When ordering from overseas it is important to remember that shipments can take quite while to arrive. You can end up with very stressed cuttings and at times you may loose quite a few. These are the risks you take as you can not then ask for your money back. There are tricks for reviving dehydrated cuttings but there are so many sources in the US now that it makes more sense to buy at home vs overseas.

Mike

I LOVE to order from epiphytica. I will say that the holdup for me is in customs inspections. I have had good fortune for times of 5-7 days from Thailand to me. I have not however ordered more than the twelve cutting rule that does not involve a more detailed pass through Homeland Security USDA stations as others will have to explain the process buying the over twelve rules. Coordinating the weather helps as I order in mid spring when temps are in the upper fifties or early fall before cold temps set in. I soak them without taking off the moss for at least three days or until the leaves plump in a low light area. Leaf loss is common and pot them in the growing mix after that removing the moss the best I can. I find that in most cases I have better outcomes acclimating those cuttings plus pest free than some of the US orders. Each shopper will have separate methods from me that are used. Count on shipping and phyto certificate to run approximately forty five dollars on a twelve cutting order.

As an overseas shopper I feel the pain for Denise in Omaha and her losses!

~ Mary

I've never ordered overseas but have heard a lot of horror stories like losing 2 or 3 orders. I think these people get their orders replaced and then lose some of the replacements.

Of course, Thailand has a lot of hoyas that we probably don't have in the US yet. But after saying that, PG (Karen) received some cuttings from someone I'm assuming is in the US and the cuttings look like rare ones.

Susan

Hi Susan,

It happens I did ask the Gifter (in the US) where they came from, but haven't heard back yet, I wondered similarly.

Thanks PG. I was just amazed as they all seem to be very rare hoyas. None of the vendors I've ordered from have anything like them and if they did, I'm certain wouldn't be those sizes.

Susan

Hi OMB,

My order was from Epiphytica, but like Mary pointed out, I'm sure the outcome would have been different had the box not gotten hung up at Homeland Security and USDA inspections. It wasn't the vendor's fault at all, so I can't ask him to replace anything. It's not the P.O.'s fault - in fact, when it did get "unclogged", it got to me the very next day from NY and my postman even called me to make sure I would be home so he could put it right in my hands. So can't make a claim against the P.O. (and not even sure you could since it originated overseas...) I will try again next year because I hear such spectacular things about Epiphitica, but I will order very early, before it gets very warm at all (again as Mary suggests!) and I will probably do a smaller order. GG and I (and one of our other members here) went in on the order together, which seemed like a really good idea at the time and ended up splitting the costs to make them very reasonable per cutting. But it ended up being expensive since so many were lost. I'm sure my cohorts in this order are as disappointed as I am, but I just hope they aren't as mad at me as I am at myself! LOL!

But Mike is right, too. We know the risks. I hope it goes better next time...

Denise in Omaha

Has anyone tried ordering from Aleya Gardens with the registered envelopes? It sounds like that may be the way to go: no minimum order, fast, probably bypassing customs. Although a cutting in a envelope sounds crushable but if it's padded... idk.
Randy

I only order in the padded envelopes from Aleya's and never lost a cutting so far. You would think leaves would be broken etc but the cuttings do very well and arrive much faster than other methods.

Mike

Mike,

How many cuttings do you get at a time in a padded envelope from Aleya? I may be willing to give them a try...

Denise in Omaha

Denise you can order three to four cuttings.

Mike

Having ordered from overseas a couple of dozen times, there are vendors I will never order from again. I've ordered most often from Aleya Gardens, and find that I lose approximately half of each order. I love Epiphytica..it's #1 in my opinion...all of the plants are still alive...even the ones from the summer of 2011. I doubt that I'll order from Aleya again..they do a great job, but have increased their shipping rates...my last order of 12 plants cost $57 shipping...far too expensive..and they no longer give a 20% discount on 10 plants ordered. Epiphytica charges half the amount that Aleya does, for the same number of plants..and the plants are significantly larger. Currently, I have two orders pending from Iyares...AKA plumerindr...the cuttings are very, very expensive! But I ordered some very rare hoyas, and am hoping that they arrive in the next few days..but the tracking number still shows no information after 5 days. I find that the moss is easy to remove if you soak the plants in tepid water with sugar for a good 7 or 8 hours. My last order from Epiphytica arrived in 4 days. Those are the best of the Thai vendors. I'd stay away from Plantcollection and Greenthumb...disastrous results for me; after a couple of orders. Simply put, it's hard to find these rare hoyas in the US. Mary is right, order during periods of weather that aren't too hot or too cold...April through June, and September through October works for me. I do hope to place another order from Epiphytica late this month. Keep in mind that some things happen that aren't the fault of the vendor...some packages get caught up in customs. I learned to ask the vendor to attach the phyto-certificate on the outside of the box...makes things go much more quickly. Denise, don't let one bad experience deter you...I've had two from Epiphytica and both were exceptional. Best wishes, Patrick

I "PARTICULARLY" like Epiphytica. I capitalized the letters because I will not order from anyone in Thailand but Epiphytica. I have been dealing with jack for some years now and have only had 1 bad experience and that was due to not having the proper documentation. U.S. customs opened my shipment inspected them gave them the all clear and still destroyed them simply because I had no phyto certificate to accompany the shipment. Other than that I have had nothing but positive experiences with this vendor. His plants are very healthy,fairly good sized well rooted plants (not cuttings). I order sometimes up to 4 times a year from him and will continue to do so as long as he is selling hoyas and I am able to pay for them!!!!! Transit time for at least 99% of my orders from Epiphytica has taken less than a weeks from his door to mine. You can legally order up to 13 cuttings from any foreign vendor without an import permit but the shipment must be accompanied by a phyto certificate or risk being confiscated by customs.

I have only ever dealt with 1 other Thai vendor and that was not a bad experience but some things arrived not packed well and all was lost. The vendor did replace everything at their expense and the second shipment came in alive with no problems. The only reason I do not continue to order from that vendor is because I they don't have much of interest to me whereas Epiphytic "ALWAYS" has something new and exciting!!!

Then of course there's the shipments that we get from Australia from the Liddle's Nursery. I've been doing that now for probably 12 years or so but this is done as a group thing usually. Always a good experience with 1 or 2 exceptions!!!

Okay ,Karen has been very good so far about not mentioning her gifter's name here so I might as well go ahead and out myself!!! It was me!!!

Karen i'm sorry I haven't gotten back to you with an answer to your question but things have been a bit crazy at home the past week or so.There's some serious stuff going on with my dad (since my mom and grandma both died 6 months ago) Not gonna go into any details but just let me say that i'm about at my breaking point!!! I can see a bottle of Xanax coming into play here VERY soon .

The hoyas that you received came from various places. The kerrii of course came from Thailand (Epiphytica-- EPC 101 or 102) The others I am pretty sure came from David & Iris LIddle in Australia.

The majority of my hoyas have been acquired via mail order from various part of the world including the U.S. I have also done a fair amount of trading to add to the collection as well.

david

Aha! I was sort of thinking about you because I think you must have every hoya imaginable. What a great guy to share with our PG! (And I'm not saying that to get cuttings, (LOL) for I have too many hoyas as is now-ROFL!!!) I'm sorry to hear about your mother and grandmother passing away so close to each other!

Susan

Thank you, everyone, for all the great info! Of course I've gone to the Epiphytica website and now I'm drooling.
Can someone say more about the phyto certificate? I can't really figure it out from the website. Do we just tell them we need one and they do the rest? Or do we go somewhere else and download a certificate and then email it to them? Or...?

I understand the 12 plant limit - that's probably a good thing right now!

Lesley "OMB"

Lesley,

When you place an order with Jack it will automatically come with a phyto certificate. He will not ship without one. Obtaining it is something that he does on his end, and the cost of the certificate is $12 U.S. As far as shipping options goes with Epiphytica i'm not sure what all he offers. I always pay for EMS (express) shipping and it usually runs me around $20 + for the amount of cuttings that I order. EMS is the way to go if you want your plants to arrive quickly. A typical order for me from Jack is between 15-20 plants. The phyto charge is always the same,the shipping fee will depend on the weight of your box.

I forgot in my earlier posting to remark on vendors within the US borders. To my knowledge there is only 2 of them now that actually have a website and sell hoyas. That's Ted Green (Rare Hoyas) and Joni (SRQ HOyas). Ted has a lot of hoyas but I don't often buy from him unless he lists something new and unusual which is normally once or twice a year. In his general everyday listing I either already grow what he offers or have no desire to grow it if I don't already have it. Joni has an amazing collection of hoyas but is still fairly new to the trade herself so a lot of her hoyas are not readily available for sale. When she has something in stock that I like and don't already have,I buy it!!!!! Both are very good sources for hoyas and i've never had a bad experience with either of them.

The only Ebay sellers that i've had any dealings with are Cowboyflowerman and Christine Burton and have never had a bad experience with either of them.

david

I was just wondering how long it usually took to receive registered envelopes from Aleya Garden. After reading this thread, I placed an order for 3 plants in a registered envelope. It's been over two weeks now and I haven't seen anything. The tracking number says it was processed through Thailand. I was under the impression that the envelopes took 7 or 8 days. I hope it didn't get intercepted at the boarder.

Hi, has it been 2 weeks since you put the order in or 2 weeks since he notified you by email that they have been taken to the post office?
Aleya had to move his hoya business last year after the great flood in and around Bangkok.He moved down south near Phuket.It seems to be taking about 2 or 3 days for packages to now reach the Bangkok airport where they are dispatched from.They then get put on a airplane to come overseas,not to sure what really happens after this.In Canada customs sometimes take 5 or 6 days before giving them to the mail man.
I do hope you get next week.

Cindy

Hello,
I am new to this forum, but not new to Hoyas. I wanted to comment to this thread. I am finding much better customer service with Ephyphitica, & Iyares than with any of the US vendors. And if you have a problem they will more than likely help with the replacement costs. Plus they are bug free.
Cowboy Flower man is slow to respond and the plants are quite limited. They are decently packed and have been bug free.
Joni aka SRQ Hoyas is fast to respond and has a decent selection. That said She refused to add a plant to my order the day after the order was placed and the order had not even been pulled to dry. I timed out and missed a plant on an order and it is her policy not to add too orders. Two of the my last four shipments have come from her with mealy bug. She frequently packs in the USPS shoe box even though she knows that USPS is mangling them. I actually had a plastic pot broken. And don't expect any help with a bad order.
I grew up in the greenhouse and floral business and ran them for twenty years so I am really sorry to see my business go to Thailand.
Robert

Welcome Robert!
I find Jack to be exceptional to work with more than any other vendor.
There is a statement in the FAQ's regarding her mealy bug problem due to not using BATS any more but I had to do some searching around to find that out. At the same time accumulating many problems like that over the years has reduced my trust levels and as a consumer I learned to exercise caution and expect that if I order something I really want I need to make sure measures are taken to protect the rest of my healthy plants. It is disappointing to receive bug laden plants for sure. Better times ahead!
~ Mary

Hi everyone,
I often lurk but rarely post on the chat boards but after reading the previous posting I felt the need to do so in my own defense. I appreciate any and all feedback on my diligent services and realize that I cannot and will not make everybody happy all of the time but I try my best.
Searching my customer base I do not find a person by the name of the previous poster to address him personally.
My policies are stated very clearly on my website and although I can and do make exceptions on many issues...orders changes/flat rate shipping questions have been bent and bruised so many times that I decided this is an point I am now a 'stickler' about. The normal resolution is that if you want to add a plant to your order...go ahead and place a second order and if there are less than 10 plants I will send you a code for FREE SHIPPING next time. There have been too many mistakes made...on my part...with the changes that this is the ONLY way I find it possible to keep accurate records and inventory.
Until recently...I was not aware that the USPS Shoe Boxes were being crushed and mangled. I received photos from a customer who is not the previous poster.
For those who grow and love hoyas...mealy bugs are always an issue. When I pull the plants and when I pack the plants I literally use a cotton swab and alcohol lifting each leaf and dabbing each node in case one of those buggers is still present. I am so very sorry but it happens.
My inbox is always open to issues and comments good...bad...indifferent...improvements...dislikes...opinions or just to chat.
I feel sad that this alleged customer did not have the respect for the Hoya Community to contact me directly regarding his past problems.

Thanks for all of your support and happy growing...into the winter months!
Joni

I don't post very often, mostly lurk, but thought I would chime in.
I have ordered from Joni several times and have received wonderful plants, no bugs, and only one box beat up by USPS. I won't hesitate to order from her again. Bugs just happen sometimes. I have received one plant order from another reputable seller that arrived with scale. I did what I always do when I receive new plants (after I had that EEEWWW, holy crap moment). I inspect new plants very carefully with a flashlight and my granny glasses on, spray with soap, alcohol and water solution and isolate them for a month or so. I have since ordered from that seller with no bugs found but I still inspect every plant I receive VERY carefully.

Tami

I have ordered from Joni a few times and have found her plants and cuttings very nice,no bugs.

I have ordered from Ephyphitica and his rooted cutting are very large and healthy.

I have to say that I have not personally ordered anything from Iyares,but with that being said I found it a bit concerning that this person goes by a few different names when selling on Ebay.

These are just my 2 cents.

Cindy

I've ordered from Joni and several ebayers at this point, and I'd have to say that everything I've gotten from Joni has been the healthiest and best-packed of any vendor I've used. She is my #1 go-to hoya source. Yes, I found a mealy on one plant from Joni in my last order, but I've also had mealies come in on orders from two other vendors also. Mealies just happen, and as Tami says, it's obvious we buyers have to be vigilant ourselves.

Perhaps the unhappy person has a disgruntled postal servant that enjoys playing kickball with his/her packages?

--Lesley

I can understand being upset about getting an order with mealies. I got a package from CB that had mealies, but I WENT TO HER first and we dealt with it internally. Most Hoya vendors are more than happy to work with you - this is a pretty darn friendly community (not just GW). I have ordered from Joni three times and each time I have been happy. I had a mealybug on one after a week but I highly doubt it came from her and it was probably due to it being outside and close to the ground.

Joni is probably the most friendly Hoya vendor out there. She answers emails very quickly and is very eager to work with you on any issue. Your post made it seem like she was a regular Grinch! I'm sure she would have worked something out with you had you sent that to her first.

Anyway, I have had loved ones that worked for UPS in particular and I can tell you that the workers do NOT care if your package is labeled 'fragile', 'do not crush', or 'filled with precious crown jewels'. They'll chuck your package in the general vicinity of where it needs to be and that is that. ESPECIALLY if it's not small sort (5lbs. or less).

Bugs are scary. I definitely take extra care when bringing plants into my home. Spray, isolation, constant checks. Hoyas seem to be the ultimate love of mealies, so that's a fact of life. A fact of life I'm still coming to grips with. Eek!

I think at this point I'm inclined to agree with Mary. It seems if your order is small, it tends to pass through customs swiftly. I placed two solo orders this summer, one from Aleya and one from Epiphytica that breezed through in record time. The cuttings looked freshly picked and had a near perfect survival rate from both vendors.

Example 1:

Acceptance at Thai PO: May 14
Inbound into Customs: May 16
Inbound out of Customs: May 18
Delivered: May 19

Example 2:

Acceptance at Thai PO: May 18
Inbound into Customs: May 19
Inbound out of Customs: May 22
Delivered: May 23

No judgement about how crazy I apparently was in May, please... ^_~

We did get into kind of an uncommon fiasco with Denise's order, none of which any sane person would hold her or Jack accountable for! It did make me think we might have been more cost efficient just swallowing the import and shipping costs for solo ventures though. I actually had the majority of plants from that order survive and just took them out of the aquarium a couple days ago. I think they all must be suffering from survivor's guilt (projecting? me?!). I sure hope plants don't have a version of PTSD. NPR once informed me that they do suffer from jet lag. I wish I could remember how they measured jet lag in a plant.

I have used the registered envelopes strategy from Aleya before, but in my case it ended up taking slightly longer than the above EMS example. So, I went back to EMS, but I don't have strong feelings one way or the other.

Regarding pitting one Hoya vendor over another...

Well, I certainly don't want to shame any forum member into holding their tongue in fear of becoming a social pariah. But let's not forget that we're not talking about Amazon and GAP here. These are our precious, few-and-far-between Hoya vendors and we're lucky to have every one of them. Let's try and be generous minded, because I doubt any of them are rolling around in piles of money from the lucrative Hoya business.

You know, different vendors have different strengths. You have to find who works best for your needs and there really is no right answer. What might be perfection for one customer is annoying for the next. But you have to accept that the vendors have the right to make their own judgement calls about what they can do for you and what they can't. It's nice to have the flexibility to change or add to your order, but making changes to your order increases the likelihood of human error, and I've seen that happen. Joni has experimented with all kinds of bonus services over the years, and what I deduce from that, is that she's willing to go above and beyond for us. But what doesn't work, just doesn't work. Remember that what is a half an hour every few months for you is their 12 hour day.

As far as the mealie bug thing goes... well I've never gotten a mealie from Thailand, which is a thing of beauty. But the scale can be a real beast. And you know what, it's fine. I've also had problems with mealies from American vendors this year and that is fine too. The thing is, as nice as it would be to order new plants and never have to worry about them being infested, what kind of stringent poisons would they all have to be using on an insane level for that to happen beautifully and perfectly 100% of the time? What effect would that have on the plants, the strains of bugs, and the world? I personally would prefer vendors to diagnose as needed, in a measured fashion, and have a few outbreaks from time to time than have us all bogged down with hyper-resistant mealie populations down the line. Yes, we should police irresponsible vendors, but if Joni is an extremist on the responsibility continuum, it's that she worries more than other people about behaving ethically and responsibly.

And for the record, I've cleared my 100 plant milestone with Joni and I've never had a pest of any kind. Some of the boxes have been dented here and there but not to a degree that damaged any of the fastidiously packed plants inside.

fyi:
I recieved the cuttings I ordered from Aleya Gardens via registered envelope today. It took a month to arrive. two of the three cuttings are dead.
Randy

Randy,Sorry to hear that your hoyas took so long to get to you.
I wounder what the hold up was?I do find the whole process of waiting for the mail to be shipped out for delivery after been released form customs very frustrating. Sometimes its customs that will hold a package for up to 5 days and then the next time it is released within hours.

Cindy

Cindy,
Aleya Gardens offered to replace 50% of costs on next shippment but I knew the risks when ordering and accept the result. They said there were delays at US customs due to the US-maded film, Innocense of Muslims and provided a link as documentation. Well at least it's good to know there is a abnormal reason. I will try again in the Spring. It really is too bad. They were beautiful cuttings.
Randy

Cindy,
Aleya Gardens offered to replace 50% of costs on next shippment but I knew the risks when ordering and accept the result. They said there were delays at US customs due to the US-maded film, Innocense of Muslims and provided a link as documentation. Well at least it's good to know there is a abnormal reason. I will try again in the Spring. It really is too bad. They were beautiful cuttings.
Randy

This thread is old but still relevant. I have been looking for vendors of rare hoyas. I won't order from Aleya Garden (Aleyagarden) because out of 20 or so plants and cuttings I ordered only one (1!) survived. Even XL plants died shortly after arrival! The cuttings or rooted plants look ok for a few days but then fail miserably very quickly. I am not sure why there is such a low survival rate with their plants, but I am not taking the chances again with Aleya Garden.

I have also found their customer service rather hostile and unreasonable. I did not have a good experience with Aleya Garden at all!

I wonder if some of the imported plants are being gassed here in the US or go through some kind of treatment. I have not been able to come up with any other explanation as to why Aleya's plants almost ALL FAILED for me.

Now I try to find my rare hoyas here in the US - checking ebay often, trading with other members, etc. Rare hoyas quickly become popular here as well.

Hi Hobbyiist, SRQHoyas offers many Hoya Plants and Cuttings here in the US. Feel free to browse the many photos and much information on my website and contact me with any questions you may have. SRQHoyas.com