free How Many Seed Vendors Give Free Seeds With an Order?

midwestchilehead

midwestchilehead

Extreme Member
I've been in the seed vending business for about a year now, and have had several people ask me if I give free seeds with an order. I never did before (and none of the seed vendors I used in the past did either), but it seems to be commonplace, and almost expected now. Am I wrong on this? I don't mind sending along a pack of "mystery mixed seeds" which are the table scraps from home seed processing. But some people seemed incensed to get a mystery packet and I get emails asking me what they are. Hell, if I knew what they were, I would have told them. I have caved to what I perceive as peer pressure and sent along a few packets of free, marked seeds with recent orders, but it kind of sticks in my craw when people EXPECT me to comp them my hard earned efforts when I have obtained, sprouted, isolated, grown, harvested and packaged a specific variety, especially when the margin is so low to begin with. Do I have unrealistic expectations that people are willing to pay me for my efforts?
 
Your never going to make everybody happy. The people that complain to you will always find something to complain about even if you give them free seed. Not enough seeds, slow service, bad packaging, ugly choice of stamp for your mailing envelope, etc. If you have a quality product and friendly service the rest should take care of itself. To answer your question yes most give away free specific seeds. Semillas.de is only one I can think of ATM that does not. FWIW I don't ever order from a place because they send free seeds. I order from then because I trust them to send pure and fresh seeds or because they have a seed that nobody else sells. Good luck, I know times are tough.
 
Lots of places give away free seeds, but they are not usually anything I'm interested in growing so I usually re-gift or chuck them. As long as I get what I order I'm more than happy.
What annoys me is certain seed companies that send "free" large catalogue and other extras with the seeds that end up cosing much more $$ in shipping fees(cross border). Thats one reason I won't order from seeds of change again
 
POTAWIE said:
Lots of places give away free seeds, but they are not usually anything I'm interested in growing so I usually re-gift or chuck them. As long as I get what I order I'm more than happy.
What annoys me is certain seed companies that send "free" large catalogue and other extras with the seeds that end up cosing much more $$ in shipping fees(cross border). Thats one reason I won't order from seeds of change again
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Tomato Growers sends free marked seeds...determinate tomatos usually.

Peppermania also sends free seeds...usually a bunch of seeds that were spilled on the floor or flicked on the table...Beth also sent me a free pack of "Cachukas" which I have not taken the time to google to see what they are..
 
Beth at Peppermania sent me a free pack of Aji Habanero seeds along with her usual free mystery seeds. I am very grateful. I grew these last year so I will probably share them with coworkers.

Cheers Mike
 
I have to say that I was very impressed with not only the amount of seed that Pepperlover.com sent out but also the amount of bonus seed that she sends.

And she sends out marked bonus pepper seed, that I wouldn't find locally, and I will definitely grow it.

I also made an order with PepperJoe and he sent out two packs of marked free seed.

I have a couple of orders still coming from some seed vendors in Europe, so I'll see if they send along any gratuities once their packages arrive.

dvg
 
I know that most places DO send free seeds. Like Beagle, I dont buy seeds from people just for the free stuff. I buy for PURE seeds. It just so happens that I get free stuff most of the time.
 
I ordered like 20 packs of seeds from you midwest and you didn't send any frebies but I was very happy with m order from you because I got exactly what I ordered and it was shipped very quickly. Very good service!

Charles
 
The places of have ordered seeds so far:

Tomato Growers – tomato pack and chile pack
Pepper Lover – Bhut and Bih Jolokia pack
Peppermaina – Beth’s “mystery” pack

Thanks to all! No I do not expect it and it is always a welcome surprise. In this jaded world of crass commercialism, it is refreshing to find someone that simply offers a small “thank you” for doing business with them. Whether I use the seeds is not the point, it is the gesture that is important in my book. Good P.R. on their part because I for one will remain a repeat customer.
 
peppermania sent a mystery pack (which I assumed was the freebie, always a nice touch) and another packet of marked seeds, which I thought was a mistake, so I send her a bottle of hot sauce (which actually cost more than the value of the extra packet of seeds).

Turns out the extra packet was not a mistake, but she really dug the hot sauce, so all in all, it worked out for the both of us.

Which reminds me, there's a couple varieties I was interested in...better get busy shopping...


From a hot sauce business stand point, I have a couple things I can throw into the order for a freebie, if the order is large enough to warrant something extra. For orders of 1 or 2 bottles, it's hard to justify adding something worth $3.50 for free.

I don't expect freebies, but they are a nice surprise. I'd say look at the order, and if you have some mystery seeds, throw them in and if someone complains, then just ask them to pass the seeds on to someone who will appreciate growing mystery peppers.

We grew all 25 of the mystery seeds from peppermania and had a ton of fun giving away most of the seedlings to friends to grow. They would tell us all through the season how the mystery plants were doing and hearing their descriptions of the pods was really cool also. Some were such a hit, they saved the seeds for this year, not even caring what they are called.

Heck, we had one chile that we thought was one thing, then another, then another and I think was finally identified as Hot Finger cayenne. Some people just can't handle "not knowing for sure".

Keep it fun and like was posted before, you're never gonna make everyone happy, just do the best you can.

Good Luck.
 
To Midwestchilehead:

Transacting business via the internet requires a certain leap of faith on the part of the consumer. One must initially trust that the business is legitimate, offers an accurate description of the product being offered, they offer a perceived “fair” price for value received and responsiveness to a problem should one occur.

Specifically to the seed business:
1. The product that I select is the product I receive. The peppers that are harvested better be what I thought they were. If not, that business will most likely not get a second chance.
2. I am willing to pay a premium for uniqueness, a variety that I may not be able to find anywhere else. The whole supply and demand thing.
3. I am not willing to pay significantly more for common verities that can be obtained virtually anywhere. I am willing to pay slightly more if for convenience sake I am “bundling” an order from one source.
4. Specifically on chile seeds, I would send my business to someone that I sense has a passion for growing chiles. I am still a rookie compared to many; however, I know what I’m doing and take great pride in my chile garden, love to show it off, given that no one in my circle of friends “gets it”.
5. I have no idea on the amount of effort it takes to be in the seed business. Whether the enterprise is a large seed producing venture (assume Burpee’s) or small “hobby farmers. Obviously, economies of scale come into effect and one must expect some degree of profit margin for their endeavor. Otherwise why bother. However, it is still a market driven business and return cannot be more than what the market is willing to pay. Your question on whether “people are willing to pay me for my efforts” is one as a consumer I cannot answer. I do not know what level to which those efforts consist of, nor do I need to I might add. The market determines the fair price, not a level of effort unfortunately.
6. Never do I expect something for nothing. Something “extra” imho is simply a gesture on the part of the vendor for doing business with them. I do not make a purchasing decision based on this consideration. As to those who have this expectation or “demand” to know what type they are, you are classless. Have you loss your sense of decency? Remember they were FREE, supplied simply by the generosity of the vendor, appreciate it for what it is and get on with things.
7. Make your venture visible. Allow me to find it on the net, allow me to see what you have to offer and a brief product description, state pricing and quantities clearly, attempt to infuse a little of your passion for what you are doing, and allow me simple methods to do business with you. Customers will find you.

Just my two cents! Good luck to you Midwestchilehead.

Follow-up note: I found your website. Being that it was not listed specifically in the seed vendor sticky in that forum, I inadverently missed it. Nice site; that is what I'm talking about in point 7. Placed a small order with you. You are now officially in my seed vendor favorites folder!
 
While Freebies are nice, I don't expect them. I won't get any Freebies from Burpee, or Ferry~Morse, or Kitasawa Seed... Nor will I get any Freebies from any of the general supply companies.

I won't grow Mystery seeds.
 
Midwesternchilehead, I'm glad you brought up this topic. Here's my my perspective on this as a consumer (customer). I never expect anyone to ever give me something for nothing, that's how I live my life. But when I started ordering chile items from the folks here at THP I noticed that everything came with "freebies". I hate that term. I took it as an expression of gratitude for their business, but more importantly, as a way of sharing the passion for this love we all have in common. If the transaction was just for a few seeds or a bottle of sauce for a few bucks, the more important part of the transaction was the joy of sharing our passion. This unsolicited expression of sharing is powerful. They have a customer for life with me, not because I scored a "freebie", but because they cared enough to share the fruits of their labor and passion, not sell. Many of us here, whom we never met, know we are family, and that is what we do naturally. I think if you genuinely treat each customer as family the business side of selling your product will take care of itself. That extra something you send out with a smile and a thank you just may turn out to be the best business investment you ever made.
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I certainly don't expect any free seeds, but it's always a nice bonus when I receive them. Pepperlover sent me quite a few packets of marked free seeds with the order I placed a couple weeks ago. I plan on growing several of them, like purple bhut jolokia (or maybe it was dorset naga or naga morich, can't remember). Some of them are nice varieties that I considered ordering, or that I already ordered from another source. Some I probably will give away to friends and family, or germinate then give away.

I would certainly not ever be upset at not receiving free seeds, it's a little silly to complain about getting what you ordered as long as it was mailed in a timely fashion. But, all things being equal, I would be more likely to order from a company that I know is going to give me some extras.
 
I orderd from one site last year and never got my full order. When I complained, they responded by saying "well we sent you extra free seeds." I told them I'd rather just have my complete order and F@#$% the freebees. If I wanted the freebees, I would have ordered them. Instead I eventually only got a partial refund :(
Reimer's also gives out freebees, but since all their seeds are mystery seeds, I'll pass on them. NEVER BUY FROM REIMER'S!!!!

BTW, I don't think Tomatogrowers gives out free chile seeds as someone mentioned. I've recieved "free" tomato seeds every year for about 6 years and never chile seeds. They show you on their site what the free variety of the month/year is. I don't even think I've ever grown any of the free tomotogrower's tomatoes. After spending so much time researching what I want to grow, I think it would be quite silly to just grow something because its "free"
Not saying that its not fun for newbies or people with extra room, but I'm quite picky about what I grow these days
 
chileaddict said:
Midwesternchilehead, I'm glad you brought up this topic. Here's my my perspective on this as a consumer (customer). I never expect anyone to ever give me something for nothing, that's how I live my life. But when I started ordering chile items from the folks here at THP I noticed that everything came with "freebies". I hate that term. I took it as an expression of gratitude for their business, but more importantly, as a way of sharing the passion for this love we all have in common. If the transaction was just for a few seeds or a bottle of sauce for a few bucks, the more important part of the transaction was the joy of sharing our passion. This unsolicited expression of sharing is powerful. They have a customer for life with me, not because I scored a "freebie", but because they cared enough to share the fruits of their labor and passion, not sell. Many of us here, whom we never met, know we are family, and that is what we do naturally. I think if you genuinely treat each customer as family the business side of selling your product will take care of itself. That extra something you send out with a smile and a thank you just may turn out to be the best business investment you ever made.
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Well put, I agree with this.
 
Yes indeed, two thumbs up to chileaddict's comments. I stand corrected; "upon further review", I only received tomato seeds from tomatogrowers. Reiterating from ^, I do not have garden space for experimentation. Already there are too many plants for to little space.
 
I don't think you should give into the peer pressure and send free seeds as a norm. As someone else mentioned, the "free seeds" I've come across are just ones that no one really wants anyway (including me!) and I HATE to waste anything, so I almost find it to be an inconvience to receive free seeds that I am not interested in.
You can't blame someone for trying to get something for free because it often works... so why not try? If you didn't want to send free seeds a good response would be something like,
"We are not offering free seeds at this time, but there are certain times through out the year that we do. They are often mystery seeds, or seeds we have a surplus of. Since I take many precautions to make sure I have quality seeds they are not cheap to produce and for me to maintain the integrity of the seeds I cannot offer extensive free-bees" .. something something.. so your being nice, explaining your stance, and not risking cross contaimination etc because you want to produce more but at a poor quality..


ya digg?

good luck with it,.. !

xo nicole
 
POTAWIE said:
After spending so much time researching what I want to grow, I think it would be quite silly to just grow something because its "free"
Not saying that its not fun for newbies or people with extra room, but I'm quite picky about what I grow these days
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+1 I have so much stuff I truly care about..and limited space!
I do appreciate the free seeds ,but hardly ever grow them.
Kevin
 
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