It might be a postage issue.I Sent out a bubble envelope for an beap offer thinking one stamp was enough because it was empty.Amonth went by,I didn't get my seeds.I contacted the person and found out they never got the envelope.I sent out a second one with 3 stamps,and the next day got the original envelope back saying insufficiant postage.I had one trader who took about a month to send me my seeds;but I finally did get them.Luckily I've never been cheated in a trade and it's always worked out.I know it must be frustrating,especially at this time when we are all planting our seeds and every minute counts.I hope your traders come thru for you and if there's any postage issues that they get resolved.

-jaybirdy, thank you so much for the advice. I didn't think about that. But shouldn't the post office send it anyway and just include a card for how much is owed instead of keeping it? I once got a bubble envelope that way from the post- with a card saying I owed 22cents.

I ended up getting that last trade in the mail the other day!!! There was something very interesting about it though...it had been stamped with "FOUND IN SUPPOSEDLY EMPTY EQUIPMENT". What exactly does this mean anyway? Could this have happened with the other trades too??
CMK

I don't know what"found in suposedly empty eqipment" means.I think there was a sticker on my returned envelope saying how much I owed.They didn't send it anyway,and it was in limbo for about a month.I guess it would be better contacting the person you are trading with sooner rather than later.After 2 weeks if you haven't gotten your seeds that could be a bad sign.You start wondering if the person is cheating you or taking their sweet time when in reality they never got your envelope.

I had to file a complaint with the Postal Service a long time ago because I was not receiving magazines I subscribed to and small packages I should have recieved were either not arriving or were arriving with some of the contents missing. I have not had that particular kind of problem since. I am not saying someone in your PO is the culprit...just throwing another possibility out there.
Alana

Thank you for the help guys.

-Alana, I was actually wondering the same thing. Certainly don't like jumping to that conclusion, but I can't think of any more good reasons for them to get lost. That one package got sent to me even though it had a few cents owed on it, so I can't imagine why they would be keeping the others.

If more packages turn up missing (and I know for sure it is not the fault of the trader) I just might file a complaint with the PO. What exactly is involved with that process?
CMK

Sounds crazy but you could ask who your trading with to get a DC# [Delivery Confirmation number]on the envy. maybe toss in a couple extra seed pks to them for the trouble.
but this would give you proof to the Post office they sent it and you didnt get it, could also help them to find out were your envys are going and why.
Them stamping it sounds to me like one employee getting frustrated with another for not doing their job right, I only think that cause we do somthing like that at work, lol.

I talked to the postmaster when I had my problem. I had the benefit of having a couple of envelopes that I had received with some of the contents missing that had been cut open very neatly.
If you get delivery confirmation on your trades that are large or contain important seeds, you would be covering yourself whatever the cause. I would think twice about tampering with a package with tracking info.
Good luck!

-chrizty, that is a wonderful idea about the Delivery Confirmation code! Didn't even think of that. Hopefully (depending on the reason for the missing packages) that will do some good!

-Alana, that is freakish that someone at the post office would go and snip open your seed packages, take out what they wanted, and seal it up again! Wow...

Thank you everybody for the help!
CMK

Do you have a new mailman? Ours was misplacing mail and we wondered what else, what if there was something of higher value? Haven't received at least 3 of trades recently, so far new mailman has been ok.

Hi christinmk,

I think I was one of the ones who sent and it ended up lost in the mail. It was around Christmas and I sent it in a Christmas card with bubble wrap. There were several of those Christmas card envies that didn't arrive. During that time of year, there are many newbies in the PO....filling in for the extra workload, so I would say that's probably the reason for the lost packages then. Can't say now, but our postal service has really gone down hill.

I've been in a battle with our local postal station for almost a year now. I keep filing complaints and the local postal worker/manager/XXX I won't stoop that low...has yet to get back to me in the required 2 working days he's allowed. So I'll continue to file complaints...and one day our paths will cross...he may not like me then. If I take my time to take action, he needs to take time to resolve the issue. Not leave it up in the air.

Anyway, don't take it personally and end trading due to our "wonderful postal service". Most folks on GW know how horrific the PO service can be in different areas. I do realize that some folks only have a small amount of seeds of any given trade, but when we rely on a third party, we take a chance. Even though we pay for the service...it's still a toss up if the items arrive.

JM2Cents....
dirtdiggin

I've been burned on a few trades, but I also know that the Post Office has been responsible for a few. I didn't receive a trade last year from someone that I had traded with before and knew to be reliable; he was kind enough to re-send it again, and I sent him some extra seeds for his trouble. About a month later, I received his original package, dirty, crumpled, and covered in a red substance that I choose to believe is NOT blood. I actually sent him a couple of pictures of it, to let him know that I wasn't just angling for a second package of seeds.

So, generally, my first inclination is not to suspect the other traders, but the USPS.