> Ok, ok ... now I know why I'm the only idiot <g> who offers to give away
> plants online .... people want them, and in relatively large numbers.
> ... Why isn't this more common?... Do I send these things postage due?
> Do I ask for a check to cover postage in advance? Do I send
> the stuff anyway and hope somebody sends me a check...
> ...Has somebody figured this out yet?
You're not the only idiot, and not the first either.
I've done this on at least two occasions: once when another
grower moved and had to relinquish a lot of North American
cp varieties. I sort of acted as his clearinghouse, since
I didn't want the plants but felt that they shouldn't be
thrown away. The second time, I had a lot of rooted Nepenthes
cuttings to give out.
Both times I received a flood of responses. I had to
satisfy the responses in the order in which they were received
until the plants were spoken for, and say "sorry" to those
who didn't make the cut.
I did this for only domestic (US) enthusiasts, and made it
clear that the plants should be quarantined upon arrival as
a precaution.
Each time I charged only for postage and packing supplies. Boy,
it was a real job packing the plants in a protective manner!
(Once I had to send out 20 packages, and that seemed like a lot
when I was in the midst of it).
During the first mailing, I sent the plants, e-mailed that the
plants were on the way, and the check was sent to me shortly thereafter.
I was stiffed by only one person out of 20. The second time,
I asked for checks in advance and received them with no problem.
(We're talking about $5-$8 per check here).
To this day I have not received any complaints from any of the
recipients. Quite the contrary, on occasion I still receive
updates on how the plants are doing--usually they're doing
better than mine!
It's very rewarding for me to root Nepenthes cuttings and then
make the plants available to beginners for the cost of postage
and packaging--rewarding enough to make up for the packing
hassle.
I won't mind rooting more cuttings this Spring. Maybe by
late summer I'll have some more Nepenthes to send out.
So, from one idiot to another, let's keep it up, Jay!
Perry Malouf