Shipping & CITES

Why an orchid does not ship like an ordinary parcel

All orchids are listed in CITES Appendix II. No shipment may lawfully leave Thailand without a CITES export permit, nor enter the European Union without a phytosanitary certificate.

These documents are not bought, they are obtained, plant by plant, from the Thai authorities. That is what explains our lead times — and it is also why your plant arrives instead of being destroyed at the border.

Lead times, honestly

• Preparation and paperwork: usually 1 to 3 weeks.
• Transit: 3 to 7 working days once shipped.
• Customs clearance: hours to several days depending on the country.

Lead times run from the issue of the documents, not from the order. We write at each stage.

We do not ship during cold spells: a tropical orchid does not survive 48 hours in a hold at 2 °C. If frost is on your route, we postpone and tell you.

Packaging

Plants travel bare-rooted, substrate removed and roots protected — the only form accepted for export, and the way they travel best. A bare-rooted plant arriving slightly dehydrated is normal; it recovers after potting.

A rehydration and potting guide comes with every shipment.

Import taxes and duties

Read this before ordering. We ship from outside the European Union. On entry, your parcel is subject to your country's VAT and, depending on value, customs duties, plus possible carrier handling fees.

These are charged to you as the importer, before the parcel is handed over. We do not collect them and cannot refund them.

We declare the real value of the plants. We do not under-declare: it is fraud, and it is the surest way to get a parcel seized.