mailed one today for pepper swap that was $1 .95 instead of the usual 1.72 postmaster said the price went up

I put 3 on my last SASBE then checked at the PO and the clerk told me I would need "5" !?!? so I had to take the envie home and add 2 more stamps to both the inside and outside. Those were the Forever stamps. That's over $4 for a single trade. Makes me think I should only do multiple items from now on. I wondered if it was only our one-horse PO or if this is getting to be a problem for everyone.

barbe_wa you don't need to put an envelope inside of another envelope. 1 is sufficient. Whomever you are sending it to can just put a new label over their address. Most of us will reuse padded mailers several times. It's bad enough that it's become so expensive to mail a single padded envelope, much less 1 inside another.

Karyn, that was just one padded envelope! I put stamps and return labels inside with the seeds. I can understand the cost going up, just not so much. Not that it will keep me from trading - I'm just going to have to make it for larger trades to make it worth the money.

The reason it's so expensive is because you're being overcharged! It happens all the time and there are many, many threads concerning this matter. Just search for postage and you'll be able to read all about it.

Jaynine I went and had the envelopes weighed/measured at 2 PO"s and all were $1.95 at both offices. It used to be that if I mailed them from home I could get away with 2 or 3 stamps, even if they were over 1/4" but now they are being returned. It's not a case of being over-charged. The new rate for a padded mailer is $1.95.

Karyn~It only costs that much if your mailer is over 3/4" thick. If it's under 3/4" thick, flexible, under 1oz and no larger than 15" long and 12" high you should be charged $0.90. ALOT of post offices automatically charge the parcel rate for bubble mailers (which is WRONG), when as long as the mailer meets the criteria, they should be charging the large envelope (or flat) rate. All the criteria and rates can be found on USPS website.

Jaynine it's 1/4", not 3/4". I just copied this from the USPS site:

First-Class Mail Large Envelopes are subject to First-Class Mail Package prices
if any one of the following apply: (please select all that apply)

The Large Envelope is too Rigid � does not bend easily

The Large Envelope is NOT Rectangular or Square

The Large Envelope contains items that cause more than 1/4 inch variation in thickness

That answers my question, Jaynine and Karyn! My package was rigid. I didn't know the rules, but now I do. Thank you, Barb

Karyn-that last statement about the 1/4" 'variation in thickness' is if there's something in your pkg that creates a bump/bulge (like ginkgo bilobo seeds or such) in an otherwise uniformly thick surface.
Please believe that I'm not trying to be contrary. I just hate seeing people get overcharged.
Here's a link to first class package size standards--section 2.0 describes 'flats'.

Here is a link that might be useful: size criteria

Thanks for that link. I've never seen it. I want to know why they need 10 paragraphs to describe "flexible"? lol Good grief it's not rocket science. I'm going to print that out and take it with me to the post office the next time I have to mail seeds. I wonder if their heads will explode? lol Seriously though I wonder what kind of argument they are going to give me because I'll start going off about how much I've been over charged recently.

Good luck...please let us know what happens.