If I got something mailed to me this way (reversing the addresses, no stamp) I'd never buy from that person again because they've already proven themselves willing to commit a fraud. I value honesty and good character more than any other human traits.

wow....y'all lighten up on Timo!  he said it was'nt right, he was just throwing it out there.  We don't need sermons on fraud and abuse.
The kid has waited so long now that anything he says will be anti-climactic anyway.

Alright I'll post what I did in a bit 

Okay so the way I did this was I mailed the cuttings as nonmachinable. Mail in regular paper envelops are sorted by a machine and the reason why you cant use them to ship items inside is because if the envelope is not less than 1/4th of an inch it jams the machine and then they wont send your mail and most likely return or charge the recipient. Non-macchinable stamps are made specifically to stop this from happening. They cost 70 cents or so as of right now and can be used on something no more than one ounce. When I mailed the cuttings as non-machinable I wrote in sharpie on the envelope on both sides *NON-MACHINABLE *HAND STAMP or HAND CANCEL either should work. I also used two regular forever stamps instead of one non-machinable as I didn't have any on hand. It's best not to use this method on expensive cuttings or ebay as there's no tracking. It can be used to send cuttings to newbies and get them into the hobby. It's not going to work for trees as it takes a bit of time so they probably wont survive. It is convenient because as long as it weighs less than an ounce you can put on the stamp and drop in the mailbox instead of having to wait at the post office or printing your own labels. The stamps is pictured below but from my understanding the non-machinable stamps come only with the butterfly pictures. 

I will update this thread and report on results as the packages are delivered so far 1/3 have been delivered but no word on how the cuttings look after transit yet as they're getting picked up later this week. So anyone that wants to try it try at your own risk. Thanks for reading, any questions feel free to ask ill try to answer as best I can. Also has anyone ever tried this before?





 

*sighing*

I am reading the USPS regulations. Per them the envelope is not allowed to be more than 1/4 inch thick for non-machinable. Their examples are pencils, pens, keys. I doubt a cutting would conform to that size. 

"

To be eligible for mailing at the price for letters, a piece must be:

• Rectangular
• At least 3-1/2 inches high x 5 inches long x 0.007 inch thick.
• No more than 6-1/8 inches high x 11-1/2 inches long x 1/4 inch thick."

Um.... most folks prune cuttings so that they are 6 - 8 inches long and contain 3 or more nodes. In most cases, folks also try to send cuttings of 1/4 inch or thicker although many folks, myself included, have sent along thinner cuttings depending on availability and other factors. Assuming you can manage to get by the size restrictions as posted in the USPS regulations, how many cuttings of stated dimensions do you think you can send to someone that in total will make it under the 1 ounce limit....? Thank you for sharing and putting some thought into this and in no way am I being critical but honestly I suspect that this approach isn't going to save any figgers any appreciable money...

Yeah that's interesting. I would use the special stamp, just to make sure, and write on the envelope. I used to work for the PO. For eight years anyway. Once I got a non-machinable letter and it said HAND CRUSH ONLY. I thought that was pretty good!

You could send fig scrolls by media mail...maybe with some pertinent Bible verse. :)

"

Luke 13:6-9King James Version (KJV)

⁶ He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

⁷ Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?

⁸ And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:

⁹ And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

the cuttings in the package that arrived has been received and they're in good condition so so far 33% success. not very good....

The cheapest way by far to send a regular package USPS is telling the clerk you are sending "Educational Materials". I sent a package with books to my grand kids up in Alaska and it was going to cost $48.00. When I gasped, the clerk said, "What are you sending?"  I said "Books". She said if they are educational materials, it will cost you around $6.00.  And it was. I paid just over $6.00.  It was slow getting there though- 2 weeks. That was  the only draw back, because I packed in a few tangerines from grandpa's tree as well for a treat and to fill up wasted space in the box. But they arrived fine.