Shipping plants

[The Orchid Boy]

I have a whole bunch of African Violets- Rob's Lilli Pilli, to sell and ship. I think I'll put them on eBay (maybe on here). I really need the space. Any suggestions how to ship? I think I'll do it using USPS Priority Mail. Any places I shouldn't ship to? (AZ, HI, AK, CA?) Do I need any permit? Should I/ shouldn't I mark the boxes 'live plants'?

 

[Ray]

Anchor the plants in their pots with paper towels and masking tape

Surround them in shredded paper, Easter grass, or the like (padding and insulation)

Wrap that bundle in several layers of newspaper.

As long as the temperatures stay moderate, Priority Mail would be OK

I would avoid marking the boxes.

 

[Clark]

Just f-bombed the federal box carrier a couple of weeks ago.
Don't understand how these people still have job.
Weird, when I went to the postmaster to complain, he knew exactly who I was talking about.

We get the best service from FedEx and UPS.
I think the private sector gives better service, by a long shot.

Your experiences may differ...

 

[The Orchid Boy]

I've got a little better service from UPS and have had good experiences receiving plants with USPS & UPS. FedEx is another story... One reason I'd prefer USPS is that they are the closest. The stores of the other 2 companies are more than 30 miles away.

 

[Ray]

I have used FedEx almost exclusively for shipping in the continental US for the last 12 years, and have had very few issues - and they are less expensive than the USPS most of the time.

I had VERY bad experiences with UPS when I was a global logistics manager for a chemical company, and they offer absolutely no coverage for plants.