shipping seeds overseas
 

Is it any different to mail seeds to someone in another country? Customs, ag laws, etc.? Is it very expensive? I am asking because I have read posts of people "across the pond" as Carolyn would say, and would like to offer them seeds and I don't want to offer if I can't follow through

[quote=Goldie;201873]Is it any different to mail seeds to someone in another country? Customs, ag laws, etc.? Is it very expensive? I am asking because I have read posts of people "across the pond" as Carolyn would say, and would like to offer them seeds and I don't want to offer if I can't follow through[/quote]

Goldie, there's some information about this in my seed offer, but to be more specific here's a few tips.

I don't know if you're planning to put up a seed offer here, or whatever, But it's best to ask non-US folks to e-mail you their requests b'c most of them do not have access to US stamps.

Tomato seed cannot be sent to either the Netherlands or to Australia, for different reasons.

The cost of sending to Canada is currently 75 cents and all other non-US places it's 98 cents for a first class one oz standard envelope. The cost goes up on April 1 st of this year as the USPS just announced. The current 44 cents within the US stays the same.

I can send 5-6 coin envelopes with the # of seeds you received, and most others, with the seeds padded as you received from me in my seed offer to non-US countries in a regular small or large business envelope for the apotage I mentioned above. If you chose to use a padded mailer or send more seeds to an individual it will be more money and it's best to let your postmaster weigh and tell you what the cost is until you become more familiar with postage rates for letter sized enveloped vs different sized padded mailers.

Hope that helps.

As I live in Mexico, I can tell you I have had problems going both ways, either me sending to US or me receiving in Mexico. I have had most seeds I have ordered "confiscated" by Mexican Customs. I have sent seeds to two different friends and neither received them so I am guessing US customs got them. I now order seeds and have them sent to my Son who puts them in a package with something else and ships them to me and then I had no problem. I also had two different shipments to Italy in 2010 that never got there. On the other hand, I have ordered and shipped seeds from many different countries when I was living in Wyoming and most got to me or where they were going.

Postage varies but with the dollar so down against the Euro, you can be expected to pay more postage for seeds being sent to any of the European Union Countries. I would suggest packing up seeds and weighing them and then looking up the cost to the particular country you are sending to so you at least have a rough idea of what postage will cost.

The only country I have heard of others having a problem with is Australia who has very strict regulations. There are Australian members on this forum so they could probably comment on this.

I would not let any of the above scare me off from sending/ordering seeds outside the US. 99% of the time you will have no problem.

Thank you Carolyn, I'm not planning a seed offer, just wanted to "pay it forward" when the chance comes up. Thanks for being so patient with us newbies asking questions that perhaps we should already know.

Brokenbar, thanks for your input- It is very helpful.

As far as Australia goes they are very strict and for good reason.

Many years ago they introduced rabbits and foxes to the land and it has been a disaster.
It took something like 5 attempts to get the rabbet established and they did it with a Spanish rabbit. Now it is one of the worst ecologicle desasters in the history of the country.
Many plants have taken over that were brought there the fox is killing off the native critters.
The Cane toad you all know about.

Many people dont know this but Austraila for the most part is unusable for agriculture.
It has some of the oldest soil on the planet and it was wore out long before man showed up.
It is a long story and further reading is recommended on the subject.

I always cringe when I hear about someone wanting to get a plant started in a country that it is not native to.
Many weeds in the US were brought here from some place else.
when I was a kid you only saw China berry trees in a yard now where I live they are every where. In another 30 years or less it will get worse.
The governments have for good reason banned many seeds from coming into their countries.
It is too bad they have to put a blanket ban on all seeds but that is what they do.

Worth

I sent seeds to Germany and they did not arrive. I sent another envelope and the seeds did arrive but I also agree with Worth and the problems in Australia is the same worldwide.

In Michigan we have a buckthorn problem. A non native plant, and its everywhere killing everything in its path including our native trees (in the seedling stage). Buckthorn is the first plant to leaf out in the spring and the LAST plant to loose its leaves in the fall. A toxic million berries per plant breeding machine. Since this plant is the first to leaf out in the spring it is killing all the native wildflowers in the forest, its a mess.

We now have a small group of people who are friends of the rough river and each spring we hand dig the buckthorn just to save the wirdflowers. Its a loosing battle.

Like Brokenbar said Mexico is always a crap shoot as I have problems with normal letters arriving, the only way I get items to Mexico guaranteed is via DHL, but that is expensive.

I have sent many items to Europe(Belgium, Germany, Slovenia,..) without issue. My next trade is to Italy, so wish me luck per Brokenbar.

The most problems, I have had was receiving some seeds from California, that might have been a different issue though.

Dean

I sent some seeds to Europe and the person suggested I put the seed packet inside a greeting card. They arrived very quickly and without a problem.

I have had no problems with trades from New Zealand, Japan, Slovenia, Germany, Belarus, Canada and Hungary. Oddly enough, the Canadian exchanges take at least twice as and usually 3 times as long to get there or get here than the rest of the countries I mentioned. If it is only 3 or 4 packets, I use a greeting card.

The USA has tighter regulations for importing seeds than most countries. The only way for an individual to [I]legally[/I] import any seeds into the USA is to apply for an import permit via the [URL="http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/plant_imports/smalllots_seed.shtml"]Small Lots of Seed Program at APHIS[/URL]. The seeds are then sent via an inspection station where they are checked before being forwarded on.

Any seeds sent to the USA without a permit risk being confiscated by customs. The likelihood of then actually being seized is low, but it is a possibility all the same, and whenever I send seeds to the USA I am always worried they will not arrive (but so far they always have done).

Worth, Australia put a ban on seed importation b'c of the concern about the Potato Spindle Virus, which infects tomatoes as well. Until that happened a few years ago I had no problems getting seeds to Australia, as Patrina can tell you, but I'm speaking of just hobby amounts and sent by individuals. I don't know the current restrictions on importation of tomato seeds to A in bulk amounts but would imagine that a phytosanitary certificate would be required which is costly. Same as it is in the US for importing large bulk amounts of tomato seed.

I've done these free seed offers online since about 1990 or so, first at AOL, then GW and now here since Tville opened, and I've sent seeds all over the world and luckily for me they all arrived.

The only complaint I have is the Canadian mail system. I sent Tania her seeds she requested from my seed offer and then shortly after that some other seeds she wanted to work with and there was a 9 day difference in delivery. And Neil G in Canada can also attest to such delays. And when Craig L and I were publishing OTV it was a mess getting that newsletter to folks in Canada.

yes, as had been pointed out above, the only legal way to get hobby amounts of seeds into the US is to pay for a certificate for same, and that's also discussed and links given in the front of every SSE YEarbook, but speaking personally, I don't know of one person who has done that.

I have had only one no show of all the seeds that I have sent to the states. I use normal envelopes and cushion them on both sides with very thin foam. I had one that German Customs intercepted and sent me a letter as to the contents. The other just didn't make it.
Mid November through December is the best time to send seeds internationally as it's the holiday season and the postal systems are glutted with mail. Ami

So how many stamps do we need to put on for sending to Germany and Poland?

I ordering seed from one seed company but its almost a month but I have not got it. I paid $7.5 for shiping cost. I hope its will arrived :wait:

I also got free seed from one member here its arrive a week ago and its written $1.44. Its only takes two weeks.

Thanks everyone for all the information.

Nangisha, which seed company did you order from? Some companies take a month even here, so it might be the company, not just the distance.

Send you PM goldie

Normally the cost to send a letter to Germany is under a dollar. Ami

[quote=lilhammerlane;202039]So how many stamps do we need to put on for sending to Germany and Poland?[/quote]

Lil, I don't know how many seed packets you want to send to either Poland or Germany but I discussed this all in my post #2 in this thread.

The short answer is one 98 cent stamp if sending up to 6 packs of may be 25 seeds each in a small business envelope and more if sending up to 12 in a large business envelope, maybe slap a 44 cent one with the 98 cent one and more if sending seeds in a padded mailer in which case I let the PO tell me the cost.

You can always get up to date info at the USPS website and I also noted that prices are going up on April 17 th when I went to the USPS site, for both Canada and Europe and beyond.

here's the USPS website

[URL]http://www.usps.com/[/URL]

Look at the right handclick for postage prices, I think that's where I click to get up to date info.

Ok thanks Carolyn

I read this thread with a bit of interest as since joining TV, I've had more orders to other countries.

First I want to say I send all my orders in a 6x10 bubble envelope with a customs form properly filled out.

So far no one has complained that they didn't get an order tho some can be slow. Mainly those to Canada. But that's another story.


In the past I've mainly sent just to Canada and the UK. But this year I sent to Japan and Poland and a couple of other countries.

I know I sent at least 1 to Italy tho that didn't make it. It was sent on 11/9/10 and came back in my mail box TODAY 2/28/11 marked "non admis - non ammesso". Where it was for almost 4 months is beyond me. I refunded the buyer minus the postage I spent.

What surprises me tho is that the buyer never contacted me wondering where his package was. It's probably a known risk.

Carol

[QUOTE=Wi-sunflower;202314]I read this thread with a bit of interest as since joining TV, I've had more orders to other countries.

First I want to say I send all my orders in a 6x10 bubble envelope with a customs form properly filled out.

So far no one has complained that they didn't get an order tho some can be slow. Mainly those to Canada. But that's another story.


In the past I've mainly sent just to Canada and the UK. But this year I sent to Japan and Poland and a couple of other countries.

I know I sent at least 1 to Italy tho that didn't make it. It was sent on 11/9/10 and came back in my mail box TODAY 2/28/11 marked "non admis - non ammesso". Where it was for almost 4 months is beyond me. I refunded the buyer minus the postage I spent.

What surprises me tho is that the buyer never contacted me wondering where his package was. It's probably a known risk.

Carol[/QUOTE]
Carol, Thanks for the "Blue" my Son said the seed arrived. I too had two shipments to Italy that were returned. And I have to say, other than Mexico, I have had no other problems accept those seeds going to Canada which apparently, upon leaving Wyoming VIA Pony Express, are carried on a moose being led by a Mountie over the Canadian Rockies in the dead of winter taking FOREVER to get where they are going!!! I am really glad to get the sunflowers. I always plant a big "bird" garden and I have a nice spot picked out in my 2 acre plot in Mexico.

Nangisha - I mailed seed to you today and the postage was only $.98. Hopefully it will also come quickly.

[quote=Wi-sunflower;202314]I read this thread with a bit of interest as since joining TV, I've had more orders to other countries.

First I want to say I send all my orders in a 6x10 bubble envelope with a customs form properly filled out.

So far no one has complained that they didn't get an order tho some can be slow. Mainly those to Canada. But that's another story.


In the past I've mainly sent just to Canada and the UK. But this year I sent to Japan and Poland and a couple of other countries.

I know I sent at least 1 to Italy tho that didn't make it. It was sent on 11/9/10 and came back in my mail box TODAY 2/28/11 marked "non admis - non ammesso". Where it was for almost 4 months is beyond me. I refunded the buyer minus the postage I spent.

What surprises me tho is that the buyer never contacted me wondering where his package was. It's probably a known risk.

Carol[/quote]

Carol, let me make a suggestion.

I don't know why you're using such a large padded mailer unless you're sending maybe 20-30 seed packets.

If you put a customs label on such a large padded mailer it's just going to draw the attention of some customs persons somewhere.

I don't think there's any need at all to attach that green customs label .

Over the years I think I've sent seeds to, well, I can't remember how many countries and have never had anything returned at all.

When it was still possible to send tomato seeds to Australia and I had to send a lot of packs to Patrina for distribution there I did attach the customs label and inside I addressed a letter saying, dear customs persons, and went on to list every single tomato variety I was sending. And never a problem.

The only places right now, as I said above, where you cannot send seeds to are Australia and the Netherlands.

For up to 6 packs of seed just use a small business envelope with the 98 cent stamp and the larger size business envelope with a 98 cent stamp and add another 44 cent stamp or maybe a bit more. I'd have to go to that USPS site I linked to above to see what the additional postage is for letters over one oz, but it isn't much.

And you saw how I padded your seeds when I sent them to you and that works just fine in terms of preventing crushing of seeds in the USPS rollers. I can't remember if you were here when that whole business came up about crushed seeds but I did a wee experiment sending seeds to two folks, padding seeds in one envelope and not in the other to the same person, of the same variety, and no problem with the seeds just padded as I sent to you and others re the seed offer.

The data from that experiment, the germination results, was also posted here at Tville, it was Orange Minsk that I used, but I have no idea where that thread is.

I will not mention the Canadian Postal system, well, I just did.:lol:

I expect that seeds to Israel would get close inspection, too.

Many people/companies dealing with Italy will only send registered/recorded mail as things seem to have a good chance of vanishing and I've never heard of anything coming back to the sender either :lol:

[quote=dice;202367]I expect that seeds to Israel would get close inspection, too.[/quote]
I've sent seeds to Israel and they arrived just fine. I also know someone in Italy got tomato seeds from Poland quickly and without problems. As Italy is a member of the EU etc. customs have no right to control letters. If anyone is having trouble with Italy or the Netherlands, another EU country (like Germany or Poland) can be used as an intermediate destination. I've received seeds from Carolyn and Carol and others in the States, and never had any problems.

[QUOTE=frogsleap farm;202337]Nangisha - I mailed seed to you today and the postage was only $.98. Hopefully it will also come quickly.[/QUOTE]

:D :D :D Thanks Mark ...........I will waiting for Mr postman.

Tam91 live in IL maybe thats give a clue.

That order to Italy that came back was a fairly large order, about 15-20 packs with about 50+ seeds each.

But I could pack things smaller for some of the suspect countries. And without the customs forms I suppose. The odd thing is I'm pretty sure that was the second order to that same customer in Italy. So the first order must have gotten thru.

The 6x10 bubble is my standard packing material. I buy them in 250 count boxes to get a good price on them.

I was around for the seed crush test and that's partly why I use a padded envelope. But I've always used something like that in part because even tho I'm a small company, I want to look as professional as I can with my product.

In the future I will ask foreign customers if there might be any issues with customs and adjust my shipping accordingly.

I forgot to mention that I sent several orders to a member here in Sweden without any problems at all.

Carol

[QUOTE=carolyn137;202347]Carol, let me make a suggestion.

I don't know why you're using such a large padded mailer unless you're sending maybe 20-30 seed packets.

If you put a customs label on such a large padded mailer it's just going to draw the attention of some customs persons somewhere.

I don't think there's any need at all to attach that green customs label .

Over the years I think I've sent seeds to, well, I can't remember how many countries and have never had anything returned at all.

When it was still possible to send tomato seeds to Australia and I had to send a lot of packs to Patrina for distribution there I did attach the customs label and inside I addressed a letter saying, dear customs persons, and went on to list every single tomato variety I was sending. And never a problem.

The only places right now, as I said above, where you cannot send seeds to are Australia and the Netherlands.

For up to 6 packs of seed just use a small business envelope with the 98 cent stamp and the larger size business envelope with a 98 cent stamp and add another 44 cent stamp or maybe a bit more. I'd have to go to that USPS site I linked to above to see what the additional postage is for letters over one oz, but it isn't much.

And you saw how I padded your seeds when I sent them to you and that works just fine in terms of preventing crushing of seeds in the USPS rollers. I can't remember if you were here when that whole business came up about crushed seeds but I did a wee experiment sending seeds to two folks, padding seeds in one envelope and not in the other to the same person, of the same variety, and no problem with the seeds just padded as I sent to you and others re the seed offer.

The data from that experiment, the germination results, was also posted here at Tville, it was Orange Minsk that I used, but I have no idea where that thread is.

I will not mention the Canadian Postal system, well, I just did.:lol:[/QUOTE]

The size really matters I am from post office asking for my packet thats I buy from seed company and they told the seed still in mailing processing center, when i got there they told me to custom.

Custom said I need to go ask letter from Dept of Agriculture. So I spent 4 hours there and realize I will never get the seed without Vito sanitary, Letter of Agreement from Minister of agriculture and lab test, I had to fulfill it all 14 days which is impossible.

Its made me really disappointed to see thats 28 variety OP variety had to send back or they will destroy it. thinking the seed will burn and imagine what kind fruit its will produce really broken my heart :cry: so I decide to send it back. .

Like I said before I got seed from others member and its in small bubble envelope 5x7,5 inch and only hand write. I receive it safely. But today I see thats brown envelope with company logo in the corner and each seed packet individually its look really professional, the size twice the first one.

So sending seed to Indonesia without thats all requirement its consider smuggling except if we smart enough to decoy them.

Does any one has smart way to smuggling seed????:twisted: .

I've sent a number of orders abroad this spring and only a couple didn't arrive on the first try.
One package to Italy was opened and the seeds taken out of the packet. I remailed it and the second order arrived intact. I use first class international mail and the cost is .98 to 1.44 depending on where its headed. As far as Canada goes, it might as well be the most remote place on Earth.

Lee