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Buffalo, New York

When mailing bubbled envelopes inside larger envelopes. How many stamps would you need to include on each to ship across country?

11/3/2008 12:09:51 PM

[email protected]

I usually put 4 stamps on just to be on the safe side. I've done this twice already and have had good results, meaning the recipient got the bubbles, no problem, and I got the sasb back.

11/3/2008 12:49:22 PM

the guy at the post office said 1 will do but two is better.

11/3/2008 12:55:15 PM

Mulino, Oregon

Usually postage is figured by $$ not # of stamps. You should have at least $1.30 - $1.50 of return postage on the envelope. It also depends on the size of the bubble that you send.

11/3/2008 3:04:23 PM

milford, CT,

5x8 bubble...$1.50
4 x 6 bubble $1.34

11/3/2008 3:25:50 PM

bliss,n.y.- heart of Wyoming County

Hi Jeremy
I use a standard manilla envelope to send the bubble. When I go to the post office, they weigh the empty bubble and add 1/2 to 1 oz for any possible seed packets.

I then purchase the appropriate postage. it takes a bit of time, but I know then it will be fairly accurate.

PS- It was great meetig you at Pumpkinville. thanks for trying my seed. You really did a great job with the small area you had to work with.
BP

11/4/2008 9:46:19 AM

Santa Rosa, CA

Jeremy,

Tree Doctor has this figured out!

The first oz. is $0.83 and each additional oz. is $0.17. A 4" X 6" bubble with seeds will weigh about 3.5 oz. I would put $1.34 in postage on the bubble. The empty bubble (if you are not sending seeds) in a manilla envelope may a little less.

If you trade seeds with a Canadian grower, Canada does not use stamps from the USA. A few Canadian growers have requested $3.00 cash to help with their postage.

Good luck.

Chuck

11/4/2008 10:34:01 AM

Going Green

What I don't understand is why the exchange is done this way anyway.....I would prefer to send you $3.00 from my online bank account. You purchase one bubble envelope and stamps to send me the seeds.

If I have to send you a SASE then I have to buy two types of envelopes. One a bubblewrap to get my seeds back and the other a manila envelope to send the bubble wrap. I end up putting $1.50 postage on each. I have spent $3.00 in postage and $1.00 in envelopes when all I had to do was send $3.00 to you for postage and bubble envelope and my bank paid the postage on the check which went to you!

Futhermore there wasn't the turn around time....I send the envelope to you and you send it back to me...doesn't make sense to me!

When I have seeds to send someone all I want is thier address. I will pay the postage. That is because I want my pumpkin seed grown. Most of the time the people I sent seeds today send me seed sometime in the future!

11/4/2008 12:23:41 PM

try dealing with a few hundred of those type of exchanges and you will figure out why the bbl system works as well as it does m3f2

I remember last year and all the different rates charged at all the different offices across the country, bearing that in mind I think that the best answer to the original post is "take the bbls you are sending to your local office and let them figure the rates" not all offices will be the same no doubt again this year. (not a perfect system by any means but go with it if you want to do exchanges, it's just the way the USPS works these days)

11/4/2008 12:36:08 PM

Nova Scotia

i just put 3 dollars us. in each bubble pack.it makes it easy

11/4/2008 1:35:24 PM

Ohio

M3F2,
Alot of growers dont want to go through the hassle of cashing a check, then buying the stamps, and then buying a bubble. If you send alot of bubbles out and everyone did it this way it would be very time consuming.

You want to make it as easy on the grower as you can who is sending you the seeds, cause after all, you are the one that ask for them, right? Why should they do all the work?,lol. Its way easier for the postage to already be on the bubble, that way the grower can just drop seeds in and send.

11/4/2008 3:37:58 PM

Brooklyn Corner, Nova Scotia

They are right M3F2, the requester should make it easy for the grower. It's just good courtesy. It also adds a personal touch to include a note thanking the grower for their generosity.
My 2 cents.

11/4/2008 4:16:20 PM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

On a size #0, I put four first class. Then I put it in a bigger manila if not sending seeds, and use a bigger bubble if I am sending seeds out with it... 2 first class and I have it weighed and measured to make sure I didn't get it for too fat or odd size.

11/4/2008 9:55:44 PM

Sort of Sunny Sometimes, WA

Tree Doctor/Jim (and anybody else who said what he did) is/are right. If you're mailing in the US that's the way to do it. Sometimes you can slide by just going by weight, but since the bubble is usually over 1/4" thick, you should use higher postage amount. USPS.com has a lot of great help.

11/4/2008 10:33:46 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Agreed Andy......IN Getting 100's of requests for seeds gets to be over- whelming at times so helping out the seed sender iZ your best bet in getting a return bubble filled with your request. A note inside also helps a lot.....

11/5/2008 2:06:28 PM

Litchfield N. H. 03052

What dose one do when they receive a request from you with only 42 cents postage and no seeds for trade?

11/5/2008 6:11:14 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

Whatever it costs you to send the bp out...put on the bp back...the weight will be the same unless he/she is mailing back bricks. the outside envelope is plenty heavy for seeds.

11/5/2008 7:05:51 PM

Going Green

OK I asked for the seed but he offered the seed because he wanted people to plant it to prove that he had good seed. I think he shoulkd accomadate me...I am the customer...he is the vendor!

11/5/2008 11:47:33 PM

Santa Rosa, CA

BR,

I have received empty bubbles from other growers with only 42 cents or 84 cents on them. Most of us know that it will cost at least $1.34 to ship the bubble with seeds back. I see that we have 2 choices:

1) Put extra postage on to get it to the correct amount.

2) Send it back the way it came. The person receiving the bubble may have a "Postage Due" problem on their end.

Chuck

11/6/2008 10:33:40 AM

Decatur, IL

I have just been putting 3 first class stamps ($1.26) on a 4X6 SASBP and I've had at least the right amount for the return postage judging from the ones that have been returned so far. I have been putting about three seed envelopes with my seeds in each. When I send this off with the outside manila envelope, SASBP and my seeds, the postage always comes to $1.17. If people feel I need to use more postage, I'll start putting $1.50 worth on the bubble mailer to be on the safe side (mainly in case someone sends me an extra generous selection of their seeds).

11/6/2008 12:13:58 PM

Rapid City, SD

Most folks that get seeds from other growers are very thankful and appreciative. Proper pumpkin addicate when asking for a seed from growers is a must. Meaning, if ya just send a bubble to another grower and expect to get seeds back.....good luck.
Would be wise and proper to find out from the grower if he/she would share a seed or 2 with you before sending out a bubble. There are many more growers starting this hobby every year and seeds will come in short supply for certian seeds due to seed counts and requested.
If your a new grower, and your soil is not in balance, and you are not prepared to grow one of these monster, meaning; (pesticides, fungicides, feeding supplies, watering stile, wind protection, pruneing techniques etc.....) the seed is not as important as learning what it takes to attempt this hobby and get good results. For most growers it take a few years to grow a monster, there a few that have done very well out of the gate.
There are many generous folks in this hobby that will share seed and tips for growing, BUT for someone with the attitude that this one has "I think he shoulkd accomadate me...I am the customer...he is the vendor!
ROTS OF RUCK!!!

grow em big!!!

matt

11/6/2008 2:49:50 PM

Minnesota

I put postage on to cover both envelopes, that and if you are asking for the person who is sending you the seeds to pay for the return envelope, and this year he happens to have the seed that grows the world record or grows it himself, and next year you ask him for more seeds when his seed is in high demand he probably won't give you one simply because you are demanding he pay for the return shipment when people are dying for this seed.

11/6/2008 3:53:59 PM

Decatur, IL

I was just trying to point out that there's no use putting on more postage than necessary. In tough economic times, it might not mean much for one mailing, but it adds up over time. I'm just trying to come up with the proper amount for postage and still show proper seed trading etiquette so that the person returning the seeds doesn't have to shell out more cash. I don't want to come across as being cheap. Heck, I usually stamp the return mailer even if I'm sending out some of my own seeds. A number of growers tell me that they'll supply the return postage if I'm sending them some of my seeds along with the SABP.

11/6/2008 3:55:33 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

I was trying to give some good advice. If you bring the BP and your mailing enclosure to the Post Office they will weigh both and give you the proper postage...put both packages on the scale both envelopes will require the same postage...unless they're sending you out more then the seeds requested. I'm still appalled that some new growers are thinking that they deserve consideration because they might prove a seed for someone...Yikes! Come on guys...I've been growing for ten years....fusaria, clay and rock, leaves and more leaves...I guess I just call Dick and Ron, Joe Jutras, Dave Stelts and tell them I'm a customer...
They owe me...No way...sorry for the rant...postage is easily calculated weighing both at once and same postage on both envelopes.

11/6/2008 6:28:33 PM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

If someone sends me something and gets close to postage, it does not break me up to dig out the odd bits (1, 2, 3 cent) stamps and stick one or two on or take a few pennies out of pocket at post office. As courtesy I try to err on a little more postage just in case on the SASBubble. The idea behind sending a prestamped pre-addressed bubble is to save the other person time and hassle to send out stuff, and being kind.

As for if you get a blank request (nothing sent but mailer and maybe not enough postage)... if the person asked first and you said you'd do it, that's one thing. Otherwise...

Postage isn't cheap, but. Err on the side of over, under the new rules with a size zero bubble, that will hold quite a bit and maybe cover a 'too fat' surcharge for 4 first class stamps. Even if only one seed comes back, at least the thought is there. I will stick the SASB in the shipper bubble or envelope and put at least two first class stamps on that (big envelope starts at 83c) then get that weighed (and measured and stuck through the 'too fat slot'). And pay or stick on the additional postage if needed.

Our grower club is just getting going and a lot of kind bodies have donated or will be donating to our seedbank, which is greatly appreciated. Not much to send back THIS year, but I will keep notes and if we start doing greatness they will be remembered at the top of the list then. As in grateful to receive some help and will pass it on in turn.

It comes down to with the new mail regulations, the return will need at least 83c... and whatever it costs you to send the whole thing out (outer mailer envelope or bubble holding things). Adding two more first class stamps to the return will cover the 'too fat' charge and 20-30 seeds and 10-15 little baggies.

11/6/2008 11:53:51 PM

Rhode Island

the wallaces have received some very heart warming notes in with those bubbles. some send pictures of there families and the pumpkins they grew as well
people that are this well mannered deserve more than those that simply send a bubble with no note of thanks
its the law of the giant pumpkin jungle. --- ya get as good as ya give.
pap

11/7/2008 6:10:13 AM

Going Green

I mailed out an envelope with a bubble enclosed and 4 stamps on the bubble. the outside envelope had to much postage on it and zI proceeded to remove the excess. The postmaster said you won't be able to use those stamps. He said the little bit of envelope attached to the stamp prohibited the stamps being attached to another envelope.

I always ask can I send you $3.00 or do you really want a self address stamped envelope....whatever they want thats what they get. I always attach a short letter telling who I am and how much I appreciate the seed/seeds. And if Pap wants to send me a 1068 I will send him a 20 page essay on my life from birth. Just kidding Pap...you know I respect you and love all you do for the sport!

11/7/2008 8:37:59 PM

Pocatello ([email protected])

This is the type of information that ought to be placed in a wiki style article and kept for future use. (I'm not complaining, just suggesting!)

11/10/2008 1:12:58 PM