Selling Seedlings

barbamWY · February 19, 2015

I was wondering if those of you that sell seedlings provide boxes or flats for your customers? I put on a Home & Garden Expo each year and between running the plant sale side and the vendor side of it, it is a full time job. I also ask local merchants to save boxes but then there is the problem of where to put them since my house if full of racks of plants. I have asked customers to bring boxes but only a few do. Do you purchase flats for use or other containers? I even thought of drink holders if they would work. I can purchase pop flats from the local bottling company. Do you provide your customers something to hold the plants they purchase?

dave · February 19, 2015

Liquor store boxes, they are stronge (booze is expensive) & free. We break them down flat, then put them back together with tape as needed. dave

BigVanVader · February 19, 2015

I use boxes as well. I also use concession stand drink holders. They work well depending on your containers and are really cheap on amazon. I will sometimes use trader joes bags (they have handles) for taller plants like 1 gallons, or cut them in half and lay flats in them. I staple the tops and it works well.

barbamWY · February 20, 2015

I never thought of boxes that can be broken down. I got a hold of strawberry flats last year and they were sturdy, but took up a lot of room. I will check out the drink holders.

Are these the drink holders you use BigVanVader?

http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Champ...+drink+carrier

Starlight · February 20, 2015

I go around to the local convenient stores and the gas stations and ask them to save me the soda pop and beer flats. Than I generally go once a week and pick them up. I break down one end and you can stack a pile together on top of each other, than just tape the one end as the boxes are needed.

I was lucky enough to have gotten at one point several cartons of clear plastic bags used for putting t-shirts into. They had a big S, M , or L in a yellow circle on the outside, but they were free and worked great.

You can go around to big box stores too, and ask them to save you the flats. best to talk to somebody in lawn and garden department. Flats and trays they will let you have usually, but not the pots.

Since it is for your expo, sometimes you can contact some of the fertilizer companies. There are several that have nice sturdy boxes that are flat and just pop up the sides. You don't have to like the fert company, but it boxes for you and advertising for them.

I've gone to the dollar store and they sell cheap where you can get almost 40 kitchen size white trash bags with handle for a buck or two.

I never thought about the concession drink holders. If you explain what you would like them for, maybe the fast food places that use them would donate some to your expo.

BigVanVader · March 2, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by barbamWY

I never thought of boxes that can be broken down. I got a hold of strawberry flats last year and they were sturdy, but took up a lot of room. I will check out the drink holders.

Are these the drink holders you use BigVanVader?

http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Champ...+drink+carrier

Yes ma'am, I have also used these. Both work well for me. I add the cost into my price.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008WC...=AC_SX230_QL60

February 19, 2015	#1
barbamWY Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: North West Wyoming Posts: 466	Selling Seedlings I was wondering if those of you that sell seedlings provide boxes or flats for your customers? I put on a Home & Garden Expo each year and between running the plant sale side and the vendor side of it, it is a full time job. I also ask local merchants to save boxes but then there is the problem of where to put them since my house if full of racks of plants. I have asked customers to bring boxes but only a few do. Do you purchase flats for use or other containers? I even thought of drink holders if they would work. I can purchase pop flats from the local bottling company. Do you provide your customers something to hold the plants they purchase?

February 19, 2015	#2
dave Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Broken Arrow, oklahoma Posts: 23	selling seedlings Liquor store boxes, they are stronge (booze is expensive) & free. We break them down flat, then put them back together with tape as needed. dave

February 20, 2015	#4
barbamWY Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: North West Wyoming Posts: 466	I never thought of boxes that can be broken down. I got a hold of strawberry flats last year and they were sturdy, but took up a lot of room. I will check out the drink holders. Are these the drink holders you use BigVanVader? http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Champ...+drink+carrier Last edited by barbamWY; February 20, 2015 at 11:58 AM. Reason: added

February 19, 2015	#3
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	I use boxes as well. I also use concession stand drink holders. They work well depending on your containers and are really cheap on amazon. I will sometimes use trader joes bags (they have handles) for taller plants like 1 gallons, or cut them in half and lay flats in them. I staple the tops and it works well.

February 20, 2015	#5
Starlight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: AL Posts: 1,993	I go around to the local convenient stores and the gas stations and ask them to save me the soda pop and beer flats. Than I generally go once a week and pick them up. I break down one end and you can stack a pile together on top of each other, than just tape the one end as the boxes are needed. I was lucky enough to have gotten at one point several cartons of clear plastic bags used for putting t-shirts into. They had a big S, M , or L in a yellow circle on the outside, but they were free and worked great. You can go around to big box stores too, and ask them to save you the flats. best to talk to somebody in lawn and garden department. Flats and trays they will let you have usually, but not the pots. Since it is for your expo, sometimes you can contact some of the fertilizer companies. There are several that have nice sturdy boxes that are flat and just pop up the sides. You don't have to like the fert company, but it boxes for you and advertising for them. I've gone to the dollar store and they sell cheap where you can get almost 40 kitchen size white trash bags with handle for a buck or two. I never thought about the concession drink holders. If you explain what you would like them for, maybe the fast food places that use them would donate some to your expo.