# packaging plants



## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

when i ship out my plants in envelopes (first class or regular mail service) i wrap it with a bunch of stuff and it always gets the the buyer in perfect condition. recently i've been getting rid of alot of my plants and i need a faster way to package. so can you either suggest some new methods or remove unnecessary steps?
i first take the plant out the night before shipping and soak a paper towel and squeeze out some of the water so it's high water content moist.
i wrap the plant and stick it in a plastic ziplock bag and flatten and suck out the air.
i then wrap the bag in plastic food wrap
then i wrap with a layer of aluminum foil
then bubble wrap if i'm using a regular envelope (otherwise i just stick it into a poly bubble mailer)
are there unnecessary steps? 
buyers are satisfied with this method of shipping because the plant comes in great condition but sometimes i have like 20 minutes to finish packing 6 packages and stick them in the mailbox before the mailman comes and it would be great if i could get less steps to save time.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

Switching to priority mail boxes would be easier. The video sized boxes have self adhesive closures. Then all you need to do is wrap the plants in damp (i.e. not soaking wet) paper towels and seal them in a plastic bag of some sort. People don't mind paying for Priority mail and sometimes first class mail can take 4-5 days.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

+1. Boxing is easier than padding an envelope. And like Aaron said, people don't mind paying for Priority Mail, especially since it's cheaper than most retail delivery charges.


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

Actually ive asked alot of the people i deal with and they say they prefer first class because it takes around the same time and the plants arrive in better shape. I only use priority flat rate boxes for live animals or on request.


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Hmm, I'd say the exact opposite. Priority mail will get to me in 1-3 days depending on distance. First Class will get to me in 3-10 days, depending on how long the carrier forgets about it under the seat of their car. Price really does end up being about the same as you have to buy materials for first class but USPS gives out free boxes for Priority. Unless a seller is padding the bill with "shipping expenses", Priority will cast no more and may cost less for the smallest two boxes. This is becasue the materials are free, you can print online labels (with a cheaper rate for doing it online), and even schedule a pickup for you rpackages if you don't/can't go to the post office.

In general, my comments on shipping are identical to Aaron's. *Always* wrap the plants well in well-wrung-out papertowels and seal in a plastic bag. Plants to large for a plastic bag can be wrapped in a few layers of kitchen plastic wrap. Old newspapers should not be used to wrap plants directly, but do make excellent packing material and insulation when crumpled into the box. Plastic grocery bags make excellent packing material/insulation also.

Of the hundred+ packages I have sent this way, only two have had issues. Once the box was found laying in the street by a neigbhor, another time the box was found in a melting-snow drift later in the year. The first was fine, the latter obviously was not. I've only received plants packaged as above once that had issues, and that was due to the package being left in sub-freezing temps for 6+ hours. Plants shipped w/o a paper-towel wrapping in plastic bag have a variable success rate. Insulating the box with crumpled newspaper or plastic grocery bags are very important in hot or cold weather.


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## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

i ship mostly in small flat rate because of the quantities i send, i find it super easy to put the box together. i put the plant either in a ziplock or regular fish bag but i don't skish the air out to keep it somewhat fat (in case it gets skished, it won't destroy the plant, or so i hope for lol) i don't add wet paper towels, but i do wrap the bag either on newspaper or something to help it a little at least with heat/cold insulation.i try not to ship when the local temperature is over 85 or too cold that i might freeze. so far i had one misshap, this summer actually that was unbelievably hot!!! hope this helps...


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

huh... for me materials are free, and the shipping costs me 2 dollars for label and all of my plants arrive in better condition than by the box. of course i only sell about 1-5 plants for each order so i don't need a box... also for me my first class packages go from fremont to new york in about 3-5 days, and when they arrive the buyer says it's like they just left my tank. in general for first class it takes 3-5 days anywhere but it always arrives in great condition.


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## Pickled_Herring (Jul 22, 2010)

I Can Vouch for neilshieh I received some plants from him the other day and they were in great shape. When I first saw the bubble pack envelope I was like yikes this stuff must be smashed. But much to my surprise they looked better than a lot of plants I've received in boxes. Go figure.

Regards
Larry


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Just let me say I was not trying to bash you in any way Neil. If your method is working for you that is all that counts. 

The USPS is highly variable in my experience. Sometime it take 4-6 days for a first class letter to travel from two towns over. Other times it takes 2 days to traverse half the country. I agree they are usually very good about not squashing any packages, but envelopes and the like can be placed through sorters, or end up on the bottom of the bag or stack of bags for transport. I got some plants recently in the warm weather without papertowels and very wet in a plastic bag. Two days in the mail and about 75 miles and most melted. The box was not in the sun, I was in fact here when the mail came, the outside temps where upper 70's, and the plants in the bag (in a box with packing material around it) where easily in the 90's as it felt almost hot to my hand.

As for quantities, I usually need a box for the amounts I ship, but I rarely ship expensive or rare plants where quantities are obviously much smaller. I never expect to get a hand full of Tonina (or whatever its called now) for $10 shipped but I sure as heck would never sell Rotala for 0.50 cents a stem. $10 of Rotala will buy you a great old handful, and I gots big hands

I suspect plant shipping is like politics or religion. I'm very certain of my opinion and what I want, as other people are of theirs. 

Again, no disrespect or bashing intended. We have different experiences and both apparently have worked for us.


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## vicky (Feb 18, 2010)

I have also received plants from Neil in an envelope with the plants in great shape - equal or better than boxes. And I do mind paying more for shipping than I do for the plants. Flat rate boxes are great for dense, heavy items, or if you are buying a large number of plants that would not fit in an envelope. I think they are silly for items that can be sent for around a buck in an envelope. $6 shipping for RAOK floaters is only a good deal for someone with no LFS. 

So Neil, having received a few envelopes from you now, this is what I think. I'm not sure the paper towel inside the bag helps. The first ziplock I got from you had no toweling and the plants were fine with no air and just a tiny bit bit of water. I'm not sure the plastic wrap and foil help much. The last envelope I received leaked anyway and tore and was repaired by the post office, thankfully still including the plants, which arrived in great shape even if the envelope wasn't. I think the bubble wrap helps much more than the foil, even though it increases the postage a few cents due to the extra thickness.

I suggest placing the still-wet plants in a ziplock, or even a fish-type bag sealed with a rubber band, after removing all of the air like you do, wrapping that bag in a dry paper towel to absorb any potential leaks, and then placing the whole thing in another ziplock or fish bag, again removing all of the air. Put bubble wrap around that and then place in the envelope. Charge a buck over what it costs you and guarantee live arrival. 

As long as the weather is mild - like now, it should be fine. Of course, people have to be expecting the plants and able to retrieve them promptly. In the middle of summer or middle of winter I might have to pay for a box and a heat/cold pack. In extreme weather even that may not work. But I've had cardboard boxes arrive mushy and with wilted plants inside even when my weather was fine. So I try to buy as local as possible. 

In the end, if people want to pay more - they will. But I think you have a great method. I appreciate the cost savings and the great plants.


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

i agree with dennis, first class mail does seem to take weird turns at times, it takes 3 days to get to washington and it takes 4 days to get to new york... go figure. 
thanks for the additional feed back! ill be sure to double bag plants next time vicky, i had no idea that it'd leak... though it was probably because i had 10 minutes to get 6 packages and one priority flat rate box packed and ready to go for the mailman and i had to do it between the 5 minute intervals that my mom kept calling for me to go down and do my homework. (did i mention i was 14?) i was really rushing everything and after i sealed and taped up the packages i realized that i forgot to put bubble wrap and put a personal letter that i usually do (although now i have printed cards that say everything i need to say).
so i narrowed down my procedure to this:
(optional wet towel) wrap the plant in a plastic baggy and deflate
then wrap with another dry towel and put into another bag
(optional bubble wrap)

i put the plastic wrap and aluminum foil thinking in terms or physics but apparently in reality it doesn't do much. 
the aluminum foil was to reflect or deflect heat  that didn't work...
the plastic wrap was to keep the package together and hopefully stop leaks... that also didn't work.


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## vicky (Feb 18, 2010)

So Cal to Seattle is probably two days. I'm in a small town a couple hours to the north, hence the third day. Your packaging worked as far as the plants are concerned, but the PO is probably not fond of leaks. 

Bubble wrap is a pretty good insulator. We use a heavier version of it on our pool. Still it can be hard to overcome mother nature for too long, or human failure - like leaving it under the seat for a week or in a too hot or freezing environment.

Excuse me, I had to nag my kids to do their homework. 

Flat rate boxes are certainly easy, but the convenience comes at a price. You are experimenting to find a decent balance between ease and cost. Sounds like a perfect endeavor for a student. I prefer your cheapie envelope for small, spontaneous purchases. But you might want to offer flat rate boxes as an option, for folks who have trouble with regular USPS service. In the winter, I have the most trouble with UPS. They will drive right past my house and deliver up the street, but not to me. FedEx stops, USPS stops, but not UPS (I'm on a hill). So it is not the same in all places.


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