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Maybe an orchid will reply?

"That's just Grant pretending to be an orchid!"

... but you'll never be sure 👻

FAQ

Maybe we can read your mind? Maybe that's the plants speaking.

How does shipping work?

Bottom Line: Arrival 2-10 business days after purchase.

Lead Time:

1-5 business days.

Lead time varies depending on current order volume and is heavily dependent on postal carriers' weekly delivery schedules (we try to avoid weekends). Don't let us lose your business over lead time though!

Postage:

✿ Free Option — 1-5 business days.

Quicker by proximity to Florida; generally 1 day to Florida and Georgia, 2-3 days east of the Missisipi River, 4 to 5 days in the West.

While not required, we do recommend that customers in west coast states consider upgrading to Expedited for plant health, especially during November through March.

Postage method is at our discretion, usually USPS Priority Mail or UPS Ground.

✿ Expedited — 1-3 business days.

We bump expedited postage orders to the front of our que whenever possible, but standard 1-5 business day lead time does still apply.

Postage method is at our discretion, usually UPS 3-Day Select, USPS Priority Mail, or more premium services such as UPS 2nd Day and Next Day Air or USPS Priority Mail Express as required by destination distance.

Pricing for Expedited postage presented at check-out not available to HI, AK and US territories; please reach out before ordering.

✿ Express — We don't offer overnight postage options during check-out due to unpredictable variations in parcel size/weight, but we do have steep commercial volume discounts with most carriers that you're welcome to take advantage of! If you need your plants quick, we tend to have great deals on overnight postage. Expect postage quotes in the $30 range per plant. Just reach out before ordering!

Do you guarantee live arrival of plants? What about during cold weather?

Heat Packs, insulation, and weatherized shipping cartons are included FREE and automatically when weather is too cold or hot at your destination Zip Code.

As long as the forecast at your destination shows temperatures ABOVE 40°F for the duration that your plants are in transit, we guarantee the live arrival of plants.

While we have success delivering live plants down to 0°F, we do NOT guarantee packages if the forecast shows below 40°F at your destination. Hold for Pickup can make things much safer during cold weather - learn more down below.

We’ve shipped hundreds upon hundreds of flowering orchids and tropical houseplants straight through the coldest days of winter. We give the utmost attention to detail and safety when packing every individual plant. Our packaging process is sophisticated and takes advantage of developing technologies in the e-commerce fulfilment industry. Our staff is knee-deep in varioius postal carrier networks, so we’re always ahead of the curve when adapting to major shifts in the mail-order industry (like the pandemic, postal carrier understaffing, shipping center consolidation, and any other logistical challenges faced by postal carriers that could delay your package).

Customers can’t stop raving about our attention to packing detail!

Do you guarantee flower spikes/buds/blooms?

We ship using fast methods and strong boxes, pad and insulate packages, and include up to 5-day heat packs at no extra cost to you. We're professional plant-packers with a 98% success rate (just check out our raving reviews), but given the nature of live plants and third party carrier shipping, we can not guarantee that any flower(s) or spike(s) will arrive intact. You CAN be sure you'll receive a live, happy, healthy, collectible plant - we guarantee it. The chance of breakage is miniscule, but it does happen.

Mechanical breakage during transit falls under the scope of third party carrier liability. We will gladly help you through the damage claims process if the box has been mishandled - see "What if my plants or items are damaged?".

What if my plants or items are damaged?

It happens. Plants are living and fragile things, after all!

Our live plant packages are tracked and insured for $50-$100 depending on postage method.

If plants are damaged upon arrival, provide photos within 72 hours of the items and box with shipping lable visible. We're happy to help facilitate damage claims with third party carriers.

As is the rule of thumb in internet retail, once an order has been shipped, the responsiblity for the parcel lies with the parcel carrier.

In most cases we're able to resolve disputes relating to mechanical/physical damage in your favor (e.g. carriers pay out when they smush boxes). Damage from hot/cold temperatures will not be covered by third party carriers, but we will always work with you to the best of our ability to make sure you're happy with your order. This is where our seasonal live arrival guarantee as explained in the "Cold Weather" tab above will kick in.

Providing prompt evidence of damage is imperative as per our and third party carrier policies. Beyond 72 hours there's no way to verify liability for damage done - whether from Bombotany, the recipient, or a third party carrier.

Do you offer express postage? I'm concerned about my plants spending a long time in transit - what can I do?

We include 1-5 day day postage with every order, but if you want to be absolutely sure your plant will brave the journey unscathed, please consider a shipping upgrade during checkout - especially if you live on the west coast, where any delays could leave your plant sitting in a cold warehouse over the weekend. Unavailable for Alaska, Hawaii and US territories - please contact us for express options.

We've partnered with multiple carriers to offer fast delivery at affordable rates. If our default options don't work for you, feel free to reach out for a 1 or 2 day postage quote.

If you live east of (or near) the Mississippi River, odds are your package will arrive in 1-3 days with our free shipping method.

Are your "Lead" and "Ship" times concrete?

The short answer is YES, BUT... We occasionally delay shipment in order to avoid extreme weather, known carrier logistical hold-ups, and transit over the weekend. If this happens, we'll ship with faster than advertised postage *and, if your order will still arrive by the end of the advertised delivery window, we will NOT notify you*. Shipping live plants in a temperate climate is a dynamic process, and we use our professional discretion when deciding on transit method/ship date. For these reasons, the lead and ship time estimates may be inaccurate, but the maximum possible delivery window is accurate.

What is Hold for Pickup? Why should I request Hold for Pickup?

Most parcel carriers can hold an incoming order for pickup at a local office or partner store (usually less than 15 minutes away from you). This is typically a paid service, but we're truly dedicated to taking care of all cold-weather shipping logistics on your behalf so we will foot the bill. The majority of weather damage occurs in the last few miles of transit on the delivery truck or on your front porch shortly after delivery (as heat pack effectivity is winding down). Hold for Pickup radically reduces the chance that plants will be damaged by weather during transit when temps are below 40°F or above 100°F. Package theft occurs after the seller and carrier have been released of liability - holding packages eliminates that possibility. Just send us a note with your order!

What happens if the tracking number shows delivered, but I haven't received my package?

In the event of package misplacement or theft, we'll gladly help facilitate investigations and claims with the carrier, but if they deem the package was delivered correctly (with their highly accurate tracking and software), there's nothing we can do. Avoid porch piracy by asking us to hold your order for pickup at a nearby location - we'll pay for the service at no extra cost to you.

Do you combine separate orders?

Yes! If you place multiple orders to the same address, we will most likely combine all pending orders into one package. We do sometimes send multiple piece shipments depending on the quantity, size, and weight of ordered items.