Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray
I agree - especially as the seed was in a little vial. Vials are better off enclosed in boxes or padded envelopes. The automated sorting equipment will do just that with non-flat objects in flat, letter envelopes.
If you're going to ship vials in envelopes, select a piece of cardboard that fits in the envelope and is the same thickness as the vial. Then cut a notch in it, and place the vile in the notch. That way the entire envelope is the same thickness.
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the same thing happened to me with a seed capsule I sent - envelope was torn and the capsule missing. The next time I had a capsule, I went to the post office and asked them what could have happened. A worker told me that it tore because the envelope was too thick/lumpy in parts for the auto-sorter. I was advised to buy a bubble-wrap envelope which they now dispense and apply postage to via an atm-type machine. It was specifically for an envelope 1/4 in or greater. It was 5x the cost of an ordinary mailing but it did require special handling. Needless to say I use this every time now and have never had a problem again.