Very old thread, but it's sticky for a reason.
Seed Banks
Other than local sellers, I've just dealt with Seedsman seed bank 4 times. They are a bit more expensive than other sellers which didn't bother me until they took away their loyalty points system, which evened things out.
I found that their delivery is slow, but much of that might be outside of their control. The seeds are usually in little baggies, probably repackaged or packaged from bulk. Only twice were seeds in the breeder's original packaging. The first order, they made a mistake but fixed it and even made up for it next order.
I am more motivated to grow the seeds I pay for, so most of their own branded freebies are old and hence the germ rate is low.
This time I germed an Amnesia seed- it was barely peeking out of its shell when I planted it, and it still has not emerged from the soil. Far behind my other seeds, but I have to remember that the seed is old and it is a Sativa. Time will tell what happens to it, it could surprise me.
I have three NL Auto seeds that I will plant in a few months time. They are new so I expect better results. I no longer let their promise of free seeds influence my order- I have a small space and a 4 plant limit, so there's no point in getting them if I don't have a chance to grow them.
All in all, I am mostly satisfied, but the loss of loyalty points makes the rather pricey. I might start ordering directly from the breeders to know they are in stock, save a few bucks, get original packaging, and assume the correct strain and fresh.