diff --git a/util/mapcache_seed.c b/util/mapcache_seed.c
index 0a2b7d63..0cbf8326 100644
--- a/util/mapcache_seed.c
+++ b/util/mapcache_seed.c
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ static const apr_getopt_option_t seed_options[] = {
   { "mode", 'm', TRUE, "mode: seed (default), delete or transfer" },
   { "older", 'o', TRUE, "reseed tiles older than supplied date (format: year/month/day hour:minute, eg: 2011/01/31 20:45" },
   { "dimension", 'D', TRUE, "set the value of a dimension (format DIMENSIONNAME=VALUE). Can be used multiple times for multiple dimensions" },
-  { "transfer", 'x', TRUE, "tileset to transfer" },
+  { "transfer", 'x', TRUE, "tileset where tiles should be transfered to" },
 #ifdef USE_CLIPPERS
   { "ogr-datasource", 'd', TRUE, "ogr datasource to get features from"},
   { "ogr-layer", 'l', TRUE, "layer inside datasource"},
@@ -406,7 +406,7 @@ cmd examine_tile(mapcache_context *ctx, mapcache_tile *tile)
     }
   } else {
     // the tile does not exist
-    if(mode == MAPCACHE_CMD_SEED || mode == MAPCACHE_CMD_TRANSFER) {
+    if(mode == MAPCACHE_CMD_SEED) {
 #ifdef USE_CLIPPERS
       /* check we are in the requested features before deleting the tile */
       if(nClippers > 0) {
@@ -629,13 +629,16 @@ void seed_worker()
         mapcache_unlock_resource(&seed_ctx, mapcache_tileset_metatile_resource_key(&seed_ctx,mt));
       }
     } else if (cmd.command == MAPCACHE_CMD_TRANSFER) {
-      int i;
+      int i,get_ret;
       mapcache_metatile *mt = mapcache_tileset_metatile_get(&seed_ctx, tile);
       for (i = 0; i < mt->ntiles; i++) {
         mapcache_tile *subtile = &mt->tiles[i];
-        mapcache_tileset_tile_get(&seed_ctx, subtile);
-        subtile->tileset = tileset_transfer;
-        tileset_transfer->cache->tile_set(&seed_ctx, subtile);
+        get_ret = subtile->tileset->cache->tile_get(&seed_ctx,subtile);
+        if(GC_HAS_ERROR(&seed_ctx)) break;
+        if(get_ret == MAPCACHE_SUCCESS) {
+          subtile->tileset = tileset_transfer;
+          tileset_transfer->cache->tile_set(&seed_ctx, subtile);
+        }
       }
     } else { //CMD_DELETE
       mapcache_tileset_tile_delete(&seed_ctx,tile,MAPCACHE_TRUE);