Dear Lee, I think that, for the moment, the bottom line is to contact the responsible agent at the responsible APHIS plant inspection station to find out what will work for them so that one will receive the shipment. We all realize that the current system is problematic, potentially costly and inconvenient. But, it's the results that count, so, have we received that shipment from Summerfield yet? I guess having to deal with the Medicaid/Medicare system for decades has inured me to governmental red tape. I will be trying to import seeds through Atlanta over the next several months and will let you know how it works out. Best, Mark >> 722.12 Marking >> After the packages are inspected and cleared, they will be stamped >> "RELEASED" or "TREATED AND RELEASED," redirected to the addressees, >> and returned to the mail for delivery. > >This statement is not clear as to whether additional postage is >required. >> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ >> >> All it takes is a credit card and ten minutes to apply online with >> FEDEX for a shipping account number > >While this appealed to me as the simplest least problematic method to >resolve this, FedEx is not really set up to easily or cheaply deliver >packages locally over short distances. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ >> If your goal is to receive your seeds, call the appropriate APHIS >> plant inspection station to ascertain their current procedures and >> comply with them rather than complaining and pissing them off > >This is exactly what I've done. But even the two agents I spoke with >realized that the current method is still problematic and certain >important details have not been resolved, especially the disagreement >between the USDA and the USPS about final delivery.