You know, it's crazy that so many traders are willing to be overcharged. Perhaps, they don't know they can do anything about it and never visit this side of the forum? I even wrote one of the ladies as it was insane what one packet of seeds cost... it was over $1.50! She never even responded. I was trying to help her. (ugggggh) Anyways.... Here's my responses to your questions: Was that where a member guessed it needed that much and just put additional stamps on it, or were they postal tapes? I was thinking I really should keep track in a notebook or write a list or something. I am a very new trader, so I was really suprised seeing so many being overcharged. I should have kept better records, so I could tell you exactly. I am sure that many of them had postal tapes. I think most of them did, but I can't swear to it. I'll try to keep better track from here on out as this is good information to know. Where did you buy them (bubble mailers that are under 1/4" thick with seeds)? I'd like to buy some too, for those instances where it was just a really small trade of really small seeds, in a small quantity. I found them at Wal-Greens. The are Scotch brand from 3M. They are #0 size, 6x9 inch. They were in a bin that had a bunch of other bubble envies that were bigger. This one was priced 3 for $1.98. I did take note that they could be cut in half lengthwise and put inside a regular envy as padding very easily and fit almost perfectly. Even so, if you don't get these back in from trades that you can reuse, then you're still spending 33 to 66 cents for each trade before factoring in postage. It would be neat to see if they have just the thinner bubble wrap itself (not a bubble mailer) available somewhere. And, yes, I couldn't agree more... We all do need to address the postage issue with our own postmasters and stand up for not being overcharged at the counters as well. I wish more people were able to confront the issue rather than just not saying anything at all, paying more than they should, and just walking out. My biggest factor is that I do not want to have to go in to the post office as this costs me gas which far outweighs what I spend on postage. Plus, it's a toss-up whether I'm going to get the guy that overcharges behind the counter or the lady who charges correctly at my post office. I think like most everyone else, I'd rather not have to tell them that they've charged me incorrectly and argue with them with a line a mile long behind me, but I WILL do it, whereas many other people won't... ~Angela *who has no idea if she's going to stay away from this thread, but still has to pack and get ready for her trip to Dallas*

Nope, you guys missed a VERY important step. The very first thing you do with new mail order bands after taking them out of the shipping box and taking off any shipping paraphenalia is to fill a garbage can to the point where the water will completely cover the whole plant and to submerge it for 30 minutes to an hour. The point here is to kill any critters that came with your plants, especially of the spider mite variety. It also rehydrates everything that dried out during shipping. Then I keep them in the band pots in the shade for a couple of days and then, when I have time, I pot them up to one gallon pots. No fertilizer in the one gallon pots until you see they are established and growing well.

Hi Kim, My garden is on the west edge of Davidson county. I've lived in Nashville much of my life (but currently in Seoul, Korea and missing my garden!). So we're we're sort of neighbors.... only thousands of miles away. :) mgood4u, now is a perfect time to plant seedlings. If you know where you want them, you can plant them and sit back and relax. They are tough and in your climate, you will have to do virtually no maintenance. Enjoy!

When you agree on a trade and receive the other person's address, write it immediately on a mailing label. Write what you are to send on the back of the label to avoid confusion. Some have suggested keeping track of trades in a notebook, in case either trader would have computer problems. Plan to ship on Monday or Tuesday so the package doesn't get stuck in the Post Office on the weekend. Priority mail takes three days, and costs around $3 (subject to change, of course!) for a two-lb package. Either dig the plant the day before you ship it and soak the roots in water overnight,or leave it in the soil until you are ready to pack it, but thoroughly soak the soil around it the day before. Try to include plenty of roots on the plants that you send. (very important!) Gently rinse most of the soil from the roots.Wrap the roots in a moist paper towel, wet but not dripping. Put the roots and the damp paper towel (but not the leaves) into a plastic bag and wrap the bag snugly around the stems with a bag tie, to seal the water in. Be careful not to crush the stems! This is a step that not everyone does but it seems to help: Lay the plant (with the roots in the baggie) diagonally on a sheet of news paper and roll the paper around the whole plant gently so the foliage is protected by a cone of newspaper. Label the plants with water proof marker. Box the plants in a priority mail box. (The Post Office supplies these boxes and nice labels free upon request.) Pad the plants with lightly crumpled newspaper so they don't knock around in the box. Write "LIVE PLANTS" on the label. Keep the package cool until you mail it. Don't let it sit in the sun in your car! It's a good idea to notify the recipient once you've mailed the package, and ask them to let you know if it arrived safely, and the condition of the plants.