There's one big factor that I don't think you're considering... sending
seeds to many countries (or receiving them from another country) often
requires a phytosanitary certificate. This is to help protect local
crops from accidentally imported pests and diseases, which could be
potentially devastating (e.g., Dutch Elm Disease, SOD, Asian Longhorn
Beetle in US). Other countries are equally concerned about US diseases
being imported into their country. If you're still interested, have
your friends find out what the rules are in their country for receiving
imported seeds.

Here, for instance, is some information on phytosanitary requirements
for plant materials brought into the USA:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/pubs/f...phnursery.html
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/seeds/seedweb.html
Other countries may have similar rules.

Sorry to rain on the parade... it's often easier to give your friends
a gift certificate for a seed company that has the permits in place.

Kay Lancaster