Buying Orchids on eBay

If you are new to the Orchid buying seen it might surprise you that buying orchids on eBay is incredibly easy and very safe. Whether you are looking for unique orchids that cost a lot of money, or you're looking for cheap and affordable orchids to start your collection, you can be rest assured that buying orchids on eBay is very easy and very safe for you, the buyer.

Everything you need to know about buying orchids on eBay

eBay does not need much of an introduction. One of the world's largest online retailers, eBay started off as a small auction site and has recently ballooned up to be one of the largest retailers on the entire internet. This puts it in a class of its own and means that it is also one of the largest retailers on the planet Earth.

So why would you want to buy orchids on eBay? Is it safe to buy orchids on eBay? Can you be assured that the exact same plant you see online will arrive? Will it arrive safely?

This article will address several key questions and show you the right way to buy orchids on eBay to make buying orchids on eBay a very safe and fun experience for you.

Why should you buy orchids on eBay?

The first question that you might have is "why should I buy orchids on eBay?" If you live in a big city and have access to different plant suppliers, greenhouses, and garden supply stores you may see no need to purchase orchids on eBay. Even so, you still may want to consider eBay for your orchids and orchid supplies.

If however, you live in a smaller town with less access to retail, buying orchids on eBay may make a lot of sense to you.

Convenience

The first big reason to purchase eBay orchids is that a convenience. Buying an orchid and not having to worry about tracking it down and having it simply sent to you is incredibly convenient, not to mention opens up the possibility of growing ones orchid collection rather quickly as opposed to trying to hunt down orchids that are different than the run-of-the-mill grocery store variety.

Safety and Piece of Mind

The other great reason for purchasing orchids via ebay is that of convenience and security. We explain it in more detail below, but eBay is set up to ensure the buyer (you) is completely satisfied, and items that are different than what are described are always exchanged for the correct item or refunded. This refund will come from the seller, or eBay themselves, if the seller does not agree and tries to argue with an obvious case of wrong or non-matching items.

Is it safe to buy orchids on eBay? Will They Survive Shipping?

This is probably the most popular question we get when we tell people that we purchase orchids on eBay. People worry about live plants being transported through the mail, and with understandable and possibly misplaced reasons.

The truth is, that unless the plants are being shipped in harsh winter conditions, a properly packed and shipped Orchid Will Survive the Journey of thousands of miles with no problems. If the seller on eBay has a good reputation and has sold orchids before, there is a good chance that they themselves are orchid lovers and will treat your Orchids with the utmost respect and care.

The great example of an orchid seller that takes care and packing their orchids is Kawamoto Orchid nursery located in Hawaii. They take great care in how they ship their orchids and it's reflected in the video posted below. Take a look and then worry a little bit less when purchasing orchids on eBay especially if you're purchasing them from an eBay seller who has sold orchids for a long time.

We here at Caroline's orchids have sold orchids on eBay in the past, and have shipped orchids to every section of the Continental United States with zero issues.

We have even shipped specialty orchids out to Colorado in the winter time using special heat packs design for reptile terrariums. Orchids are very resilient for the most part, and because we took proper care in packing and heating the interior of the box, the orchids were in great shape and the customer was very happy with their post holiday season orchids, delivered even in mid January.

What guarantees do I have when purchasing an orchid on eBay

Unless you spend time on eBay you may not know that all purchases on eBay are guaranteed. If the seller receives an item that is not as described in the eBay listing, and the seller is paid with PayPal (which is quite frankly the only way to pay for an item on eBay these days), the purchaser (or the person buying the product) will always be guaranteed and will always be able to get a full refund for their item.

If for example, the seller puts photos up in a listing and ships you a completely different plant, you may open a case and eBay will honor you a refund for getting an item that was different than what was described.

If your orchid comes to you damaged broken (or dead), and the description describes it as a live healthy plant, you're also covered and will get a full refund on your purchase through eBay's Buyer Protection Program.

It is with this that you can purchase with confidence on eBay and not worry about receiving different plants, plants that are not healthy, or not getting your orchid all together

What to look for when buying an orchid on eBay

There are few key things that you should look for when purchasing an eBay orchid. It's important to understand as we've explained above that you are always guaranteed on eBay to get your purchase as described. That isn't to say that you should not be careful while on eBay because of course you should. The same applies when buying any item from eBay or a major retailer in real life in a store.

Here's what we look for when were purchasing plants on eBay

1. Make sure that the plant you are buying has an actual photo of the plant, not a stock photo or perfect photo of the bloom only. This is something that sellers will often do when they don't have the plant on hand to sell you or they want to make you excited about the flowers. By placing up a picture of just the blooms, you don't have an understanding of the condition of the plant that you're purchasing.
2. Make sure that the picture of the plant includes a ruler or a soda can (or other common item) to give you an idea of the size of the plant. Good sellers on eBay will always include a picture of the plant next to a ruler or a soda can or bottle to give you an idea of the size of the plant. This ensures that you know exactly what you're getting and that you'll be happy with a plant that isn't too big or too small.
3. Always read the description. If there is no description, we tend to completely skip the listing and move on to somebody who took the time to write a description about the plant that you're getting.
4. If you're buying a special species, and the species is listed, search Google for photos of the same type of plant. This will make sure that you're getting the correct plant. Anybody can take a tag and put it next to an orchid, although you won't be able to tell in some cases 100% if it's exact, you'll know if they're trying to pass off a dendrobium as an phalaenopsis or cataleya and so on.
5. Send the seller a message before the auction ends and ask some questions about the item. Just ask about shipping or the history of the plant. Even if you know the answer ask anyways. This is important because it will give you an idea of what the seller is like. A good seller will get back to you and be friendly, a bad seller will not answer you or will give you only a few words of an answer. Most sellers on eBay that are professional and do a good job are always willing to answer questions.
6. Take a look at the seller feedback, and look to see what they were selling. If they were selling ORCHIDS, and have positive feedback, then you are much more likely to be dealing with an experienced orchid seller, and should have no problem with the transaction.

Lastly, be aware that many items will have a very low price but very high shipping. When purchasing an orchid make sure that you take a look at the shipping prices if the price seems rock-bottom low. Even with a high shipping price the Orchid may still be worth it, but be sure that before you excitedly kick Click by now you're making sure that you're not paying two or three times the price of the actual plant in the shipping.

What not to expect when buying orchids on eBay

These days eBay has evolved into a global company. They operate in the United Kingdom, many parts of Europe, North America and even in some parts of Asia. Because you are purchasing live plants, it should be expected that shipping overseas may be a problem. Unless you are willing to pay a very high premium for your shipping to be expedited it makes it nearly impossible to purchase orchids on eBay and have them shipped overseas. Orchids will last a few days in shipping, but not a few weeks.

Getting a box of orchids stuck at a customs checkpoint will be the difference between live and dead plants. We have purchased items from China (not plants) that sat at a customs checkpoint in San Francisco for TWENTY DAYS before moving on to our home.

Secondly, getting live plants through customs and some countries is problematic. This has to do with laws on flora and fauna the many companies countries have.

As a general rule, When shopping for orchids on eBay, look for Sellers from your country only. The exception to this maybe if you're in Canada trying to buy orchids from the United States and vice versa but even then shipping can be expensive over International borders.

Click on this link for instructions on how to specify an item's location that you're looking at on eBay. It will help you to ensure that items you're looking at are from your local country and not getting them won't be a problem for you.

How to treat your new orchids after they arrived from eBay

So you went ahead and you purchased an orchid on eBay, they got to you and you open the box and everything looks great. What do you do now?

It's important to remember that your orchid just went on a pretty long journey. Hundreds or even thousands of miles to get to you, the first thing you need to do is ensure it has time to breathe and get adjusted to its climate. Your house has a different humidity level temperature and environment than wherever it came from. Be sure to treat it well, understand that if it's coming from a major orchid nursery I could need to have chance for the roots to grow and air out.

The videos below shows you what orchids that come from nurseries can oftentimes look at look like, and how to deal with them.

Once your orchid has adjusted after a day or so you're going to need to re pot it. Seldom do orchids on eBay come in their own potting media, most of the time you are purchasing a bare root plant in order to save on shipping costs and make sure that it gets to you in the best condition.

We have an article on the best Orchid supplies and where to get them which can be found at this link here.

Check out the video below which is a guide on how to repot an orchid for an idea of how to take care of you new beautiful orchids.

Buying orchids on eBay conclusion.

Buying orchids on eBay should not be an intimidating process. EBay makes it incredibly easy for you to browse purchase and have any Orchid UC ship to you. So long as you understand the few simple rules in this guide, pay close attention to item descriptions you'll have a great experience growing your Orchid collection via ebay.

You're at zero risk to lose any money, and can find some real gems while shopping on eBay. We have had great expreiences purchasing orchids and Orchid supplies on eBay and have even used Amazon. Follow the rules in this guide and find yourself in a whole new world of orchids.

To browse orchids on eBay click the link below. By clicking the link below you'll help support the side if you make a purchase, and don't worry your price never goes up, eBay just pays us and your prices stay awesome on eBay as always.

Click here to browser and shop eBay Orchids