Includes:

• Freight destination charges
• Residential surcharges
• Fuel surcharges -- as billed by the freight company.

"Why are my shipping charges so high?” - Please read our blog post!

At Tropiflora, we use boxes sized to fit the plants being shipped as closely as possible, so minimize shipping cost to the customer. Shipping charges are determined by destination zone and type of service you choose. Most carriers base charges on DIM or dimensional weight.

• Dimensional weight is used by all commercial carriers and the Post Office and is calculated on the volume of an object (the box) and may exceed actual weight (for plants it almost always does.) For example, one of our common box sizes is 23x7x7 inches. The actual weight of the box is .8 pounds or eight tenths of a pound. However, its dimensional weight is 6 pounds. Even if we sent the box empty, we would be charged for 6 pounds of weight. To calculate DIM weight; divide the volume of an object in cubic inches by 194 and round it up to the next whole pound. Our example box has a volume of 1,127 inches, which divided by 194 equals 5.81, or rounded up, 6 pounds. Don’t worry, we do this for you; we only want you to understand the process.

Includes:

• Paperwork initiation
• Pulling your order
• Cleaning and preparing the plants to ship
• Wrapping the plants -- Typically individually for protection
• Packing the plants -- New boxes with appropriate clean packing and insulation
• Finishing the paperwork and sending the box to your selected carrier(s)

To reach this step, as many as five or more people may take part in the various stages of the process.

• Paperwork: includes your initial order, a pick sheet, an invoice and any required state or federal stamps and/or permits (except for a phytosanitary certificate).
• Preparing: a plant to ship includes inspecting and cleaning, securing the soil in the pot with paper and tape or wrapping the root ball in plastic or bare-rooting the plants as may be required. The plant is then wrapped in paper, with shredded paper added for padding to avoid blemishes.
• Packing: is done in new boxes for all plant shipments, with shredded paper or “Styrofoam peanuts” added to fill voids and insulate the box. Note that the Styrofoam peanuts are recyclable as potting media! In the colder seasons, heating packs can be added to your order as an extra safety measure. NO STYROFOAM? No problem! Please let us know in the 'notes' section of your order. We will switch to our alternative, recycled packing paper. We do not have biodegradable packing peanuts. Please understand that stiff leaf plants (terrestrials) are more fragile and could damage with this packing alteration.

We ship orders in the same sequence as we receive them.

If you need your package to arrive by a certain date please put a note on your order or call our office.

Depending somewhat on the shipping method you choose, we tend to ship orders by UPS and FedEx early in the week (Monday-Wednesday) in order to arrive by Friday. When the normal delivery would require an over the weekend delay, we often hold the shipment until the following Monday or Tuesday. Please note that we may delay shipment of your order if there is a transient severe weather event that may pass soon, giving safer passage. You will be notified if any delays are necessary on our end.

Supplies and Books are normally shipped separately from plants. On occasion we can slip in some small items or a book with plants, but generally these are shipped separately. We typically choose the cheapest method for shipping your supplies and books and adjust your bill as may be necessary. We do this to protect your tender plants from damage by hard objects and to save on shipping.

Weather:

The majority of plants we ship are tropical plants, which do not do well with cold temperatures. We take every precaution to protect your plants during shipment but we cannot guarantee live arrival if the temperatures are below freezing (32 degrees F). Please be aware of the morning and night-time weather in your area when ordering.

We try our best to check zip codes during the winter season to check temperatures. We might contact you about adding a heat pack and foil to your order for an additional fee.

Online Festivals/Sales:

It becomes tremendously busy for us -- but we are not complaining! Please understand during these events we are working as fast as possible to process your orders.

If you are experiencing a delay and not sure why,

please contact us.

If you can provide your shipping number(s) it will be appreciated!

Bromeliad shipments to Hawaii and all plant shipments to Arizona require a phytosanitary certificate from the State of Florida, which presently costs $75.

To schedule a phytosanitary inspection, we require a minimum notice time of 14 business days. If our schedule is booked, you will be shipped on a first come, first serve basis (which could be 2 months out). It would be best to request a ship date in advance, so we can coordinate when the time comes.

We are at the mercy of the availability of the Florida Department of Agriculture.

• Arizona shipments must be sent to an approved receiving location for inspection.
• For bromeliad orders to Hawaii, you must also supply us with a copy of your current import permit.

Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands may require a phytosanitary certificate as well for some shipments, please inquire.

***As of March 1, 2023: All EU shipments will have a VAT (value added tax) due upon pickup of shipment from Customs. Tropiflora will NOT collect this tax.

All shipments to countries other than the U.S. require a phytosanitary certificate.

Too cold to ship? No room for more plants until spring? No problem! Our Buy Now - Ship Later program is available to all so that you may shop now and have your plants shipped later when more convenient. We will hold your plants up to three months. Wait for a better weather 'shipping window' or if you will be away, we can hold your purchases until you return.

For our overseas clientele, this program can help you to take advantage of VIPP specials without having to ship them immediately at considerable expense. Rather, we can hold the items and allow you to accumulate several orders to be shipped together with a single phytosanitary charge. This is a service to our customers allowing them to order freely at any time and from any place and have the plants shipped when it best suits your needs.

How it works:

• Place your order and select Hold/Pick Up instead of a shipping method. Each order is charged to your card at the time we receive it for the items you ordered only. You will be charged for the plants only at that time.
• If you add a second or more orders they will accumulate to be shipped together when you are ready.
• To receive your 'on hold' plants, please notify Tropiflora at least a week ahead of when you would like the plants shipped and all 'on hold' orders will be combined and shipped as one order.

Terms, Conditions and Cautions:

• Your order or orders can be kept on hold for a maximum of three months. If the plant purchased is designated 'No Holding' then we must schedule the shipment immediately.  
• If you decide to cancel your order we will refund you in full (within the first 14 days). If it's past 14 days, a 25% restocking fee will be assessed.