Quote:
Originally Posted by Wi-sunflower
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
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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.
