which mail option to use

After the rate changes, which postal carrier and service do you use? Why?
I am still trying to figure out what is cost effective.

If it's heavy use a flat rate box. If not then use a smaller box. If it's something that will fit in a bubble envelope then that's what I do. Always write "live plants" on the outside. I have our little postal person stamp it right there so it gets hand stamped rather than machined.

I tend to use priority mail, especially during the summer.

The flat rate boxes are great for large plants or big trades. With the increased postage, I now try to arrange larger trades, just so I don't end up spending more for the postage than the plant is worth.

ROX

Sometimes I wonder about priority mail. A couple of years ago I did a trade that contained both a book and some plants. The trader wanted to save money on the priority so she shipped the book media mail and the plants priority. The book arrived 2 days before the plants. Just wondering if just shipping regular mail would be just a good as priority. I thought it was rather strange that the media was suppose to be the slowest shipping way there is whereas the priority was suppose to be the fastest. Go figure.

I'm going to check out the UPS store and their prices. My husband got a huge box today from Fedex- only $10.00 shipping. But sometimes businesses get a discount according to how much they ship. PO has gotten terrible about rates and service. I've had them lose 3 packages coming to me, had about 2-3 damaged, and some that were proiority took over a week to get here; that's in just the past 6 months!
love, julie

My pet peeve about USPS is with delivery confirmation/tracking. What a joke! The form will say "accepted for shipping" for three days and then all of a sudden it's delivered. I just sent two priority mail boxes Monday evening, one went to NC and was delivered this morning, and one went to CA and is still showing "accepted".......

I send Priority mail, which also includes flat rate. Boxes only. So that my plants arrive in the best condition to the reciprocant and I like the same in return.

I'm checking out ups right now.

I don't get the ups thing. I calculated a 1 lbs box 5x5x5 to the city next to me and it's quoting 29.17 as the lowest price.

Try getting an estimate with "detailed costs and time" or something like that. It should show all the rates to that city, including ground?

Just saw this thread and wanted to say --I went to the post office to mail a trade of daylilies the other day. The mail lady said the options were priority for $4.89 or 1st class (which you can do if the package is under 13 ounces I think she said) at $1.89. I asked her the time difference and after looking it up it was the same--2 days either way. This may not happen in every instance. Perhaps it depends on where it is going. I did the 1st class--hope i didn't offend anyone but I would not be offended if someone sent me a trade (at least with something as hardy as a daylily) 1st class. Let me know if I am wrong??

I actually send all hardy 1st class, more tender stuff priority. I try to pack in as small of a box as possible since I noticed smaller boxes also cost less to ship. Instead of sending SASBE, I send a small hardcase box (to protect the seeds) with extra stamps and a return address label in a regular envelope. I usually send the seeds packets out wrapped with multiple layers of paper towel for cushion in a regular envelope labelled "seeds, hand stamp and fragile".. Figure less packaging is cheaper and also better for the environment. So far, no one's complained and several people complemented me on how they received their stuff.. So, guess I'm doing something right.. :)

I send stuff priority using USPS "click-n-ship". I'm so much happier with this than going to the PO. Have wanted to look into fedex, but for now this is working ok..I'm not sure that 1st class makes a difference.

You set up an account online at usps.com, then you can print out your shipping labels and schedule for the mail carrier to pick up packages at your door....yep, I live about 20 minutes from the PO and it's always packed with people so it's much faster. PLUS (at least for now) you estimate the weight ---probably supposed to weigh it but I have no postal scale laying around--and things have been much cheaper that way..lol.

I swear those scales at the PO were rigged, and they always charged me extra for flate rate boxes anyway. But it's great, they'll pick up a bunch of boxes at once.

I like Click-n-ship too! Nice labels, all organized. The web site is a little convoluted, though. I live an easy drive from the local post office that stays open late, so I can actually drop off a package at an open post office up until midnight. Veery nice! I haven't tried the pick up option yet. Do they do it as part of the local route or is it a different carrier? I wouldn't want to wait for the local carrier. Sometimes we don't get our mail until 4pm.

I wouldn't mind if someone sent me a plant 1st class as long as the time was the same AND they hadn't asked me to pay priority postage for the package.

I've used a food scale on small boxes and big letters but my people scale doesn't weigh really low weights accurately. That's the other thing I like about flat-rate-it doesn't matter.

i try to either make large trades or one plant trades. if they are one plant trades i send them all first class if i can. i recently sent clematis all over the country and they all arrived in good condition. the only way priority seems worth it to me is if i am trading for 3 or more plants or one really large plant.

also, recently i traded one daylily with a lady. we both sent them in bubble mailers without any problem. i have sent bulbs in bubble mailers as well. eventually i am going to try and send other plants this way as an experiment. you just need to be sure that the plant is cushioned with newspaper in a uniform way without bulges. it is prob. a good idea to do this only with plants that you could replace if they didn't make it though.

another thing i do is cut the foliage and stems way back on most of my plants esp. on larger trades. some people don't like receiving plants like this so i always ask. i am interested in receiving plants with viable roots and not so much interested in seeing blooms the year i receive the plants. so for the money i would prefer the plants be sent with a little potting soil rather than a full stalk with foliage.

first class and priority shipping schedules are similar. i have had priority take up to 2 wks. to get where it's going so if first class ends up taking that long it is just because the post office had a bad week just like with priority. and that can't be foreseen. knowing that when i pack plants i use as much water as i can and wrap with newspaper to absorb the excess. and in the summer i poke holes in the box.

i don't think i have ever sent anything parcel post as the rates are so similar to priority that it just never makes sense to me to mail that way.

I never thought about poking holes in the box (good idea, mamajack), but I do think that this time of year wrapping the plants in newspaper is crucial for everything cause some things start to decay in the heat and moisture.

When you do carrier pick-up, it's the same local route mail carrier that gets your mail. Ours comes early, so it works well here.

I don't take the newspaper so I use cut-up paper grocery bags instead. I like that they're a bit heavier-weight than the newspaper. I think it works pretty well. At least, no complaints so far. :)

No probs with grocery bags, I have even used paper lunch bags and they do well too.

Hey susybell, mama, anyone else that has traded with me...I have a question and y'all can answer honestly. When packing, I never tape the plastic bag that the newspaper with plants comes in...I just let it be kinda loose as I'm ususally putting several plants in a box.. Most people put a twist tie, rubber band, or tape around the top of the plastic bag. Are my plants more dried out when they get there?

Only reason I'm asking is cause sometime I really struggle with that tape on the plastic...lol....ripping bags open cause I wanna see the plants! lol

kara, i can't remember that i had a problem. i use tape but i try to remember to turn the end down so folks have something to pull on to open the plastic. i don't use rubber bands cause i usually don't have them but i just about have to have scissors to get some of the bands off. lots of times when i open my plants i don't have scissors around so i try to send plants that don't need a tool to open.

mama, that's classic, I totally remember that you turn the tape over so it does make it easier..lol...good to know I'm not shipping dry plants ;)

Hi Kara,
The ones I got were pretty dry, but I'm a lot further away and I'm sure some of that was due to them sitting in the mailbox. Figures, mail usually delivered at four, day with plants, delivered at noon? Maybe if you're shipping this far in the warmer months adding an extra layer of paper would be good-especially for other folks with unreliable mail carriers, lol!

well knowing that there all sorts of things that could happen to a box of plants kara, it is prob. a good idea to seal in the moisture either with tape or rubber bands. i have had even some larger plants placed inside walmart sacks and then tied off so it isn't necessary to use either tape or rubber bands. the main thing is knowing that plants may take a week or more to get where they are going so they need enough water SEALED IN to assure survival.

Dunno.. I actually soak my newpaper and wrap the plants with the soaked newsprint. Then I put the entire thing in a ziplock bag before putting it in the box. Then I fill all the empty space in the box with styrofoam peanuts.. But I literally have like 2 large garbage bags of peanuts. I save them whenever I get packages.

icosden, if you ever send plants down here entirely encased in plastic there is a good chance rot is going to start, esp. if you do that in the hot months. only the root section should go in plastic. have you ever seen the first thread in the plant trading forum? the one by kim gaither? she gives an excellent description on how to ship plants complete with photos.

being a newbie here, haven't sent anything with leaves yet.. don't have much to begin with either. so far, I've only sent semps and a trimmed daylily and everyone's told me that they've gotten it in good shape. And, that also how I recieved some plants too.. Leafed ones too. So far everythings gotten to me fine.. But I usually don't trade plants much.. I always worry about how's going to arrive. I prefer to do seeds, it's easier, cheaper. safer..

I did notice that the times things came rotted away (from a gardening company no less), the were no newspaper wrapping in the plastic bag. The plants were just sopping wet in plastic emitting a foul foul stench.. But other than that, I haven't had any problems..

well if you are a newbie and if you ever plan on sending plants thru the mail you ought to read the first thread on the plant trading forum. it works sometimes but when you put the whole plant in plastic you run the risk of hot, steaming, rotting plants upon arrival. it's quicker to do it that way but i don't feel it's the best way, esp. if you are sending plants down south during the hot months.

I'll keep that in mind but I don't think I'll be sending plants out much since I don't have much to begin with and the stuff I had to send are mostly gone already..

I think all the layers that I add with the additional peanuts might have insulated the plant too. I noticed that the gardening company that sent the rotten plants didn't wrap and there was no air in the plastic bag. It probably also didn't help that the plants came in a dark green plastic bag instead of a box. Maybe the fact I tried to artificially inflate the bag a bit more might have helped too. :)

I did notice one of my plants that I got last time after 3 particularly hot days (plant came when we were out of town still) like it was in the low 90's all week, the plant was fine in a plastic bag but there was a lot of inflated air in the plastic bag and there was plently of room in the box as well. Wonder if all the layers of air insulated the poor plant from being roasted cuz the plant arrived fine.. What do you think??

well, what you said about wrapping the plant with newspaper inside the bag sounded sensible. i never have received plants like that. the ones i have gotten were just plant to plastic. plants in mar. and apr. have looked o.k. when i received them but i once received some canna that were just a black oozing mess when they got to me one july.
the air inside the bag..............hmmmmm........carbon dioxide? lol. i'm not smart enough to answer that one i don't think.
and i bet you have access to more plants than you know. lots of times plants growing in the field down the road that your neighbor owns are plants that somebody somewhere else would really like and your neighbor wouldn't mind you getting. my motto..................your weed is my rare plant. lol.

Priority mail is pretty meaningless. There's no guarantee of arrival time at all. I sent a package to my daughter one week by priority mail and it took five days to get there. Sent an almost identical one the next week by 1st class and it got there in two days.

I usually send priority - I'm surprised at the cost difference quoted above because nearly always it's only a few cents more to send priority vs 1st class. But I know it's meaningless and I'm probably wasting the extra money.

On packing plants, I usually put a moist peat moss around the roots to keep the moist, wrap the roots in a ziploc bag, which is a lot thicker than plastic wrap, and secure around the stems above the roots with a twist tie. The worst is plants with the roots wrapped in damp paper towels and then plastic wrap. Often when I receive plants sent that way the paper towels are dry as a bone, the roots are dry as a bone and the plants don't make it. The absolute worst is that Press and Seal stuff. I don't know if it's because it's thinner or what, but anything wrapped in that has been completely dried out.

Lately I've also been wrapping the tops of the plants in dry newspaper and I always make sure the box is packed full of plants or with plenty of crumpled newspaper. I've also received huge boxes with a couple of tiny plants rattling around in them with no packing material and that's a guarantee the plants aren't going to be viable by the time they arrive.

Guys I appreciate the feedback about packing....I think everyone as their preferences, I personally love newspaper ;).

Has anyone used that company, I think it's DHL, for shipping, they have the yellow/red vans and envelopes? Just wondering.

hart...........i think the few pennies difference is between priority and parcel post. first class is a lot cheaper than priority. the only thing with that is that it must be under 13 ounces.

My DH company uses DHL and he is NOT thrilled. He did a lot of shipping this spring for a big project he was involved with. They will reuse tracking #, or assign groups of boxes the same number and are also kind of slow, comparitively. If he really needs something to get there early AM he uses Fedex because DHL doesn't seem to make their deadlines or offer an early AM delivery. He's never used them for plants, though. One place I mailorder from (not plants) uses DHL in combination with USPS for their deliveries and I hate it. I can only track the order until it's handed off to USPS, after that I don't know when it will actually be delivered.





This message was edited Aug 5, 2007 1:09 PM

Susy, I totally agree with your DHL assessment. I used to use DHL, UPS and FedEx. I've come to realize that for garanteed overnight service or morning service, I had to use FedEx. They were the only reliable service. My DHL and UPS experiences were okay but their overnight service were always hit and miss for me.. They don't seem to track things a closely as FedEx. Learned that the hard way and almost blew a time sensitive deal once cuz of DHL.. If overnight is not an issue, DHL and UPS would be okay then..

Hart, I like your peat moss idea.. I haven't had the newspaper dry out completely before but the roots are a bit on the dry side. The newspaper did stay damp when it was placed in a plastic ziploc bag though.. I usually don't stuff the empty space with newspaper cuz I think that's going to draw the moisture from the plant. I usually pack with peanuts instead..

Mamajack... LOL... I wish I can say that about my neighbors. I live in a new development so everyone is looking for new plants.. Don't think we have any "rare plant" weeds yet. LOL And here I'm feeling guilty about harvesting seeds from the commercial parking lots.. :)
BTW, I didn't think about the carbon dioxide factor.. I just notice that the air in the box was cooler than the air outside. I just thought that the air was insulating the temperatures from the outside.. Humm.. Maybe the carbon dioxide helped as well there.. Humm...

Mamajack, I'm sure you're right. I just ask the postmistress to check price for "both ways." Which means the packages to my daughter were sent priority and parcel post and the parcel post got there faster. At any rate, priority mail doesn't mean it's going to get there in three days. USPS gives you no guarantee of delivery time on priority shipments.

Icosden, the peat moss adds nothing to the weight and holds the water well. I think using ziploc instead of plastic wrap makes a difference too. I just use whatever size is needed to hold the roots and gather up any extra above the twist tie. You do have to make sure that what you've gathered and the twist tie are holding the plastic pretty tight against the stems. If I need a longer twist tie, I just twist two together for more length.

I know I've had instances where I've had extras that didn't fit in a box and forgotten them and three or four weeks later I find them on the back porch still just fine in their little bags of moist peat. Some of the plants that will pout when dug will also actually revive as if replanted when in the peat.

Another option for smaller plants is the moisture absorbing crystals.

Hart, I haven't tried the polymer crystals. Didn't occur to me and I have tons of that stuff.. Got to try that next time.. I definitely like the idea of the peat moss though.. Do you use the long strand ones??

No, just regular old shredded peat moss. You don't have to put in a lot. Just enough to cover the roots. I've found it's easier and a bit less messy if I put the dry peat in the bag, add the plant roots and shake or move the peat until the roots have a pretty good coating of peat all around, then wet the peat and then flip it upside down, holding the top more or less shut but squeezing out the excess water through the top. You don't have to saturate the peat but you want it fairly moist.

I don't know why you couldn't use the other kind of peat moss instead. If I don't have peat, I'll use a little potting soil. I'd rather put something around those roots other than a paper towel. I've even used sawdust in a pinch.

Hart... Got it. Think I'll try that next time.. Like the sound of it..

Does anyone know that, if you extend the Priority Mail Flat Rate box with another Priority Mail Flat Rate Box, can you still get the Flat Rate? I am sending packages out right now, and the plants are slightly too tall for the Flate Rate box, but I can extend it. Flat Rate is $8.95 but regular Priority Mail is averaging around $15. Thanks!

i doubt if you can extend it....that is the method in their madness...

Yes, you are right. I just found out. I can extend it, but the flat rate doesn't apply. Thanks.