I found that most packets are right on as to what they say. Notice I said most. I WS'ed a couple of petunia (pelleted)seed packets last week and one had double the amount seeds than what the other one contained. Did the smaller one contain the correct amount and the larger have more, or vice-versa? I do not know, but then again, each packet was only $0.10 each!

I opened my one pack of Dianthus seeds and they were so tiny! I sowed them as best as I could and now they are all coming up.

Just my $0.02.

If you paid for 250 seeds, and there were only 25 or so, I'd merely contact the company on a "Quality Control" type correspondence to let them know that their machinery might be fouling up.
I prefer to contact companies this way rather than a blunt "YOU SHORT-CHANGED-ME!" simply because you're likely to get a better response with a round-about query that resulted in your purchase not being as expected rather than putting them on the defensive as soon as they open your mail.

Likely they'll want to make it right by you.

I believe valueseeds has had issues of this nature in the past, and a simple inquiry to the company rectified the situation.

Good luck, and happy sowing!

Wow, I'd be really mad if the package promised a couple hundred seeds, and there were only 25! That's probably why a lot of companies just give the weight of the seed.

I've bought seeds from Swallowtail Garden Seeds, an online company, and they give a seed amount on the site. Every packet had the right amount of seeds, or more.

If you can find an 800 number for Aimers, or have free/cheap long distance, I'd call them and see what they have to say for themselves! Maybe they'll mail you replacements...which you can use to start trading seeds!

If you want to start trading seeds before this fall (when you should be able to harvest seeds from your own garden, or snatch them from other places) just look for seeds on sale. If you pick things you'd like to grow anyway, you can keep some to grow, and try to trade the extras. Or if you just want seeds for trading, browsing though the seed exchange page will give you an idea of what a lot of people look for. People also post offers for "free" seeds--you just pay postage both ways, called a SASBE (BE is bubble envelope)

Thanks everyone for your input and experiences!

I think I will give an email or call to Aimers and Burpee. Burpee, for me, seems especially surprising just because of their longevity and name-recoginition in gardening. :)

I definitely agree with you, mmqchdygg, that it is better to address my concerns and interest in growing their great variety of seeds than being accusatory. The saying more bees with honey might be more seeds with "honeyed" words. :)

Thanks, All!

cheers,
Nora Belle

Nora Belle, I also bought the Burpee Sundance gaillardia packet and I felt pretty gipped when I got home...I would bet mine didn't even have 25 seeds in it, either. From now on, I shake packets and I also hold them up to the light, because the weight measurements don't always give an accurate description of just how much seed is in each packet. The weight is probably correct, but of course some seeds are bigger/smaller than others, etc.

I also ordered seeds this year from SSE and Sandhill Preservation, and both were generous and accurate. Sandhill was extremely generous with their seeds.

I look for number of seeds listed, if it's not I might email or call and ask before paying $4/pack. And, as mentioned above, do contact them about being short changed and they will most likely compensate you with more seeds.

Before dealing with a new company, I usually check their rating on Garden Watchdog. I also try to remember to rate companies that I had dealings with, whether good or bad.

Karen

Like Karen, I check carefully for amounts when I order, and if I don't see them listed, I call the company to ask how many per packet. I do a lot of comparison shopping (catalog and on-line) and the only way I can compare prices is to compare the number of seeds for that price.

Ths year I opened a pack of zinnias which had ten seeds. I was unpleasantly surprised, but I went back to my order list, and sure enough, I had written down "10 seeds", lol. So I knew what I was getting, but had forgotten!

:)
Dee

Thank you, farfaraway, Karen and Dee!

I am going to check out Garden Watchdog this week. Thank you for giving me another link for my online gardening folder. :)

Farfaraway, I have ordered tomatoes and garlic from SSE for a number of years, and I have always been happy with them. Now that WS is something I want to continue with, I will have to start looking at more of the flower seed options. :)

Like so many things, I see I need to do some comparison shopping and research for my seeds in the future. :)

Thanks again!

cheers,
Nora Belle

Garden Watchdog is a great tool for everyone. It's open to anyone, not just members of that site, so has the potential for input from many different locations, sources, and applications. I encourage everyone to use it.

Karen