From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Little-TON - Colorado

Read in Don's diary he too received an empty bubble with a note inside..

UNKNOWN SEED PROPATIVE MATERIAL 45 each
Checked on the boxes was
Material infested or infected and treatment not feasible. Insect pests and plant diseases in fruits, vegetables, or other plant material could become established and threaten US agriculture.....Phyto-sanitary certificate missing.
Contents destroyed.

US Customs and Border Protection

Our wonderful system at work protecting us.....BS

3/20/2014 9:38:20 AM

Johnston, Iowa

That is complete B.S. !

3/20/2014 9:46:04 AM

canal winchester ohio

Just wondering if anywhere on the bubble did anyone write "seeds" ?
And if so..why
That is normally how these are discovered. You don't have to lie just say decorative items. And if asked just say you were making a seed collage

3/20/2014 9:57:24 AM

Billerica,Massachusetts

we may just want to have them carried over the southern US border, as it's wide open

3/20/2014 10:14:44 AM

New England

I don't write anything on my bubbles regarding seeds or cucurbita maxima. That's how things like that happen. Wrap your seeds in some cloth/t shirt and send like that.

3/20/2014 10:34:03 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

These were marked as hobby supplies.

3/20/2014 10:58:39 AM

Knopp, Germany

This is not a new problem. The laws that you have in the USA, state that plants and plant products are not allowed to be imported. If you don't want that problem get a Canadian address, they don't care.

Or better yet, get someone from Canada that lives near the USA border and send the seeds to them so that they can cross the border and forward the seeds via the US Postal service.

3/20/2014 11:09:35 AM

canal winchester ohio

your right Owen it is all on the US & is insane

3/20/2014 12:09:49 PM

Sorry to see that Don, that really sucks. I think that one way if anybody sends seeds from one country to another in the future (I don't just because of the risk)is to try a trick I saw Mark use in his diary with cardboard, it was a clever idea.

Check this link out
http://bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=213672

-Martin

3/20/2014 12:38:04 PM

Eddyz@efirehose.net

And if you say the seeds are for consumption they allow them entry, actually up to 1 pound

3/20/2014 1:06:14 PM

New England

I received seeds from overseas last month with no issues whatsoever, actually 2 different sets of seeds.

3/20/2014 1:40:21 PM

Colorado

send 'em staggered so the agent doesn't have them all at one time

3/20/2014 2:21:29 PM

Hamilton - New Zealand

Over here in NZ we have pretty strict rules for getting things into the country especially as we are an island. But having the botanical name on the packages is a must for us.

3/20/2014 2:40:14 PM

Leeds uk

Is the EGVGA for people in Europe ?

3/20/2014 3:21:58 PM

Germany

@Richard360

www.egvga.eu

...have a look around and your questions might get answered.

3/20/2014 3:35:26 PM

Alabama

They got mine to): sad when you think your in a free country and your seeds get stolen by the Government.

3/20/2014 4:25:41 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Sorry Owen it is just not that simple. When I cross the border into Washington State, if I am honest and tell them that I have seeds that I am mailing via the US postal services, they are confiscated on the spot. If I am not honest and don't declare the seeds that I am transporting and they find them, then I can no longer freely cross the border into the United States

I would not advise any Canadian to try and cross the USA border to try and mail seeds inside the USA and not declare them, you run a very high chance of being banished back to Canada for life.

3/20/2014 5:19:17 PM

POLAND, adamb23@vp.pl

I received a lot of bubbles to Polish of the world, all were OK, also EGVGA

3/20/2014 5:26:11 PM

Griffith, In

I think they got Cecil Weston's seeds too,,,Anyone else get an empty bubble courtesy of the customs guys??

3/20/2014 5:37:03 PM

west central IN/East central IL

I did, but 3days before I received the empty, a nice 3page violation sheet along with an explanation from the USDA of why the seeds are banned came in the mail. Why even send the empty bubble?

3/20/2014 8:47:26 PM

Torrance, Ca.

Good thing our seeds keep making it Glenn :)

3/20/2014 9:45:53 PM

Whidbey Island

Mine was received empty also. I think that the return sticker with EGVGA was a clue. Maybe next year they can hand write a return name and address and make it look like a simple gift. Or put the seeds in an empty CD jewel case inside a bubble pack.

3/20/2014 9:56:33 PM

South Bloomfield, Ohio

This issue certainly ramps up the challenge of clubs getting seeds to auction winners outside the U.S. and trading between clubs worldwide. There's nothing worse than getting an e-mail from a pissed off winner whose prize was confiscated or simply never arrived for whatever unknown reason.

3/20/2014 10:43:53 PM

South Bloomfield, Ohio

And also those U.S. winners who bid during auctions outside the U.S.

3/20/2014 10:45:26 PM

Lexington, Ky

"Hobby Supplies"....now what would you think if you were an Agent?! I have no doubt that's the reason why this particular package was audited.....

3/21/2014 9:33:00 AM

Williamsburg,KY

The wording I use is guitar pick. Well, you could use one like that.

3/21/2014 10:17:04 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

I have not had issues sending to New Zealand when declaring that they seeds and putting down the scientific name...cucurbita maxima, even on auction seeds since I have to fill out custom forms, I make sure they are correct...seems to work OK.

3/21/2014 10:42:13 AM

Johnston, Iowa

Agree with 1320, if I was an inspector "hobby supplies" = "drug paraphernalia"

3/21/2014 10:55:41 AM

South Hero, VT

OH GOD!!! Tell me my seeds from Canada aren't burnt toast, too.!!!

3/21/2014 12:36:04 PM

Ireland

I sent seeds to a well known grower in the US, but they too got burnt by customs. At the same time I sent 100 seeds with no form filled in to Finland and they got there ok.
Its amazing the way different countries work!
Micheál

3/21/2014 12:52:34 PM

Paradise Mountain, New York

Why did they put hobby supplies on the package. I know when I send to Canada and fill out the custom form, I just write Letter or paper for what's inside. I also know the post master very well and she got the postal book out and looked up seeds. Nothing shows up and she says there ok. But why do custom do this? because what's going on over seas?

3/21/2014 1:21:32 PM

Netherlands

It is very difficult to get seeds into the US lately. They currently run everything through scanners and the scanner can tell if there is any biological matter in the package. They then open the package, destroy the contents and send the empty package along. In the case of narcotics, they track down and penalize the sender and the receiver. The law seems to state that they can do the same for trying to import seeds, but I haven't heard of them actually doing that.
With non-biological matter, they scan to see if the contents more or less match the description on the customs form. With biological matter, it doesn't matter what you put on the form.

3/21/2014 1:34:10 PM

Hope all those seeds i just sent out make it.Put them in the smallest bubble and sent first class(was told no custom sticker needed and i got 1 from the states with no sticker).

Is it possible that they are on the hunt more at planting or seed starting time?

3/21/2014 1:44:29 PM

Leerdam, The Netherlands

Hobby supplies was suggested by several US growers and has worked very well for the past few years. Must have been the weight off this awesome seed package we had this year..........

3/21/2014 3:03:19 PM

Muddy Waters

I didnt get anything at all

3/21/2014 3:57:22 PM

Muddy Waters

Wrap them in cardboard & send as a document.they will never look.

3/21/2014 3:58:13 PM

Simi valley, ca

Maybe the world trade center should hire those postal workers,???

3/22/2014 11:08:48 AM

Polson, Montana

Our club auction seeds never made it to the buyer in Canada. We refunded his money and considered it a lesson learned.

3/22/2014 12:04:14 PM

Whitehall Montana

I received seeds from Austria,and sent seeds to Austria and claimed them as pumpkin seeds with no problems.It is a shame that so many folks are out good money and great genetics were lost as well.VTSteve I have seeds coming from Canada and may have lost those too.

3/22/2014 1:11:47 PM

no worries here about seeds EGVGA has some fine growers who are doing great job ,its risk we all take with any postal system could happen to anyone any time

3/22/2014 5:36:48 PM

Princeton Kentucky

I've been mailing pumpkin & misc. Packed seed to many places and on the customs decaration Tag I simply write "Pumpkin Seeds Edible". Truth telling, you can eat them,lol. Everyone from Greece to Australia to Hawaii and Canada gets them ok so far. I figure the agents feel they'll get eatin and thats that,lol.

3/22/2014 7:49:50 PM

Lloydminster/AB

It's going into the USA that's the problem. They keep track of violators I'd bet and once the sender is caught once, all the envelopes from that sender will get checked. Anyone else watch that border security show? Lots of mail X-ray going on...

3/22/2014 11:36:15 PM