Purchasing Orchids on line

[Zoren]

, to all members. Has any member bought Orchids on Ebay or Amazon, if so where they any good?...Zoren...

[nikkik]

I have purchased orchids from ebay. I have had a lot of great experiences, but I generally purchase from vendors that I know. There are many reliable orchid vendors that use Ebay and Amazon. I have never purchased an orchid from Amazon, but I know Andy's Orchids currently sells plants there.

I would caution buying from vendors outside of the country because many times that transaction is not legal. It's tempting because of the prices, but not worth the risk, in my opinion.

If you stick to vendors with positive feedback and who are well known, you should be fine. I also prefer to buy a plant that has been photographed, so that I know what to expect.

I like Ebay because I can pick up gift cards to Ebay for a percentage off. I also like that if a transaction goes wrong, I have Ebay and/or PayPal to help me if the vendor is nonresponsive.

If you decide to purchase plants this way, I hope you have an amazing experience.

[Leafmite]

It works if you are buying from a grower/vendor you know is good. I usually buy straight from the vendor/grower but a few times, I just wanted one orchid and the shipping was cheaper with Amazon. (Andy's Orchids, Kawamoto Orchid nursery and Carmelas orchids).

I bought two orchids from Ebay, once, but it was from a vendor that everyone here highly recommended. The orchids were perfect. I have no idea who the vendor was, now, it was quite some time ago. Many people have had unhappy results with Ebay so I probably won't risk it again.

[Dumb chemist]

I have bought plants from E-bay vendors and generally the experience has been good.

I did have a strange shipment once. I ordered a Lycaste plant from an E-bay seller and it shipped from Florida to Syracuse, NY. From there, it went to Delhi, NY and then back to Syracuse. From there it went to Utica, NY and then back to Syracuse. From there, it went to Norwich, NY and to me finally. The total time for the trip was 10 days. (I think the bulbs could have qualified for frequent flyer mileage.)

Fortunately, the Lycaste bulbs had no leaves and no new growth. The bulbs were dry; but, I added water and I am now awaiting new growth.

[camille1585]

If you want to buy orchids online and you've never done it before, I strongly recommend that you first consider ordering from well known reputable vendors first. Have a look in the vendor feedback section for some suggestions of good places to shop at.

There is along thread somewhere about shopping on ebay, and I think the general message was to try to stick to ebay vendors which are also known orchid vendors. There were so many horror stories of ebay purchases gone wrong (unhealthy plants, wrong plant...). Do not buy plants from abroad. Paperwork is required, and dishonest vendors won't tell you that, and the end result is a package which gets seized by customs officials.

I'm going to move your thread, the introductions forum is not a good place for it.

[AnonYMouse]

Perhaps merge this thread with Not sure where to put this thread

[Orchid Whisperer]

I have purchased orchid flasks on eBay (flasks=seedlings growing in closed containers on sterile growing medium).

I sought out only eBay vendors that were recommended by people that I know and trust. Following that rule, my experience has been good.

I have also heard stories of bad experiences with online purchases. Avoid anyone selling "orchid seeds" online, most of these are out right scams.

[Optimist]

I have had way too many bad sales and disappointments with both orchids and African violets from e-bay. It's about 50/50 whether I will get an orchid that is not an intensive care case, or worse, or else something that I am happy with. I have lost enough money on e-bay to be extra cautious. Some sellers are consistently good, always sending healthy plants, and others are just horrible and unscrupulous.

I realize that if I screw up, and kill a plant, it is not the vendor's problem. When I am sent a 50$ plant that is actually a collection of scraps from trimming other plants (which happened) that is when I call the vendor unscrupulous.

[Zoren]

. I'd like to thank all who gave me excellent advice about 'on-line purchasing', I don't have an Ebay account and won't be getting one (I might try Amazon). Regardless of the on-line account, I will only buy from known vendors that you all have recommended.
I only buy plants that are either in bud or partially in bloom. I'm not interested in buying 'seeds or plants in flasks' ("growth takes to long for me...remember I'm 76 not 36, time is against me..."). Again, thanks for the advice, I guess 'shipping' is an evil that I can't do anything about....Zoren...

[JScott]

The Orchid Gallery sells on both Amazon and eBay, and her plants are always very good. I highly recommend.