I've received seeds from trades in all the methods & styles mentioned above. They all appear to be successful and allow seedaholics to choose the method that works best for them. Plastic baggies - I've found what works best for me are the smaller 2" x 3" zip-envelopes, also available at Walmart if you hit it when they're in stock, 100 @ $1.00. If I see them late in the season, I buy multiple packages. I use sticky labels, also available from Walmart, that can be printed from my computer. I include botanical name, common name, cultivar name, USDA hardiness zone, height, light & moisture requirements, bloom time & color along with any extra pertinent plant or growing information. If there's room, I'll include year harvested in brackets. Before mailing, I Google the seed name and do a little research so the information on the label is current, however I sometimes wonder if that information changes as time goes by. Mailing seeds - I use bubble mailers of different sizes but usually the smaller 5" x 7" size. Bubble mailers I receive get torn apart/cut up or reused as is if they're not too travel-damaged. For single trades I'll tape the seed envelope to a piece of recycled bubble envelope and tuck it inside a standard envelope with "PLEASE DO NOT MACHINE - SEEDS" on the front in the lower left-hand corner. After 2 years of sending seeds via mail in this way, I've not heard of anyone receiving crushed seeds. When harvesting seeds over the course of the season, I set them in paper bowls or spread them on paper platters that are placed on shelf units inside the garage to dry. This also allows any crawlies that may have taken up residence inside the seedpods to depart the premises of their own free will. Once thoroughly dry, seeds are stored in small plastic salad dressing cups with clear, snap-on lids I'm able to buy from the cafeteria where I work. They last from year to year and are re-used. Generally I try to not have seeds leftover from year to year despite evidence that they remain viable for many years. This thread is a good idea and hopefully we'll hear from plenty of folks with other ideas/methods for seed preservation and sharing.

Again, I wanted to add, for those of you who want to do both the bulbs and the seeds, they will be prepared around the same time so all of your stuff will be mailed together. heh, is there an echo in here?

I just wanted to add, for those of you who want to do both the bulbs and the seeds, they will be prepared around the same time so all of your stuff will be mailed together without the extra postage.

Mr. L'Strangle, why are you asking me to fly down to Monaco? I am here now! Where are you? I am at the Casino. Blackjack table. Wearing a blue shirt. Drinking Margaritas. The waitresses know me. Boy, will this could not have come at a better time! I am really down and using markers and can't leave the table. This could not have come at a better time. Good thing I check my email every 20 minutes. Can you just convert the check to chips for me at the window? I don't want to give them a check. (Taxes, you know.) How fast can you get over here? I've maxed out on markers and they are going to cut me off. T'odd