beginner hobbyist looking for wholesale orchids

[SOS]

Gold Country Orchids will work with you on wholesale orders.

[orchidsamore]

true wholesale is when I buy an order and request 20Phals 30 Cattleya etc and get whatever the minimum wage employee pulls off the bench. Most wholesalers will not even let you into the greenhouses.

I do not think you really want to buy wholesale. What would you do with 15 to 50 of the same variety? Also the money you save will be lost in poor purchases that are inappropriate for you. Advice on how the orchids will fit into your collection will eliminate losses that can be avoided.

Many growers like myself add extra plants to orders even when the customer did not expect it. Most growers will discount for quantity. You need to discuss your desires with the grower.

You can order divisions (large mature pieces of older plants), plugs or compots (usually only in quantity of the same item) limited quantity plants or plants the grower wants to empty before the new season plants are laid out. Divisions and plugs need different care than each other and you need to know the care before purchase.

There is no sales tax on shipments across state lines, but any purchase even 'wholesale' will have to pay sales tax if there is no tax re-sale certificate and you have to certify it is for re-sale. When I pay my sales tax each month I have to add on the tax for any purchases I made for myself that are not for re-sale. Only re-sale is tax free.

[epiphyte78]

I recently put together a group purchase for Floralia Orchid Nursery in Brazil. Around 8 of my plant friends participated and we ordered enough to receive a 30% discount. The plants were all in good shape and accurately matched their size description on Floralia's website.

A while back I organized a group purchase from Oak Hill Orchid Nursery. Unlike Floralia, with Oak Hill you there is no minimum total you need to purchase in order to receive a discount...you just need to purchase five of the same plant.

So my recommendation is to cultivate a good group of enthusiastic plant friends in your area and/or join your local orchid society if you have not already done so. Another alternative is to try and sell any extra orchids at cost on Craigslist. Doing so is also a great way to meet other local orchid enthusiasts.