Source of small ziplocs for seed trading

I participated in the Wintersowing Swap over at Gardenweb.com recently. In my envelope I rec'd back Asclepias Hallii seeds in a small size of clear, ziplock. (1 1/4 in X 2 1/2 in)..and I'd like to track that person down to find out where that member purchased the ziplocs that size. That size is perfect for smaller seeds..The ones I purchased from Michael's are larger ( 2 in. X 3.75 in.) I'll be putting the Asclepais Hallii on my trade list because it is geared for Zone 5 according to one of the websites I looked on this morning. There was no name of the sender on the ziploc. I'd be glad to trade some of my larger ziplocks for those smaller ziplocks of equal amount. I thought maybe the sender might also be a DG member so I'm posting this same message on both gardening websites. Hope this makes sense.

This message was edited Dec 19, 2010 8:27 AM

Pippi

This topic does get talked about a bit usually in the seed saving or seed trading forum... i was browing in there to find the particular link i was thinking of... but of course - I cant find it...

but what you are looking for is something like this
http://www.ioffer.com/i/100-plastic-top-zip-lock-ziplock-bags-white-block-1x1-140184213

I'll see if I can't find the other links later... but they are definitely in one of the seed forums.

This site has the ziploc type http://www.clearbags.com/crystal-clear-bags/crystal-clear-zip-bags
and the Glassine type -- great for smaller seeds
http://www.clearbags.com/stationery/envelopes/translucent-envelopes/glassine-envelopes

Terese, I have a brand new box of 175 count of the larger ones that I got from Michael's but I was going through my recent wintersowing swap and came across this trade and thought what a perfect size for trading smaller seeds in. I never thought that something like this would be offered on the seed trading forum. Thanks for bringing that to mine and other's attention. You learn something new each day! I've noticed that some people have bought the glassine type but yet spent more to buy the manilla coin evelopes to slip them inside. Seems like there's a double expense there, not to mention the cost of postage. I've learned something else through the gardening websites..reuse manilla envelopes more than once. People slap a label over top of another label and the same with postage stamps and it gets through. Where there's a will, there's a way? LOL!

OH yes... i re-use mailing envelopes all the time.

and there are a variety of types of envies that are used for seeds.

Good thread, I've been looking for 'just the right size' zippies too. Unfortunately, the shipping on an order that totals $1.50 is $15.50. Shipping kills the deal nearly every time. I'd need about 10 people to share the order to make it worth while. I know it doesn't cost them even close to $15 to ship this product. Oh well, nice try, no ceegar - but thanks for the info. Now I know.

Mary -- I know there are a few other sites that sell these bags... and you are right, the s/h usually deters me from ordering.
then another place may have lower shipping, but their product is higher.

I always thought one day i'd order like 1000 of something then sell them off... who knows....

I usually get the baggies from Walmart. it's a buck for 100 bags. they are the standard that many folks use, i think they are like 1.5 x 3 or something.

You can buy nice ziplocs at The Container Store.;.they only cost like 10 for 99 cents..all kinds of sizes..for jewelry. That's where I had bought my first ones because after My MIL died, we were getting together her fine jewelry to take to a seller. The plastic was nice and thick too..Until I bought these ones at Michael's which I haven't used yet, I was using up the ones from the container store. People have said they bought their bags at Walmart in jewelry making suppies; which is where I found these at Michael's. It'll take me a while to use up these 175 ct. so I probably won't be needing anymore for a while. I like the idea of clear ziplocs so you can see how much seed you were given and what size the seeds are. I just rec'd some that looked like dust.

i LOVE the container store... they are pricey, but boy i could spend HOURS walking around seeing what i dont need.

teh ones at Michaels would be about the same as the ones from walmart. the first time i bought bags, i got them at Michaels... cheaper at walmart ...but my local store, since they 'renovated' - they dont have them often. went to a different wallyworld and bought 5 packs... so, i'll have them for a while.

Oh great...thanks for the tip on Wallyworld. I'll check there.

Clearbags DROPPED it's shipping charge by half when my order went over $40.

I thought that their 2x2" "crystal clear" ziplock [ZC22] had denser, harder plastic (2 mil polypropylene) than Wal-Mart bags. 1,000 for $9.50. I guess that they resist humidity better (although most humidity probably leaks throguh the zip closure, not the walls of the baggie.)

For you, that might be good or bad dependidng on whether you worry about excess humnidity getting INTO the baggie from the atmosphere, or worry that humidity inside the seeds won't be able to escape.

I added 1,000 1.75" x 2.75" glassines [G1] for $31 to my order to save shipping, ... but I find I don't like glassines anywhere near as much. I use the glassines so seldom, it was like spending $31 to save $7!

Here are other places I looked at:

http://www.uline.com (usually expensive, but these notes seem to show pretty good prices - maybe the shipping was awfull)
$11-13-15-$18 per 1,000 ziplocks various sizes

http://www.fetpak.com had a great closeout special several months ago on 5/8" x 5/8" mini-ziplocks. $3.95 per 1,000. They have a $7 surcharge on "small orders" under $100.

I thought these had the best prices and variety on organza bags:
http://www.giftsintl.com/organzabag.php has 3x4 bags in a 30 pack for 2.40 (8 cents each).

Diane Seeds used to sometimes have extra ziplocks in stock, but I don't see them there any more:
http://www.dianeseeds.com/gardening/websites.html#anchor_104

Corey

www.papermart.com

http://www.jewelrysupply.com/jewelry_boxes/zip_lock_bags_plastic/zipbags.html

I buy mine at Walmart, in the craft section.

This post is very helpful!

I usually buy from Walmart but they've been running low lately and I rarely go there except for during the Summer. This week however I received a bunch of seeds in some 1.5"x1.5" (unless you include the closure then it's 1.5"x2") bags. I'd love to find some of these bags! I always feel I'm wasting a bag when I use a larger size bag for a small amount of seed.

I *think* Papermart has them. They have 1x1's, I've ordered them before.

I find some of those smaller bags... i have a hard time getting them open. the craft ones from walmart - I think they are like 1" x 2.5" maybe ... those are quite common and easy to open.... you get smaller than that - and i find them hard to open.

Clearbags has 1.5"x2", 2x2" and 2x3", but a little more expensive than Wal-Mart's 2x3" ziplocks unless you buy LOTS. I think the S&H is a lot for orders under $40, then cheaper if you go over $40.

http://www.clearbags.com/crystal-clear-bags/crystal-clear-zip-bags


Fetpack has MANY sizes including many tiny sizes.
They do have good quality, thick clear plastic and good price and advertise "free shipping", but
"If order is under $100.00 add a $7.00 small order service fee"

http://www.fetpak.com/whstore/main.pl/slist?1
"apple" bags: 2.5 mil - very thick . . . . . . . $9 per thousand
- - - 3/8"x3/8" - - - 1"x1" - - - - 1.5"x1.5" - - - - 1.5"x2" - - - - 2x2" etc etc etc

http://www.fetpak.com/whstore/main.pl/itl?441
"apple" bags - . . . . $10 per card - 648 bags per retail card . . . , assorted colors if you want them


http://www.fetpak.com/whstore/main.pl/itl?15
. . . . . . 2"x2" 2 mil $6.75 /1,000 . . . . . . . 2"x3" 2 mil $8.25 / 1,000

Fetpak would be a good place to set up a co-op buy - order12-15 thousand bags to get the order price over $100, then split the order ten ways and spend $20-25 mailing them around to each other..

Corey

Papermart does not have a minimum order fee, and has similar pricing, fwiw. They don't pay me to advertise for 'em. LOL

>> Papermart does not have a minimum order fee, and has similar pricing

That sounds good to me!

http://www.papermart.com/Product%20Pages/Product.aspx?GroupID=4402&SubGroupID=4403#4403

I found "cello" bags there at $27 per 1,000 and went looking for the polyethylene, but no prices would appear for polyethylene.

Edited to say:

The lady on the phone says $2.30 or $2.50 for 1,000 which is a great price! But their smallest size is 1"x2".

I'll have to try it from home and see if I can get the list of items to appear! She says shipping is "by weight".

Thank you!

Corey


This message was edited Feb 7, 2011 1:10 PM

Try these:
http://www.papermart.com/Product%20Pages/Product.aspx?GroupID=4366&SubGroupID=4367&ParentGroupID=19058#4367

Yup, that's where I was. Maybe the network, here at work, blocks that list for some reason. I'll try again from home.

Corey

I ordered from Uline - with an order I placed here for work - got the 2x3 2mil bags. 1000 for $14. No tax and combined shipping with other stuff.

If anyone is interested in ordering from Uline - drop me a dmail and we could figure something out.

About the glassine envelopes... They are good for tiny seeds. In plastic they stick to the sides (with static electricity, someone said) and are nearly impossible to get out. In coin envies they leak all over the place. I find I use the glassine a lot, then put them in sturdier coin envies for myself so I can write on the outside, and if I have time to make labels I use the plastic bags for trades because they weigh less and take up less room.

I get the glassine envies from Diane's Seeds, plastic bags from Walmart's hobby department. I just got some smaller plastic bags from a dollar store in Florida when I was on vacation.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Pam

I like the non-staticky nature of glassine, but find that tiny seeds, like asarina (or whatever the new name of that genus is nowadays), stick in the glued seams. Anyone else have this trouble?

Yikes! Is nothing perfect?! LOL...

I think 1.4 cents for the high-quality, 2 mil Ziplocs is a good deal.

Someone write, and I don't know if this is true, that you can kill the "static cling" by wiping the OUTside of a Ziploc with a cloths-dryer anti-static cloth. I never had much truble with it. My smallest seeds are Lobelia.

I typically just use lotion on my hands before I handle the seeds/bags. Dont generally have an issue.

I don't have the static issues very much with the bags. I do generally have lotion on my hands, then.

[quote="RickCorey_WA"]I think 1.4 cents for the high-quality, 2 mil Ziplocs is a good deal.

Corey,
If you were referencing mine, they were $.014 ea

Silly question #1: If you have lotion on your hands, don't the seeds stick to you?

I have read elsewhere that the heavier bags don''t have the problem...

Depends on how soon after you handle your seeds :)

Pharmacies sometimes stock small ziploc bags.

Minessippi,

Yes, 1.4 cents or $0.014 . 1,000 for $14. Your free ULINE shipping is a sweet deal! You could get 250 #0 bubble mailers for $39 per 250 (15.6 cents each).

Maybe the extra 0.4 cents is worth it to get a better quality Zip-loc, but I'll sticvk with the Wal-Mart cheapo at 1 cent each, 100 for $1.

I get them @ Wallyworld too. And Michaels, and Joann's.
Got the bulk in one shot as I am re-labeling all my seeds :/
Cant say I love them...they are not off-set at the top so a little more difficult to open. Oh well. Live & learn I guess.

I either don't wear enough lotion to make the seed sticks, or the lotion I use isn't sticky enough for it to be a problem. I make my own seed tape with crepe paper, and I can't get seeds to stick to my fingers to place them on the crepe paper, so they don't even stick if I want them to do.

Someone on another site mentioned that this week (through Saturday, Jan 5) Michaels has 50% off in the bead department--and that's where they have the small ziploc bags. I'll be heading there in the morning.

Denise

I'd go check it out, but I think I have enough already :) LOL!

Bump!

Hi all. I just spotted this great thread. Thanks for all the helpful links. I also thought I'd add my two-cents-worth.

I've been buying clear plastic zipper bags from HOBBY LOBBY for many years. I haven't been using them for seeds, though (never actually saved any seeds until recently). Rather, both my husband and I have used them for about a million other things over the years.

Anyway, they have assorted sizes: 1-1/2" x 2" / 2" x 3" / 3" x 4" / 4" x 6". The prices range from $2.47 to $3.99 for 150 bags. You'll find them in the area that has Jewelry parts & Beads.

In the past they always came as 100 bags so I don't know if the quality has changed. Since I buy several bags at once I haven't bought any in a while.

Your best bet is to actually go to the store if there's one near you since the shipping is kind of high...$5.95 for up to a $15.00 purchase, then it goes up a little at a time the more you buy.

I realize they're more expensive than a place like ULINE, but I guess it depends on how many you need in one size. I don't really have the need for 1000 bags so they're perfect for my uses.

Thanks Pippi21 for starting this thread and the rest of you for the great links and suggestions.