPS your will find an article where UPS is suing Canada for the delay in getting packages through to their customers.According to UPS it is ruining their buisness. I believe because of that customs is much speedier for courriers. You get a tracking number and can see when it hit customs. It is always customs that slows the process. It takes me 10 to 14 days to get anything from the US wether it is Florida or my neighbors in WA.
I once had a package sent in Sept delivered Dec 22. Customs put out a notice they had pulled packages in sept and would be releasing them soon they just got back logged after some genius decided to pull all those packages for a random inspection and couldn't get to them.Customs really does do a lot more checking with the mail, it is pathetically slow.
Courrier cost a few cents more but well woth it.
I do hope these things won't stop us all from having so much fun together. If mine were ever lost through the process I would never expect a replacement. That is just part of it.
Bea
I agree, Bea
Don Ü
Hey...to our Canadian Friends: just because our countries are at cross swords about 'waddeva'...we can't be. We will always find a way to share!!! Isn't that what this world is about?
Carol
PLUS...Christine....you had a box within a box, and the 'inner' box was that of, basically, 'glass ornaments'....so I think that even if they'd have opened the 'outer' box, they'd have closed it back up.
Last year a few of us sent cuttings to those who did not receive their packages, and I'm sure that will happen this time, too....so don't worry about stating the fact that you didn't receive a package....you'll likely be taken care of.
We did discuss the 'risks' of shipping out-of-country before the names were drawn....so I doubt anyone will harbor hard feelings toward one another.
Has everyone but Don received their trades ????? Sandy
I haven't been here for a month or so. Last time I visited, I ended up hooked on Hoyas and bought 8 more to add to my 15. They're all doing great and I'm about to add more. Sure wish I had been checking so that I could have been involved in the trade. Any idea when there will be another?
Ginger
Heh heh...that's how we keep you coming back... LOL
lol...that sounded like a evil laugh carol.... :)
i knew there must be some plot behind all this fun!!!
hummingbird
Just a reminder......don't forget to leave feedback for your secret hoya pal!
I guess Don has not received his yet (sulk), I never received anything in return this time - so he still might!! (Xing fingers!)
Not yet, Becky. But, I'm still hopeful. Ü Usually takes a couple weeks by regular mail, so I bet it will be this week sometime. I'll be sure to post when it arrives.
Don
Woo, Hoo! Your 2nd attempt arrived this afternoon, Becky. A very generous and healthy looking package of five individual bags of Hoya cuttings are now resting comfortably, hopefully ready to give me lots of roots. You don't have to apologize for the Carnosa noids, they are all lovely looking and different from my two other Carnosa plants. Even the Bellas are different from what I have. I have a minibelle that looks totally different than the dainty looking ones you sent. It is hard to believe that your HD sells such wonderful looking plants. I especially love the pink variegated one with the red stems. Very nice! Thank you so much. Your fabulous package was well worth the wait.
Don Ü
Phew!!!!!!!!! I am relieved! Glad you liked them, I have found about 5 really healthy Hoyas now at HD/Lowes, the variegated one is mixed in with the regular one, so it makes for one good looking hanging plant! The minibelle (did not know it was one until recently) is from them as well! Actually all of the big hanging ones from HD/Lowes has had a mix in them, as they are growing I can see three or four different types (in each pot), I have had them outside all summer and they have exploded and I did not notice!
That's good news, you two!
Sorry to hear it had to be a '2nd attempt'....but glad to hear that Don received the package!