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Posted on November 20, 2012, updated November 22, 2012
My experience with this company so far is, #1 Fast shipping, I was excited about getting my order even though it was just a few packets. #2 The info that came along with each packet and with "All seeds are covered under our satisfaction guarantee, we will replace any seeds that do not germinate properly" ,that was comforting to see and know that this company stands behind their product. Some of the negative and neutral responses I read were about seeds not germinating, seems to me that this company is willing to replace any bad seed they send out to any of their customers. Give them the chance to honor their guarantee. # 3 I liked how they packaged the seeds and it was nice for them to include the plastic plant markers which is not a big deal but a good jester on their part. Well after all this I did find one thing wrong I ordered a packet of 5 Moringa tree seeds #NW32 but got only 4 seeds in the packet, I'll have to wait and see what happens. I'll still leave my Positive experience with this company. Will let you know how my seeds do. Good Gardening
On November 22nd, 2012, planthombre_52 added the following:
After posting a positive comment about this company, I found that one of my packets had only 4 , seeds when it should of had 5, which was really not a problem. I figured it was an honest mistake. I sent an e-mail to them the same day I received my package notifying them about the shortage. They responded early the next morning that they will be sending out another packet of seeds , can't get any better than that. I only wish the experience I had with a different company would have been as caring as seedman was with me, I won't go into details or name that company, it was a lesson learned.
Fellow Gardeners mistakes can be made by any company, it does not mean they are a bad company, give them a chance to work out the problem, if they can't be professional enough to earn your business by all means get your money back and then discredit them with a negative on this excellent website Dave's Garden". Thanks Again Seedman I will be placing more orders soon. Phil
On Aug 28, 2011, GardenMom13 New York, NY (Zone 7b) wrote:
I've ordered from this company for a couple of years now and have always had positive experiences. Shipping is fast (even to an APO address!), inquiries or comments are answered concisely and promptly, and the products are always of good quality. They have a very extensive selection of seeds, many of which are quite unusual or hard to find, and at various times they have sponsored an "explorer's club" with hard to germinate seeds offered at a reduced rate in order to encourage people to experiment with finding the best ways to get the seeds to germinate. The site is well organized and seeds are cross-referenced under appropriate categories, e.g., fragrant, annual, perennial, herb, unusual, pest-repellent, etc. I would highly recommend purchasing from Jim and I will continue to do so in the future.
On Mar 24, 2011, Plantmum6 American Canyon, CA (Zone 9a) wrote:
I ordered several varieties from him and they arrived very quickly. I am happy thus far....I will update later on after they have (or haven't) germinated!
On Sep 28, 2010, femluc Elizabethton, TN (Zone 6b) wrote:
I have ordered from Jim @ seedman's for a few years now and have had nothing but excellent service, quick turnaround and great seeds. The seeds are always well packaged and come with complete instructions. He and his company have been great to deal with and I will remain a customer!
I received my most recent order in just a few days after placing it and everything came packaged very neatly, had more seeds in some packets than what was labeled on them, and got everything I ordered. I've always been happy with buying seeds from this company.
On Apr 24, 2010, shannon9166 Kelseyville, CA wrote:
I am extremely pleased with my interaction with this company! I ordered a lot of packets of flower seeds. I also emailed Seedman explaining that I needed the seeds immediately, as they would be the flowers for my daughter's wedding on July 3rd -- a real challenge, given the short time.
To my surprise and delight, they responded personally straightaway and they immediately mailed the seeds by Priority Mail! I received them all in short order, and will be planting them today (just as soon as I express my appreciation here).
I offered to pay for the Priority Mail two times -- but they would accept no extra compensation. Thank you, Seedman, for being so very responsive and humane! I COULD NOT ASK FOR MORE!
Sent the wrong order. Does not have a phone to contact for problems. Found an 800 number using google but no answer during business hours on a Thursday. Sent an email. We'll see if they respond.
On June 14th, 2009, dustyshoes changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:
I changed my rating to positive. I received an answer to my email and was immediately sent my original order plus was told to keep the items sent to me erroneously.
Great company with very fast shipping (much appreciated given the snails pace of some seed company's shipping times). The seeds arrived neatly packaged and only about 5 days after my order. I just planted today.
I have been ordering from seedman for years. I have allways had fast service and very good results. I think when people order from them, they should make sure they are familiar with growing the rarer varities. I think earth boxes are great for this as they keep the moisture even and you can overwinter the whole thing and you'll be surprised what comes up in the Spring!
I had ordered Lisianthus seed elsewhere, and received a notice that my order was cancelled. Since I needed to plant these seeds in 7 days, I frantically searched the web for Echo Blue Lisianthus, and found it here. I ordered Monday, and received my seeds Friday. Thanks to their speedy service, I was able to stay on schedule. I would definitely order from them again.
I have ordered seeds and supplies several times from Seedman. Each time I have been pleased with the price, quantity and quality of the merchandise I have received. Shipping has been prompt.
Germination rates have been no worse than those from other tropicals suppliers I have used. As often as not, I have to admit most failures are probably mine. I have had good success with his germination aids.
I had occasion to email with a question on a Sunday night. I received a response before 9:00 AM the next day. I am pleased with this company and will be a repeat customer.
On Feb 10, 2009, TheAngelGirl Coushatta, LA wrote:
On February,10 2009.
Both times i ordered from you i got my seeds fast.Thank you for sending them out right away,it took less then a week to get them.I will be ordering from you again.Thanks
On Jan 1, 2009, klavier Hopewell Junction, NY wrote:
I have to say I cannot find seeds cheaper for the quality. They had a half off thanks giving sale. I can say for certain that there is no other place in the us where I can find Trachycarpus takil seeds by the hundred for $17 on sale. The seeds arrived in great shape. The tracycarpus were short a few seeds, but the manager sent a whole extra package for the mess up! I was assured that it was because the large packages are filled by weight which makes sense cause I would not expect someone to sit there and count out hundreds of seeds. The service was very good, and very quick to respond to the problem. The seeds are also guaranteed to be true to name or they will replace/ give your money back! For a species that has been so mixed up in the past, it is very reassuring to buy from a company that has such a guarantee. Many place do not make any such promise.
Jim over at seedman.com is great. I have ordered here multiple times... I highly recommend their "wonder soil with worm castings" as I have great luck with it.
I have only had germination problems once (on a GAC plant) and Jim sent replacement seeds as soon as I told him they did not germinate properly.
On Apr 24, 2008, olivebranch_17 Gig Harbor, WA wrote:
Ordered a bunch of seeds, followed directions some of the seeds are starting to sprout, the Cana and Camelia. Recommend using the special products the seed man offers for hard to sprout plants: smoke and the seed sprout packets. Excellent service, fast, packaged great and there are notes on the hard to start seeds. Rare and unusual seeds need extra care.
I ordered a pcket of seeds on 3-20-08 thru the mail as I worry about giving info, over the net. I received seeds today! They were very well packed and included good directions. I'm a little worried about germ. rate after what I've read, but really, even if you buy seeds at the store your not gauranteed 100% germ. Hopefully, these will grow. If they DO germ, I will definitly order from them again as they have very good customer service and the seeds arrived VERY fast!
On Dec 29, 2006, Allison_FL Dunedin, FL (Zone 10b) wrote:
I order seeds and puff :)) they were here lightening fast ! Great packaging, bonus name tags, nice instructions. Great prices and service ! I will shop again and highly recommend shopping here with Seedman !
On Dec 19, 2006, pamela_isley Nashville, TN wrote:
Fast shipping and excellent customer service. When I e-mailed to ask about a low germination rate, I received a personal, informative reply, with an immediate offer to replace the seeds.
On Dec 6, 2006, Audrey Hadley, PA (Zone 5a) wrote:
I ordered about a dozen different varieties from the half-price sale. The seeds arrived promptly--in 10 days--and were neatly labelled with planting instructions. The company was out of one variety, but I rather expect that during a sale, and a cash refund was enclosed. (That's always much nicer than a credit slip!) Also enclosed were enough blank plant labels for all the seeds, so I was quite impressed.
I have ordered some 4 dozen varieties of (primarily tree) seeds from Seedman over the past 2 years at three different times. Overall, I have had some species provide 80% to 95% germination rates while other varieties have been 0%.
While I don't know much about testing seeds for viability (other than looking at them with an experienced eye), I have worked in forestry in the tropics for 5 years and have collected and planted thousands of pounds of tree seeds. On occasion, entire batches from a single tree that looked healthy would fail. Therefore, I have not yet been disappointed by SeedMan due to my own experiences. However, I debated posting a 'neutral' since the failure rate has been slightly higher than I would have liked.
Having been involved with farming, greenhouses, and commercial growing for more than 35 years I would like to say that seedman has been true to their advertising. Tobacco seeds that I have purchased from them have done well and had a better than average germination rate for raw seeds. It has been my experience in the past that many times things are just as they are said to be. I plan to deal with Jim at seedman in the future.
On May 10, 2006, tyler70006 New Orleans, LA wrote:
I ordered from them and received my order in about a week. The seeds were labeled and included instructions. They have a huge selection to choose from, stuff nobody else has. I'm placing another order now.
On Feb 2, 2005, mlm01 St. Louis, MO (Zone 5b) wrote:
I have made two orders from this company for tree seeds. The order arrived very quickly with well labeled instructions.
The germination rates were not very good from many of the seeds. However, almost all my eucalyptus seeds germinated. I have yet to see if my other seeds grow as their suggested time for germination isn't up.
Although the germination rate is not super high they offer seeds that I haven't found any place else. I will use this company again.
I like Seedman very much, as well, but am relieved to read that others have had low germination rates with their seeds. I've ordered from them twice now. Both times, many of the seeds I ordered never germinated or germination rate was pretty low. And some of these were for plants I've always had booming success with, including basil, echinacea and sage.
That said, I will likely order from them again --- but for the next year or so, do my most *important* ordering from other companies, and save the Seedman ordering for those wonderful exotics they offer.
so far so good. less than a week from order to delivery, and the order was placed late on a friday. everything is here including the name stakes. I will update if anything noteworthy happens during germination.
On Feb 5, 2002, Copperbaron Vicksburg, MS (Zone 8a) wrote:
Very pleased with what I received. Here is what I ordered and the quantity of each so that you can be the judge of the value:
White Chinese Pine - 6 seeds
Scotch laburnum - 4 seeds
Cedar of Lebanon - 5 seeds
Monterey cypress - 20 seeds
Japanese pink dogwood - 5 seeds
Sweet bay laurel - 3 seeds
Japanese maple - 20 seeds
White flowering dogwood - 11 seeds
Spindle tree - 16 seeds
Japanese pagoda tree - 4 seeds
Himalayan cigar box cedar - 15 seeds
Giant sequiouia - 20 seeds
The total was $26.30 plus $3.50 shipping. I received them within 5 days of ordering and they were shipped in a padded mailer. I will give the germination rate in a future update.
On February 5th, 2002, Copperbaron added the following:
I forgot to mention that they also shipped me 12 plastic plant identifier stakes - nice touch!
I have ordered from this company twice and have had nothing but good luck. These shipped faster than any company I've ever orderd from; I've always received my seeds within a week of ordering and everything was exactly as I ordered.
