Where do you find new and interesting orchid types?

[Bud]

I go to the library and look at Orchid books....if I come across a flower I like, I make note of the name and in the future if I find it for sale ...I bid on it or buy it immediately....if I wait; someone might just grab it and I feel really bad for daysbecause I have waited so long for it to surface....sometimes my friends here on the board send me orchids that they feel I will like or do not have....sometimes we swap or sometimes they dont want it anymore andwant me to have it....thats why I have such an eclectic collection....I was just recently been given four Neos and I am beyond ecstatic

[sailortom2]

if going to cleveland i would check out the cleveland botanical gardens...they have a costa rica green house with waterfalls and birds flying around....nice place to spend a few hours...plants for sale in the gift shop

[Rinzo]

google, youtube....

[Leafmite]

The Cleveland area has Windswept in Time Orchids and Roberts Flower Supply. Both are by appointment only but they offer a decent variety of orchids. The Cleveland area has three shows every spring...and then there is the Pittsburgh show, too. You really get a variety of vendors by attending the different shows and pre-ordering saves on the shipping. Good luck with your collecting!

[pipsxlch]

I second orchid shows when possible; even if those groups aren't close enough for you to want to join any, bookmark their homepages and keep an eye out for any shows or auctions, they are worth the drive. Bigger shows may attract vendors from across the country or even the world; smaller ones will usually be local vendors who should have conditions similar to yours and whose plants should be happy with you. Just check with the vendor about an unfamiliar plant's needs.
I have bought off eBay quite sucessfully in the past- I'd just check the vendor's feedback. Good nurseries sell there, but so do the so-so ones and Joe Blow with a plant on his windowsill he really knows little to nothing about. If in doubt, don't buy.
If you know a plant you're interested in, try Googling '(its name) sale' and see what pops up- even just search the name.

It would be great sometimes to be able to purchase internationally, the plants I want most are not that common here in the US it seems, though they are common elsewhere and not restricted in any way that I know of- actually, seems if I see one for sale locally (rare), it's as a NOID at a big box store.