Seed Mailers

[cohan]

what do you all think of appropriate envelopes for mailing seeds?
i had been using bubble pack envelopes, but it has become prohibitively expensive-eg, a 5x7inch envelope, full but not stuffed to capacity was over $12 recently, which rapidly adds up with a number of  packets to go out...

i have received several packets in regular envelopes, with or without a piece of card paper to shield them a bit, and all were fine, so i sent out a couple like this, at probably 1/3 or less of the cost of the padded envelopes(even factoring in possibly sending two envelopes instead of one padded mailer)..

i have some american friends who are worried about crushed seeds, and have had it happen (not my seeds) which i find interesting--how can you crush the seeds without shredding the envelope?--apart from big soft seeds like amaryllids or other large fragile seeds...

any thoughts on this are welcome, esp any canadians who have found the best way to work with our post office! i'd like to have one of those plastic sheets with slots they push the envelopes through to determine price category, so maybe the packet could be juggled around or divided to stay in a lower price range..

[maggiepie]

Cohan, I can relate to the cost of the bubble envelopes and the little plastic thing they push it through, I have asked the post office staff if they get a smaller tool each year.
I would hesitate to send seed in an ordinary envelope, unless the packets of seeds were wrapped in bubblewrap before going into the envelope.
I have received clematis seeds from the US that were posted in an ordinary envelope and had them arrive totally crushed and useless.
Some clematis seeds such as crispas are fairly large and twisted and break easily.
I am wondering if a small box would be better and cheaper in the long run.

[Lesley Cox]

I doubt if the box would be cheaper as it too would have to go through the card with the size categories (we have them here too). I'm just sticking to padded envelopes to be on the safe size. One thing, although I still have to pay for the postage, I never have to buy the padded thing now as I have so many accumulated here from seeds from other sources.

[maggiepie]

I doubt if the box would be cheaper as it too would have to go through the card with the size categories (we have them here too). I'm just sticking to padded envelopes to be on the safe size. One thing, although I still have to pay for the postage, I never have to buy the padded thing now as I have so many accumulated here from seeds from other sources.

Lesley, you can also feel virtuous, recycling 

[Maggi Young]

As has been pointed out by Stuart Pawley in his seed note; seed is prone to "migrating" in an envelope, which can mean that your carefully packed submission, can suddenly find itself no longer able to go through one of the Post Office's templates for mail sizing. Irritating and possibly costly and causing delivery delays.

I recall when the dimensional size restrictions began here ( as opposed to the  simple weight restrictions) we all had a card template delivered from the post office to use to check envelope sizes.
It would be simple enough now to get the dimensions from our post office website and make a more sturdy template to use to help speed up posting out seeds, or anything else. I expect you can get those dimensions for your post office website, too, eh?  Are these dimensions universal, do we know?
UK regulation sizes are ......

Letter : up to 100 gms weight and   up to 240mm x 165mm x 5mm

Large Letter :up to 750gms weight and up to 355mm x 250mm x 25mm

Packet: over 750gms and greater than 353mm x 250mm x 25mm      up to 610mm x 460mm x 460mm.

[Maggi Young]

Also found this list of handy emaples of what items might weigh....
Item/Weight examples for UK Royal Mail !
Letter or greeting card 30g
Standard DL envelope with 4 sheets of A4  44g
Compact disc in bubble envelope 130g
A4 envelope with 20 sheets of A4  160g
Mobile phone in bubble envelope 180g
DVD in bubble envelope 190g
Video cassette in bubble envelope 295g
400 page paperback book in bubble envelope 310g
Pair of jeans 500g
Glossy magazine in bubble envelope 585g
Pair of trainers 1000g
Electric drill 2kg
Medium sized suitcase containing clothing 20kg


 ....... now, all you have to do is figure out which example most closely approximates to a packet of seeds!

[Diane Whitehead]

It is not just the thickness of the envelope that increases the cost
of posting seeds in Canada.  If you admit to having anything in the
envelope besides paper, first class mail prices no longer apply.  I
would have to pay over $3 for a thin envelope with just enough seeds
to rattle and alert the clerk, and more than $6 for a reasonable amount.

I started mailing out of the U.S. as it was so much cheaper (only if
I was going to be there anyway) but now it is illegal to take seeds
into the country without a permit and inspection, even if they are
going to be mailed to Scotland at the nearest P.O. to the border, so
that economy is no longer feasible.

I wonder if there is some minimum weight that we are not coming
anywhere near to reaching, but still must pay for.  

[cohan]

i think there must be some other factors that arent immediately obvious..
i have never put seeds loose in an envelope, certainly--they have been in (usually multiple) individual packets, so no noise, and the couple of times i sent without bubble packs, they were also inside card paper--so i think it was clear enough it wasnt just a letter, but not so obvious that i was  asked to fill out customs forms..

recently i sent a packet within canada which was the same size 5x7 inches, full though not hard to close, and mostly various packets of dry small seed, so very little weight, and it was over $12! not long before, i had sent a packet with some roots and berries, surely at least as thick and heavier, and it was significantly less expensive!
i think one of the differences may have come when the postal employee took out a tape measure to measure the thickness, after it didnt fit in the letter slot, and i think it was just a very vague measurement and that may have bumped up the cost..

i do think taping the individual packets to a card/paper to keep the bulges uniform could really help avoiding thick spots..

to contrast, i sent  a good half dozen seed packets evenly distributed taped to a card inside a regular envelope, and it was only $1.65..at that price difference, i think it would be worth sending a replacement if something happened to it rather than paying 3-4 times as much to start with! i'm awaiting word on the (hopefully) safe arrival of these recent mailings....

[johnw]

Helen - A padded envelope if light enough can go as a light packet rather than a small packet.  Light is usually cheaper but not always. Some postal workers don't check the difference.  My usual postal lady was in a bad mood one day and put a whole stack through at the small packet rate and refused to redo them when I pointed it out - the difference was 2-3$ each.

At work our machine is not programmed for light packet, only expedited (2 day delivery) which makes a huge difference.

Monday a box of Sarracenias to N Vancouver cost $12 by truck, expedited would have been $21. Had I known it was below -12c out west I would have sent expedited.  Hopefully they can take it.

johnw

[Darren]

When sending an individual little packet of a few seeds i often do as Cohan suggests but with a modification. A single thickness of corrugated cardboard is thin enough to stay within the size limit for letter post. I cut a hole in the card, slightly smaller than the seed packet, then tape the packet across the hole before popping the thing into an envelope. Theory is that the post office machinery rollers would then gently push the seeds into this hole where it would be protected by the thickness of the surrounding card, rather than crush them. I have not tried posting seed to myself to see if it works...

obviously the seeds need to be smaller than the thickness of the cardboard - no Paeonia!

If this doesn't make sense I can post a picture later.

[cohan]

When sending an individual little packet of a few seeds i often do as Cohan suggests but with a modification. A single thickness of corrugated cardboard is thin enough to stay within the size limit for letter post. I cut a hole in the card, slightly smaller than the seed packet, then tape the packet across the hole before popping the thing into an envelope. Theory is that the post office machinery rollers would then gently push the seeds into this hole where it would be protected by the thickness of the surrounding card, rather than crush them. I have not tried posting seed to myself to see if it works...

obviously the seeds need to be smaller than the thickness of the cardboard - no Paeonia!

If this doesn't make sense I can post a picture later.

i think i understand, but a photo wouldnt hurt

[Darren]

Here you go then.
The seed sits directly over the hole so any pressure on the envelope will just push it gently inwards. I tested it just now by heaping books on top and it works a treat. I probably wouldn't bother to do this with Nomocharis but didn't have any rounded seed available.

[maggiepie]

John, I know what you mean. I posted some Erodium gruinum seeds to a friend a few weeks ago, the seeds are large and beautiful and I didn't want them to get broken.
The post office worker said the envelope was light enough to send at the low price but it 'might' get squished when being sorted through the small slot.
Of course I sent them with extra postage

Darren, that's a good idea.

[Eric Locke]

Hi

I use the small A/000 bubble type jiffy bags for mailing most seeds , small bulbs and bulbils without ever any problems. These are available on ebay at only a few pence each.

Eric

[cohan]

Hi
I use the small A/000 bubble type jiffy bags for mailing most seeds , small bulbs and bulbils without ever any problems. These are available on ebay at only a few pence each.
Eric

these looks similar to what i have used--buying the envelopes isnt the problem its paying for the postage!

thanks for the illustration, darren... have you used this technique with multiple seed packets?