I always take mine to the post office for the correct postage. The one time I mailed one from home without enough postage it was sent back to me. So far I have never had to pay any postage for someone else.

I always go to the postoffice also to mail out to other people. If I'm mailing a SASBE, I always include 3-4 stamps depending on the exchange. Maybe in your exchanges, you could mention that you're having trouble with having to pay extra postage and ask them to stick an extra stamp on it. To me, what I receive in the trade is worth far more than 3 or 4 stamps.

Sounds like you have an extremely anal PO,that more than likely is overcharging you!

We have mentioned time and time again,tape the dang packets down! Make the envy uniform,than there will be no extra charge! This has been a topic here for a loooonnnnggggg time,as a matter of fact,about 15 months,so this is not new news,and no it is not common practice for people to not send sufficient postage,no one really knows what one PO to the next is going to charge,read some of the other threads on this forum,you will see what I mean!

I have given away thousands of seeds personally and have paid many "postage due fees",I have written letters to the USPS,I have confronted a supervisor,argued with the clerks,all I can say is welcome to the seed trading world,hopefully you will stick around and not let the USPS keep you from a wonderful hobby!
I mail from the mailbox ( unless it is necessary for me to go to the office),and don't expect anyone I trade with to do any differently!Things have been much more peaceful since I seized going there.

My best advice to you is to read up on the threads posted here,there are links in those threads that take you to the USPS website and show proper charges. GW,is the best trading site on the web,I know because I have gone to other sites and remain here. You will not find a better place to hang out and/or trade seeds,have you checked out the winter sowing forum yet?

It is great you jumped right in and started sharing immediately, your trade list looks great also.Hope you stick around!
~ Angie....who is completely frustrated by the PO and any mention of it sends chills down my spine........

After reading my post,I hope you dont think my frustration is directed toward you,PO chat gets me all feisty! Really welcome to GW,we are a great bunch here,most of our members are the greatest and would never deliberately rip you off on postage.read up on the PO saga,you will see you are not alone and possibly you will gain the information you need to confront your PO folks and set them straight! :)

Sue will more than likely pop in and explain things better than I did,this is a subject I need to stay away from,it makes my blood boil! ( not because of the poster,because of the USPS!)

Oh and,I have some Moonflower vine and some fragrant sweet peas (need harvesting yet) if you would like some I would be happy to share with you this fall! :)

its crazy how all the POs are messed up!! i can recive a bubble envy with only 2 stamps on it, n not get charged, but i cant send one out lol i have to put atleast 4 on, even if theres only 1 pk of seeds in it.
if by chance i dont put enough stamps on then they will charge me [i mail from home] they just stick a slip in my box with the amount i owe. i stick the money in it n put it back in my box. thats crazy any PO would charge you for somthing you recived! its not a COD!

Welcome magickcrafter!

Search results Postage Charge from just here at the Seed Exchange. Not all threads apply.

Yes, it sounds as it your PO is consistently overcharging you.

I see the nonmachinablee charge is 20 cents. What your PO does not know is that they are machinable, and that chances are they should be going as Large Envelope Rates

First Class Rates

If you would like to assist in getting things straightened out at your PO and at all POs across the country, you are welcome to participate in a mass mailing I am getting together to send to the Post Master General.

Here are the particulars

I'm not going to let this get my dander up tonight, but will continue in my attempts to get someone's attention to get the problem taken care of across the country.

Ralph Nader has recently been contacted.

Sue...quitting before she starts twitching like Agirlgirl does when she talks about postage or dealing with Post Offices.

sue knows all!! trust me on this!! **big smile**
luckily my po is awesome!! its time for you to tape it down, and make sure that you get them right!! LOL most of us tape ours down, and package them a certain way so that they don't move around. it stay's flat. i'm still learning from some of the pro's!! LOL i wanta trade with some of them just to learn how to fold like them!! LOL **big grinn** LOL ~Medo

chemocurl - Thanks for the link straight to the first class large envies. I am armed with that and the "non-machineable" link that you can open from there regarding the 20 cents many are being over-charged. It specificly says why you get this charge and most our envies do not fit that category for non-machineable. I'm much more confident now that most of us have been over-charged. I know for a fact my bubble envies should go out for either $ .83 cents or $1.00 based solely on weight as I package them correctly and spread the seeds out and taped down to a sheet of paper so they don't slide around changing the thickness, and I only buy the "thin" bubble envies, too. Oh, it's sooo frustrating...

I'm up for everyone mailing me from a drop-box near their home or (straight from their home for those that can) with the correct postage on them being weighed at home. If by accident someone occasionally gets a 'postage due', we'd probably all pay less than if we all over-pay to begin with... know what I mean?

The exception would be magickcrafter. If I had to pay 20 cents to receive every single one, I think I'd have a big fight with my postmaster and complain until I got charged correctly... But, I'm a loud-mouth more often than I'm not... LOL... ok, maybe not a loud-mouth, but I'm not afraid to tell the truth and stand up for what I believe is right!

~Angela

angelady,

If you want to try and help get the problem solved nationwide, you can send me a BE from your PO, with a postal tape affixed as proof that you were overcharged. I will then forward it along with the others to the Postmaster General.

If you are unsure if the clerk will overcharge you, as maybe one gets it right, and the next one doesn't, just give them the envy, and tell them you would just like to know how much it would cost to mail it. If they quote the correct amount, just don't mail it, and hold it until another time. If they quote you an overcharged price to mail, send it on and it will be used as evidence that you were charged a parcel rate for an empty bubble envelope.

Please include the address of the Post Office inside and email me for my addy.

Sue