Shipping Info

Please use shopping cart to automatically calculate actual shipping cost which depends on particular plant (size, weight) and destination. All you have to do: a) select item in the shopping cart b) select state c) press "Add shipping" button More info - see: Shipping cost

Page navigation: Shipping destinations Shipping days and methods Order status Shipping and handling process Shipping cost What to expect - a fancy florist arrangement or more work with "plant material"? What to do upon receiving plants Our Guarantees and Liabilities Orders to Canada International orders (other than Canada)

We can not be responsible for temperature damage of plants during transportation (heat or cold). Please notify us if weather is not permitting, we can hold your order! Make sure to include heat-pack to provide safe transportation during cold season. We can't guarantee plants to arrive alive without heat pack to cold areas Notify us to hold your order if it's over 90F in your area - otherwise plants may get cooked in a package.

Once your plant arrived, it should be unpacked immediately and either potted or planted in the ground. You should let the plant adjust after shipping stress for at least 24 hours (normally a few days) by placing it in a warm place with bright shade (no direct sunlight) in a small pot with a well-drained moist (not soggy) soil. See more instructions. Upon arrival, keep the packing list with discount voucher to save on your next purchase. To receive our New Arrivals updates, you may subscribe to our Newsletter.

Shipping destination

Most of our plants are certified for shipping to all continental states.
A few plants that are NOT certified for LA, CA, TX, AZ are marked so in the price-list.
We don't ship seeds and plants internationally.

We ship year around. See below regarding weather-permitting shipping.
Our online shipping rates are good ONLY within the United States.
Please for special info about shipping outside of the US.

See also: Shipping to Canada and International orders

APO addresses. We can't ship live plants to military APO address. The main reason is that we don't know where it is located. If this is outside of the USA, then we have to comply with live plants export-import regulations, which is complicated procedure. Also, we don't know how long does it take to deliver the plant and if the package will be opened, so we can't guarantee anything. Orders with live plants to APO addresses will be canceled unless you specify more information.

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Shipping days and methods

• Shipping days: Monday through Wednesday (Florida destinations with one day in transit can be shipped on Thursday) to ensure everyone gets the order before the weekend.
• UPS ground, UPS 3 Days select or USPS Priority Mail, 2-4 days in transit (depending on your location to provide more economical rates) with confirmation number.
• Express Mail (overnight to most destinations) - we may upgrade shipping method at extra charge. Please notify us if your order is urgent.
• Orders placed by the end of Friday are shipped the following week. End of Friday is our cutoff time. For example, if you place your order on Friday, Januray 2nd, then it's shipped on Monday-Wednesday, January 5-7. However, if order is placed on Saturday, January 3rd, then it's shipped on the following week, January 12-14.

Make sure you provide us with a valid email address. You will be notified via email when order is shipped, with delivery confirmation number - USPS (starting 0103) or UPS (starting 1Z). The USPS number is for delivery confirmation only, not for tracking. It confirms that the package was physically delivered to the Post Office and accepted by USPS for shipping. Delivery times are on average 2-4 business days. Please make sure delivered package is not sitting on your porch all day. We can't guarantee the plants to be alive without temperature control.

Possible delays. We notify our customers about possible delays. You may check your order status online. If you were notified that your order was shipped, but haven't received the package within 4 days, please check with your local Post Office or UPS: it may sit there undelivered because of your absence.
Shipment may be delayed by us for the following reasons:

• weather is not permitting
• item is temporarily out of stock
• some fruit trees take time to deliver from other locations
  

Planting instructions are included. For Aquatic plants - see Growing Mangroves, for seeds - see germination instructions.

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Shipping & Handling process We try to provide you with large and mature plants, some of them are much bigger than those that you might get from other mail-order companies (see Our Products page, and Size of Plants). At the same time we want to keep the price down and save your money on shipping by minimizing the package weight and dimentions. We remove plants from pots, toss off some excess soil (to save freight) and wrap a food-grade plastic film around root ball to keep moisture in and to make a compact mailing (see picture on the right). We do not bareroot plants for domestic shipping to avoid additional stress. We try to perform the best packaging we can to make sure the plants arrive safely. Each plant is wrapped individually in thick kraft paper sleve to avoid damage. The wrapped plants are taped to the box so they won't move within the carton. Read more about plants shipping and possible problems. Shipping cost Shipping cost listed in our price list (shopping cart) is automatically calculated for the US only. Please contact us for international orders. We charge you for shipping and handling which includes pulling plants from the field, labeling, sorting, stripping pots and some soil, bagging, wrapping, packaging and boxing. We provide the upmost pachaging to ensure your plants have a safe trip, using professional packing supplies which are not cheap. HANDLING is very labor-intensive and expensive part. Often we even lose on shipping, because we try to provide you with biggest plants available. ATTENTION: Due to new regulations and price system of the US Postal Service (effective 05/14/07), we have changed our shipping calculator system. Please use shopping cart to automatically calculate actual shipping cost which depends on particular plant (size, weight) and destination. All you have to do: a) select item in the shopping cart b) select state c) press "Add shipping" button You can't calculate international shipping cost of plants - please contact us for that information. Your order status You may check if your order has been shipped at Order Status Page

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What to expect?

Our company provides gardeners with rooted, well-established plants of mostly rare and hard-to-find species. We provide you with the biggest and healthiest specimens of the kind that we have at the moment (see more info about plant size). We grow our plants in natural conditions (outdoors) under Florida sun and rain. We fertilize our plants to maintain healthy growth and developed roots, but it's not our goal to keep them flowering at all times, although some of them might bloom at the moment (note that the flowers as well as some leaves might drop while shipping). We are not a florist shop where you can get a nicely shaped arrangement in a fancy wrap. We provide you with a specimen plant for your future fun of growing it, while it matures, develops it's root system and gets into bloom for your future enjoyment.

Most of the plants are shipped without pots (see above), and you must realize that you need to be prepared:

• you need special soil (see recommendations), you may as well order a good potting medium from us (including Grow Coir)
• you need pots ready (depending on plant size - see info in price list)
• you need to spend some time and effort to help your plant to recover from shipping stress and grow happily
• if the plant is supposed to be a present, please consider if the person you are sending it to will be willing and capable of providing all the above.

If you feel inexperienced about growing these plants, please visit our Forum and FAQ page for more information. Read Catalog article with cultivation advice for the plant before ordering it.

See also Possible problems in transportation.
Read more about establishing plants ans problem solving

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Terms of service. Guarantees and liabilities

Please read these rules before ordering! By ordering from us you enter into legal contract you have your resposibilities as well as we do. We value our customers and would like customers to value our service. Therefore, we have some rules Healthy plants. We guarantee that we ship healthy plants E-mail only, within 3 days period. All claims must be submitted in writing only, and only within 3 days after delivery. Please email us if you have any problems; if you call us regarding any claims, you will be asked to email us anyway. We do not accept any claims after 3 days of order arrival. Shipping damage. All shipments travel at the risk and expense of the buyer. Our responsibility ends upon delivery to the carrier, we assume no responsibility for delay, damage, destruction or breakage after delivery has been made to carrier. We are not responsible for any damage occurred during transportation: either temperature or mechanical. To ensure your plants have a safe trip: Please make sure delivered package is not sitting on your porch all day. We can't guarantee the plants to be alive if they a shipped without temperature control (heat pack) in winter or if they are overheated in summer. We do our best to notify you about shipping/arrival day beforehand, please take care of your plants. Please monitor weather in your area. If it's too hot or too cold, notify us, we can hold your order. Shipping cost is not refundable. In case of replacement we charge shipping cost. In certain cases we can ship replacement with your next order. Contact ASAP. If you received a plant that got weak or broken - EMAIL us immediately, it may be saved, and we can help you! Do not wait untill it's too late. We won't accept any claims later. If you are not sure how to take care of plant or it seems weak to you then let us know right away, so you can preserve your rights later. Pot size - important! DO NOT plant arrived plant in a pot larger than the root ball! Only after establishing, when the plant starts a new growth, you may move it in a bigger size pot. Proper care. If you recieved a healthy plant, but managed to kill it under improper care - we are sorry, it can't be replaced. Keep arrived plant in warm (not hot) conditions, in a pot in shade until it gets adjusted and recovered from stress. Don't plant out of package into a full sun! Correct mailing address. We're not responsible for errors in mailing address or delivery instructions.  We use computerized system to print labels and ship to exactly the address you provided at the time of your order.  Please double check the address you entered to ensure that it's correct. You may refer to a confirmation email for double-checking. We are able to correct misspeled city name or zip code and we will notify you if your address is invalid, but we have no means to verify if entered "1234" is really your house number or it should be "10234". We don't accept any claims result from such errors. PO Box addresses are not acceptable for UPS - they will not deliver to PO boxes. We may contact you for physical street address. We may also contact you if your address is marked as "non-deliverable" in the USPS database. Shipping confirmation. You will be notified via email when order is shipped. We email you delivery confirmation number for USPS (Postal Service) or tracking number for UPS. This email is important. If you don't receive package within few days, then check the shipper website (link is provided in confirmation email). Sometimes for whatever reason packages are just sitting at the Post Office and a customer did not notice that tiny orange package claim post card. Special delivery instructions. We always try to accomodate them and print on the shipping label. Simple instructions like "leave at door" are acceptable, but complicated like "leave behind 3rd tall palm to the left of the 2nd garage door" are not. Most likely carriers will not follow such instructions (they won't even read it) to your satisfaction. So, we can't be responsible for  it. Secure delivery. If you believe there is any risk that USPS Priority Mail deliveries in your area may be misplaced or stolen, then we strongly recommend shipping to your work address, to your friend's address, or any other person who can accept the package for you. You may request USPS Signature Confirmation service at extra charge.  This will require someone at your address to sign for the package or for the package to be picked up at the local Post Office. If the USPS Delivery Confirmation records indicate that your package has been delivered, we will not accept a lost product refund claim or replace your package.  Lost package. If you believe your package was lost in transit, we reserve the right to initiate the inquiry to determine if the package was actually lost. We follow proper shipper procedures to determine if the package was signed by another person, stolen, or lost. If you have not received your package and the shipping company confirms lost package was not delivered, then we will re-ship the order again. We will not reship or refund orders for which the shipping company can confirm delivery at the destination.    Order changes or cancellation. If you decide to change something in your order, add more items or cancel your order for whatever reasons, you have to do so in writing (email or fax). We do not accept any changes over the phone. If your order has been already packed then no changes can be made. If you decided to cancel the order, cancellation/restocking fees may apply (up to 6%).  Refuse of sale. We reserve the right to refuse making a sale to anyone. Sometimes, we may ask a certain customer to buy plants someplace else.

All plants being in a few days transit without light and water, exposed to temperature extremes and handling, will experience stress. Some more, others less. Please be advised that we can not guarantee the plant to stay in a good condition after shipping since it is beyond our control. By ordering a live plant mail-order you take a risk of receiving a wilted plant, which in most cases, under proper care, will recover soon and bring you joy of accomplishment.

• We guarantee the plant is healthy and true to name to the best of our knowledge when it leaves our nursery, and shipped in proper packaging to keep stress on the plant to a minimum. We are not responsible for the plant after it leaves our direct care. No other guarantee or warranty applies to these plants.
  
  
• We're a certified nursery inspected by the US Departament of Agriculture on regular basis. We posses a number of certificates, including CA nematode certificate. Fire Ant certificate, etc. and grow all plants according to their requirements. We ship only healthy plants which are apparently free from deseases and pests to the best of our knowledge at the time of shipment. If your local authority requires post inspections then it's your responsibility to comply with it. We can't be hold responsible for incurred extra cost and results of such inspections.
  
  
• We are not responsible for the shipping delays beyond our control.
  
  
• We cannot be responsible for loss or damage during transportation. Claims for damage in transit should be made to the carrier. Save all packing materials and contents for inspection by a carrier representative. See also: Possible problems in transportation.
  
  
• We sell tropical plants, and we suggest you to watch your weather for safe shipping. We ship year 'round, but we are unable to monitor the weather at every location, that's why we advice you to let us know if you're expecting a snow storm, extremely high temperatures, etc. - so we hold on shipping your order. If weather is not permitting, plants could be shipped at your own risk.
  
  
• Once you received a plant - this plant becomes yours. No guarantee, expressed or implied, is made for the successful growth after planting. We will not assume responsibility for plants which have died as a result of improper planting or care. If you don't know how to grow a certain plant, please, contact us with any questions in advance.
  
  
• Please remember that plants are living things and require your immediate attention upon their arrival. Please read our planting instructions. If you receive a plant which has been damaged in shipment be sure to notify us as soon as possible.
  
  
• If you have received a dead or broken plant, please contact us immediately. Any claims may be accepted only within 3 days after delivery. In some cases we may replace a dead or badly damaged plant only if the damage was caused by improper packaging and only after receiving a picture of the dead plant or returning the plant at our expense - in order to determine the reason of damage. Please contact us first before sending the plant back to us.
  
  
• Shiping and handling charges are not refundable. 
  
  
• If having any questions about plants cultivation - please visit our Forum. We try to offer the best advice we can about hardiness and growing conditions. This is a service and not a guarantee.
  
  
• Orders are accepted without liabilities for non-performance due to shortages, delays, crop condition or other conditions beyond our control. We reserve the right to limit quantities purchased if stock is low.
  
  

• 	Some plants or their parts might be poisonous or cause undesirable reactions or conditions when consumed internally (or inhaled). These plants (such as Brugmansia, Datura, etc.) are marked as poisonous in our Catalog with the appropriate pictogram. Under no circumstance such plants should be used for human or animal consumption.
  	Plants marked with a pictogram of Ethnomedical use are not offered as medicine but rather as an ornamentals or collectibles. This pictogram is for information only. We are not responsible for any improper use of these plants. Consult your physician before using any herb/folk pharmacy.

  
  
  
• We do not sell plants known to us as causing severe allergic reactions, however some people may individually experience certain conditions, such as skin rush, sneezing, etc. If you are aware of such sensitivity of yours, consult your doctor prior to plant purchase.
  
  
• Some local laws prohibit growing or importing some plants - it is your responsibility to comply with the law.
  
  
• Under no circumstances we're liable for more than the invoice at the time of purchase. In no event shall Top Tropicals, its officers, employees, or other representatives be liable for special, indirect, consequential, or punitive damages related to products sold.
  
  
  
• SEEDS. Seed is a live product which depends on many important related grower skills such as proper planting time, seed depth, type of soil, irrigation, proper use of fertilizers, weed controls, fungicides, insecticides, disease free soil, and reasonable weather conditions during the growing period. Germination is affected by such factors as temperature, moisture content, light intensity and contamination of planting media. These factors are totally out of our control and are your responsibility and risk. Consequentally, we cannot guarantee seed to perform properly regardless of conditions or your methods or mistakes.

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Shipping to Canada and countries other than the US

Please read this important information carefully before placing your order.
All international orders placed in shopping cart without our prior approval will be canceled. 10% (or $10 minimum) cancellation fee will be applied to canceled orders to all countries other than the US.

We don't ship plant retail orders to Canada because of very high cost of handling  (phytosanitary inspection, etc) and very low reliability of shipping live plants across the border. 

We suggest that if it is possible for you to have the plants delivered to a U.S. address where you can pick them up and carry them across the border yourself, you can receive your plants quickly and at lower cost. In this case, you are not required to get a phytocertificate.  We have many customers in Toronto and Vancuver who do that. Please make sure to read rules and regulations governing plant importation to Canada. It's your responsibility to comply with these rules and regulations. Contact uour local agricultural authoroties if you have questions regarding these rules.

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/protect/dir/d-01-03e.shtml

"...2.2 Import Requirements. The import of houseplants under these specified conditions must be for personal and non-commercial use only. For a shipment to be considered non-commercial, the total number of plants must not exceed 50 houseplants. The houseplants must accompany the importer at time of entry into Canada, in baggage or as part of household effects. This directive does not include mail and courier importations of the regulated commodities intended for personal use and these importations must meet the standard plant import requirements. Because the soil might be a source of quarantine pests, the houseplants must not be planted outside at any time even if they might not survive Canadian winters. Note: Houseplants of some plant species must comply with the CITES requirements (See section 2.6)

2.3.1 Houseplants for personal and non-commercial use from continental US.

A Permit to Import or a Phytosanitary Certificate is not required, except if the houseplants are from SOD regulated areas (refer to policy directive D-01-01 for details on regulatory requirements)..."

Florida isn't SOD regulated area.

International orders (other than Canada)

We don't ship retail orders outside of the US. Contact us for wholesale orders.