Well, it's that time of the year again - Where I'll be sending and receiving seeds in the mail once more. Seeds coming into my country is no issue, as our postal service lets just about everything in (but it does take about 2 weeks). However sending seeds outside (I have painfully learned) is kind of tough, as around 30% of the time - They either get lost in transit (or are confiscated), or they reach their destination too late. So here I was, sealing some seeds for shipment and for my own long term storage. I of course always use a plastic sealer (so that everything is airtight). Seeds sealed! ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) But recently I also got a stamp kit - This I think is very useful, as now I just have make one stamp of my own address, and all envelopes will have my return address too. Shoving odd sized envelopes into the printer always is a bit cumbersome - And the time it takes to print one envelope (after getting all the sizes right) is somewhat counter productive as well. Stamp kit ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) So this is where my new stamp kit will work best, as it will save a lot of time! However, while I was making a stamp of my own return address (as well as the "BY AIR MAIL" stamp) - I also got the idea to why not also make a stamp that says: "printed Material - NO VALUE". This way I think the postal service people will leave it alone (and not throw away my seeds which will be destined for my international gardening friends). However, after doing that - I got an even better idea, to why not also make a stamp which says: "FINAL LEGAL NOTICE". This way the postal service people (I believe) will surely leave it all. So what do you guys think? Is this idea worth trying? or will the sight of such an envelope in your mailbox bring on a panic attack? Just need some feedback here, before I actually do try it. Stamps ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
Hi S-H,..i like the entire stamp making idea,..i have always received seeds from abroad but one package sent from Ireland to the USA never reached its destination,..lots of hands handle these packages and in some cases sticky fingers,..of course not forgetting customs. Great idea to have the envelope stamped ,.."Printed Material No Value",.."Final Legal Notice",..lol the latter would be avoided,..however be wary as you are making a declaration as to the contents,..i am guilty myself as i always declare "Confectionery",..which is correct but i omit the seeds content.
Hmmmm... would stamping it "no value" make them take less care in processing it? "Legal Notice" would make them think it's important and if the recipient is expecting mail from you, I would guess they wouldn't be too scared of the notice. You could also warn them ahead of time. Good luck!
I can also make a stamp which would say "Educational material, handle with care", or "Bank Statement, CONFIDENTIAL". Basically, It's all to fool the customs and nosy postmen. As they are what often keeps my international friends from getting my seeds... I can also make a stamp which would say: "DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE" - But that would be taking this joke a bit too far. Of course, I will always inform the recipient by email to ignore whatever may be stamped on the envelope (like "FINAL LEGAL NOTICE") - Like I said so before, it's all to fool the postal service... Anyone else got any ideas? What other type of stamp will make the postal service leave my envelope alone? I know! How about a stamp of: "Last Will and Testament"...
Of course I do Qubee, don't we all??? But thankfully, after the arrival of E-mail and broadband Internet - We hardly ever get to see our postman's face. In the past we also had extremely nosy telephone linemen and operators too. However the arrival of cell phones put those slovenly lot in their proper place almost 2 decades ago...
