Hi valeriepa, I am assuming that you must have used the Large Flat Rate box. The use of the Flat Rate boxes is not always the best deal. It all depends upon what mail zone the box is going to and how much the box weighs once it is packed. Being a veteran trader, I (usually) don't respond to trade posts where the member's location is not shown. I take into consideration what it is that they have, and if I could find it locally. I take into consideration what I have to offer them, and the approximate weight/cost, given their location. I take into consideration what that plant would cost, if I could even find it locally, or what it would cost if purchased on line, and had shipping charges added to the cost. IMHO...all plants are not created equal in value to me, so that is a consideration. In the spring I often trade native spring wildflowers...Trillium (rhizomes), Jack in the Pulpits(rhizomes/bulbs), May Apple roots, among other things. These plants are very inexpensive to ship, usually weighing one LB or less, ($4.95) and can often be mailed in a sturdy box and go as First Class if it is less that 13 OZ, and might be $3, more or less. Here are some links that may help you. If you plan to do much plant trading at all, or even seeds trading, you might want to invest in a Digital Postal Scale from Ebay. $20-$25 is a good price if it includes shipping. You might find that printing out the Postal Zone Chart is a good thing to have handy when packing, along with a Print Out of the Priority Mail Pricing to all zones. This is the Printer friendly version I hope. Here is a list of all the Priority Mailing boxes, and their dimensions. You can order them on line, and have them delivered to your house, or you may be able to pick up a couple of each size at your local Post Office. I salvage small cardboards boxes at the recycling center, for those trades that are especially lightweight ( 13 OZ and under) and that can go First Class, (which is just as fast I am told) but considerably less than a 1 LB Priority (4.95). Last year I did a trade with a member in FL. She was sending me a rooted cutting of a Lacecap hydrangea. I forget what I was sending, but knew it would not be costly to send, but would be a good value to her if she were to buy what I was sending. Well...her 'cutting' had been rooting for over a year, and the root system was massive, and was like a very well rooted 1 GA hydrangea...to the point that it was not even possible to get most of the soil off of the root system. She mailed it Flat Rate and paid about $9 at the time. I weighed it when I got the box, and had she chosen to pay by the pound, it would have cost just $6.40. There are a lot of ins and outs to be considered when trading. For $13.95, I could mail a 19 LB box if it was going to mail zones 1 or 2. I could mail an 11 LB box to zone 3. I could mail a 9 LB box to zone 4 I could mail a 5 LB box to zones 5 and/or zone 6...etc. I could mail a 4 LB box to zone 7 I could mail a 3 LB box to zone 8 Even just 5 LBs is really a lot of weighty plants. I was stuffing daylilies in a flat rate box, and it was hard to get enough packed for the flat rate to be cost effective as opposed to going with paying by the pound. I won't do flat rate box trades. I would maybe consider sending a box of the same dimensions as a flat rate, but would pay by the pound, if it was more cost effective. I know sometimes when folks offer stuff up for postage, they just use the flat rate to keep it simple. Since I have a scale, and printouts, I can offer things up by the LB and tell the member exactly how much it would be that way. Irises, particularly named ones are traded by the fan, and cut away from the mother rhizome, which will not grow anyway. Daylilies, particularly named ones, are usually traded by the fan, and some members cut the foliage back on them...others don't...if is doubt about packing it is best to ask the member, or even inquire as to how they plan to pack and ship, especially if they are a newbie to plant trading. Hostas, too I think are traded as eye divisions...as in X number of eyes, and the soil is cleaned from the roots and the roots only wrapped in moisture. Bulbs, the # is usually designated....daffodils, hyacinths, lily (bulbs), etc. Something like a bigger hosta that is leafed out well, might be best shipped in one of the 2 sizes of the tubular boxes...or better yet, as antique orchid pointed out, just trade it in early spring. 6" X 25" tube 6" X 38" tube I would never use Parcel Post, as there is very little difference in the cost of that and Priority as Karyn1 pointed out. I mailed some bulbs in a small box and forgot to mark it First Class boldly on the outside, though I had put enough postage on it to go FC. I was mailing from my home mailbox. Well, they went Parcel Post, and arrived in 2 weeks. Needless to say, that was way too long, and way too hot for even daffodils to survive well. So many folks say they prefer large trades, well there are those of us to 'like' small trades just as well or better. These are usually trading smaller starts of things that are just smaller by nature...Seedlings, cuttings, small rooted cuttings, iris rhizomes of particularly small by nature irises. Some of my best trades have been where I received in maybe 4 cool things that were shipped for 1 LB or less A lot of consideration goes into being a savvy trader, that both members will be pleased/with what they receive in relation to what they sent and what it cost them. Being in IN, I believe that everyone East of the Mississippi is mail zone 4 or less from me. Those within IN, and some folks in the immediately surrounding states are in mail zones 1 and 2...very cost effective for mailing. zones 3 and 4 are quite reasonable too. Sue...wordy as usual

Well, the Special Instructions as well as the FAQ are in need of some serious updating. Example...Special Instructions The exchanges were created to facilitate the arranging of trades of plants and seeds between members. Please do not use them to solicit donations, ask for free plants or seeds, or ask for items in exchange for postage. All requests must be in the context of arranging a trade. If you have nothing to offer at this time, please wait until you do. The exchanges were created to facilitate the arranging of trades of plants and seeds between members. You must be 18 years or older to participate. Please do not use them to solicit donations, ask for free plants or seeds, or ask for items in exchange for postage. All requests must be in the context of arranging a trade. If you have nothing to offer at this time, please wait until you do. This totally leaves out addressing members offering up their excess for postage. Each post must have a type of trade, subject and a message. Might this be better, or something similar? The exchanges were created to facilitate the arranging of trades of plants and seeds between members. You must be 18 years or older to participate. Please do not use them to solicit donations, ask for free plants or seeds, or ask for items in exchange for postage. If you have nothing to offer at this time, please wait until you do. Could the Type of Trade choices at the bottom maybe be changed to Wanted and Have so that one could post offers of their excesses for postage...as in,"Have mixed irises for postage" or Have Strawberry plants for postage?" Or could there be a third option of Have for postage. Or better yet, make it a Type Of Transaction, with Wanted or Have. Often members have excess, and they really aren't wanting to make trades at that time. The FAQ could be set up to better help newbies. Maybe first making an FAQ Outline would be best to arrange the Information and questions in sort of a logical order? 1-Getting set up and started A--setting up your GW profile, garden zone and location, email settings So many new members don't have a member page email link, thus there is no way to contact them. Could the default setting when one joins be changed to Allow other users to send you email via forms at our site. It used to be that way, but somehow got changed several years ago B--setting up your Trade Page C-Member Page Blurb-share a bit about yourself or your gardening style and/or challenges. 2--Nothing to trade? Watch for members posting their excess plants, bulbs, etc for postage. Check out the Seed Exchange, for either trading seeds or checking out the many generous Seeds for Postage Offers. 3--Posting a trade --checking The Rate and Review Forum for member reviews. Basically the FAQ as they are could be scrapped, as even the one covering What is the best way to package and ship plants? doesn't cover bulbs which are packaged dry (daffodils, tulips, etc), or iris rhizomes that are packed dry, or many rooted plants that can be sent dry, with roots not wrapped. There is no cut and dried way, so under packing plants it could list some that are the exception to the rule, or that can be packaged either dry or moist. When in doubt about the packaging, check with the member you are trading with. The FAQ How do I get free Priority mailing supplies? is pretty well obsolete. The FAQ How can I be sure of a fair trade? is also obsolete as it states, "GardenWeb cannot be responsible for 'rating' traders, or keeping lists of those who do not follow through on agreed trades. It makes no mention of checking the The Rate and Review Forum before making a trade, as well as rating one's trading partner after the trade is completed. Just my 3 cents.....for now anyway. Sue...rbb

I have a digital scale I bought for $15 and generally use the click & ship to print my labels from home, pay for it online, then request free carrier pick up. (They don't offer parcel post as an option on the website, but with my scale I can calculate the difference.) When you purchase the priority mail from the usps website, it includes free delivery confirmation - they also now have a "scan form" which you can print & place with the package for the carrier to scan, then leave for you. This ensures the package is accounted for & tracked. I know we've all had the problem of the package not getting actually scanned into their system till the day it is delivered! Not with the new scan form! With the carrier pickup, the package is picked up right at my FRONT DOOR!!! I've generally found priority is within $1 of parcel post cost, plus, doing this from their website, I get del conf free. As an added bonus, I don't have to go wait in those horrible lines at the PO or deal with people. Like Remy, I've only had one or two packages take up to 5 days with Priority over a holiday, and that's simply because we are in the boonies. Maybe I've just been lucky, but I do a great deal of shipping this way - selling & buying stuff on ebay or swapping packages and plants. And seeing as they will deliver the mailing supplies to my door for free - why do I want to get dressed, drive to the PO, wait in line and deal with a clerk who may grow fangs, just to "save" a dollar or less? I deal with people all day at work & don't want to do it on my time, so unless it's going to save me more than $2 (with the del conf), no thanks to the PO, and to parcel post. On the other hand, I will and do use Media mail - big difference there!! Takes longer, but much cheaper for books. Just have to keep enough stamps on hand to pay for it - love it that the grocery store & ATMs now have stamps for sale!!!

You must have a copy of Outlook on a CD to load. It is not a free program. Normally comes with the "Office" package ie. MS Office 2003 etc