Regarding postage for your return envelope.
Priority Mail
7.00 covers priority mail for your return envelope, if that is your preference. Last year a few people sent in extra money to cover any shortages that might occur because the postage rate changed in the middle of the swap. According to the USPS, this year the rate for the padded envelope will range from 6.80-7.20 as of rate increases January 22. I will try to beat that deadline but even if I don’t it won’t be an issue. The flat rate box can be a few cents less, 6.65-6.85, if I remember correctly, and I will use it in some cases, but if you claim a lot of big seeds it is not large enough. There is no need to send extra money. I have plenty of supplies, including envelopes for people who want First Class Mail, and have tons of fun. It would embarrass me to get more postage than is necessary. If the Priority Mail people send 7.00 it will work out. I’m hoping no one minds that they may send in 20 cents or so more or less than needed.
First Class with Delivery Confirmation
If you wind up with 50 or fewer packets and prefer First Class Mail with Delivery Confirmation send 3.50 for postage. If it turns out that your package takes significantly less, say 50 cents less than 3.50, I’ll put your change in your return envelope. Otherwise I will apply any small overages to any shortages. I don’t want to put a lot of time into calculating tiny postage differences.
You can send your return postage with your seeds via concealed cash, check or money order, or if you prefer Paypal I will send you my address for that account. For first class mail only, if you prefer to send the 3.50 in stamps, that’s fine.
Wrapping Up
As to turn around time for this swap, I will have everything set up to work through the redistribution process quickly. Creating postage labels will be the most time consuming aspect of processing the returns. Make sure to use the printable sheets you will have access to at the end of the swap that include a list for each person receiving from you that you can check off, cut out, and attach to each person’s bundled seeds. It’s a great way for you to be sure you didn’t miss anything, and all I will have to do is verify the recipient and put it in their folder. I also count the packs to make sure the number matches the printout, but there is always a chance I will miss the same thing you did. Then mail to me as quickly as you can. The sooner I have them all the faster they will be on their way back. I don’t care whether you send Priority or First Class.
To see when your seeds, or anyone else’s for that matter, have arrived, check the “recent events for the swap” link on your swap dashboard. As people mark their seeds sent it will show up there, and I will be marking each pack when it is received, which will also appear in that very useful accounting of events. (Thank you Dave!)
