[Mikell]

An interesting watch for anyone shipping across borders.

Most of it is bunkum, foreign workers trying to by-pass work visa, drug mules and bumbling travellers with criminal records. About five minutes of every episode documents mail handling facilities.

All in all, worth the price of a puff and half hour, at least for a few episodes.

The New Zealand version is an eye opener. Protecting their country from the scourge of vegetable seeds... I get a real kick when they pull something for potential biological contamination. Just remove the offending item from the luggage and it's good to go? As if the entire piece of luggage (and traveller) isn't potentially laced with insect eggs, microbes, fungal spores, etc.

[dddaver]

MY EYES, MY EYES! I think I'm going blind! Watch something?

[stoned-trout]

whats new Zealand got against vegetables .....lol...I have actually heard about them being real strict

[GreeeeN GRassss]

Australias mail is so strict you cant get a chicken cuppa soup through. our parcels always got searched coming in.

even going through customs there they check for soil on your football boots.

the inside of the plane is sprayed with some sort of bug killer before you land.

[hoss1111]

I sent my buddy seeds to Spain from canada. On the declaration I wrote pepper seeds. Think I screwed up?

[blastfrompast]

I had some "Mixed Annual - Spring Mix" seed packets made up a few years ago..

So if I ship I toss the seeds in there along with a bunch of other crap seeds from one of those 1kg of "springtime flower seeds" shake and grow containers.

Dude on the other end knows what pot seeds look like, so he can pick them out... And plant the others if he wants.

[hoss1111]

Should be good man!

[Mikell]

Red rider was trying to do the same thing shipping from Columbia and they opened the package in the post office

Not to say that would happen here, it's just a funny story to read through.

Originally Posted by hoss1111

I sent my buddy seeds to Spain from canada. On the declaration I wrote pepper seeds. Think I screwed up?

Yes and no. Spain I think is fine, but they are a large producer of export produce and could have similar restrictions as NZ or AUS, who will open the package to verify. Peppers account for a significant portion of their produce exports, it might be worth looking in to if anything comes up. At the same time it's Spain, they're pretty lax in general and it'll most likely be fine.

The US is fine, and probably the UK. I've posted to US under pepper seeds a few times without issue.

FWIW, the new regulations only concern parcels (re:declaration). Everything under can still be posted internationally without a declaration. The rate calculator, a scale and ruler keep you out of the PO.

[hoss1111]

I guess because of the size I had to declare. What should I mark down next time I send internationally ?

[Mikell]

Anything non-organic. If it gets x-rayed or sniffed, you're screwed either way. Parcels still have a fairly high success rate if everything is in order.

Numbers wise, the bulk of mail is still undeclared non-parcels. Picture envelopes, small bubble wrappers, etc, can hold more seeds than you'll ever need to mail privately or commercially. Mass quantity is a different game. I can't recall off hand, but the sizing requirements at Canadian PO's are around 8 and 15mm, any thicker and it goes to parcel. 8-15mm only changes postage.