June Wistuba Shipment

[East_to_west]

Thanks Andreas! I'm sure others as well as myself really appreciate you coming on here and giving us all a heads up. It must be crazy trying to manage all the overseas shipping among other things. I've been included in one of this months orders from you and I'm very excited to get my plants, whenever that may be! Hope you feel better soon. Thanks again for being communicative,

Greg

 

[mylesG]

getting plants that werent in stock earlier in the year but were after the spring shipment went out. yes, i waited until summer

 

[mass]

That's okay.. your DOA replacements should arrive in the fall when the weather begins to cool off a bit.

 

[mylesG]

noted, thanks for your input bro

 

[richjam1986]

Hello all,

I am trying whatever possible, but there are only so many eMails, I am capable to answer. I am not a big company but a one-man operation (with a few helpers) and there is so much more work to do in the greenhouse, with tissue cultures, etc. than to answer many many e-mails. I regularly get 20-30 mails per day, so you might have a clue what this means after you had to stay in bed with fever for a week not being able to work at all. For this reason (fever and a very bad sinusitis during which I was not able to work much at all) I had to delay June shipment by a week - originally I had planned to ship one week earlier.

Anyway, as I am still in June-Schedule for the shipment, I do not really see much of a reason for complaints.

All the best

Andreas

Andreas,

I probably could have chosen better words, but I did give some reasons why you might have a difficult time, and I understand those reasons; so I hope you didn't take my words too harshly. I try to give credit where credit is due. After all, you are one of very few overseas distributers that supplies the customers directly, and that is a lot to take on, so we thank you for that! Best of luck finishing the season's shipments!
Richard

 

[mikewilder]

Most of these orders were placed in March or April, and were scheduled for May,Mass. In any case your professed amazement that people shop for highlanders in summer seems odd, don't you think?
Quote:
Jun 2, 2013 at 6:42pm
My want list:
Post by mass on Jun 2, 2013 at 6:42pm
N. villosa
N. macrophylla
N. x Trusmadiensis
N. truncata Pasian
N. robcantleyi
N. truncata x ephippiata
N. ventricosa x ephippiata
N. ventricosa x x Trusmadiensis
Roridula - any species
H. Tequila
H. tatei

I'm amazed at just how many people wait until summer to place their orders for heat sensitive plants. Think you're frustrated now, just wait until you get your long awaited packages.

 

[mass]

In any case your professed amazement that people shop for highlanders in summer seems odd, don't you think?

No.. not even a little.
A 2-3 day shipment within the US doesn't even compare to a 14+ day shipment from overseas.
Besides, people will do what they will. Does it really matter what I think? I already regret posting my opinion in the first place..

 

[Andreas Wistuba]

No.. not even a little.
A 2-3 day shipment within the US doesn't even compare to a 14+ day shipment from overseas.
Besides, people will do what they will. Does it really matter what I think? I already regret posting my opinion in the first place..

While processing time of USDA and US-customs are somewhat unpredictable, people who order with overnight forwarding usually have their plants within 7 or 8 days after shipping - not 14+ ...!!!
I do everything I can to keep processing times that I can control at a minimum.

Best regards

Andreas

 

[mylesG]

edited, not worth it.

 

[mass]

While processing time of USDA and US-customs are somewhat unpredictable, people who order with overnight forwarding usually have their plants within 7 or 8 days after shipping - not 14+ ...!!!
I do everything I can to keep processing times that I can control at a minimum.

Best regards

Andreas

Guess you force me to ask the obvious then..
What about those of us that can't afford large orders for free overnight, or the extra cost of overnight? How long would a standard shipment take to arrive to one's home? I'm not trying to dog on your business in the least Andreas. What started as a simple opinionated statement, has apparently turned into me being forced to explain myself.. again.
I've learned the hard way that's it's best to place overseas orders during the off seasons when the weather isn't at it's harshest. Too many DOA's to count..
Which is exactly why I quit ordering from the end of spring until the beginning of fall. And again until winter ends..
Same exact reason CZ plants prefers to wait on shipping "slow to arrive" packages until the weather permits. They got sick of having to replace plant after plant.
I guess my point is, pay attention to the weather before placing your orders. OR.. spring for the express shipping and cross your fingers.

edited, not worth it.

ditto..

 

[mylesG]

helping people? these are people who have orders coming. not people pondering whether they should order or not. where in this did you help anyone or even come close to doing so?

 

[mato]

Choosing USPS Express will typically ensure your plants arrive a day earlier, if not two. Priority is fine in most cases, since it's usually entry into the US that takes the most time (an uncontrollable factor).

 

[Wire Man]

I ordered intermediates that can handle some heat. Not everyone ordered highlanders in this order.

I'm fine waiting for the order.

 

[Andreas Wistuba]

Guess you force me to ask the obvious then..
What about those of us that can't afford large orders for free overnight, or the extra cost of overnight?

The difference between standard shipping within the USA and overnight shipping within the USA (this means the shipment from my distributer to the customer) is just EUR 10 - equivalent to approximately US$ 13 ....
My distributer ships plants to hot areas in Styrofoam boxes anyway.
Of cause plants get damaged and have to be replaced occasionally - that's just a fact of life when shipping plants. However as long as the shipper has a fair replacement policy (I do!) this is not really an issue the customer suffers from.
All the best
Andreas

 

[Andreas Wistuba]

I've learned the hard way that's it's best to place overseas orders during the off seasons when the weather isn't at it's harshest. Too many DOA's to count..
Which is exactly why I quit ordering from the end of spring until the beginning of fall. And again until winter ends..

While I agree that shipping in the middle of winter is impossible without a high risk and avoiding the peak of summer also is a good idea (one of the reasons I close for August and rather travel during this time), the risk at all other times is fairly controllable. Of cause there is a higher risk of heat damages in summer but believe me, if the loss rate would be that significant, I would not ship in June or July. I am shipping plants since the early 1990s and know what I'm doing, believe me
BTW, since many years I ship everything to the USA either by airfreight or UPS-express. Plants are in US-customs no later than a day after shipping them from here. US customs forwards the shipments to USDA. Actually, most time of the whole shipment is spent in customs process - sometimes 2-3 days or so. USDA is fairly quick in most cases, often releasing the shipment after 1 day.
So you cannot compare this process with other dealers shipping plants to the USA by airmail. I've given up airmail shipments to the USA more than 10 years ago. While airmail works perfectly well to many countries, especially in Asia, airmail shipments to and from the USA are very slow in my experience.
I make my living from these plants and you cannot earn money from shipping dead plants.
All the best
Andreas

 

[chibae]

Since you are answering questions, I have only one. Any idea on how soon you will have N. argentii available again?

 

[mass]

While I agree that shipping in the middle of winter is impossible without a high risk and avoiding the peak of summer also is a good idea, the risk at all other times is fairly controllable. Of cause there is a higher risk of heat damages in summer..

That's all I was saying.. Don't know why people always turn my comments into a circus.

I am shipping plants since the early 1990s and know what I'm doing, believe me
All the best
Andreas

I don't doubt you buddy.. I have the utmost confidence in all of your abilities.
Again, I never once discredited you, your plants, or your shipping abilities.
My comments only come from my personal experiences with other overseas vendors. None of which were pleasant during this time of year..
I've only ordered from you once. And I must say, the edwardsiana arrived in April/May, and in perfect condition.

 

[Av8tor1]

I can only speak for myself... but if it was not for Andreas and his USA distributor, I would not have most of the plants in my collection.
Sometimes its a wait for whatever reason, but I go into the transaction knowing that.

I have spent quite a bit with wistuba.com and will spend more in the future
(wink wink.... put me on the H. mcdonaldae waiting list please)
its only a joke people, don't get excited
ummm maybe

 

[BigBella]

I have never had anything but good experiences dealing with Andreas over the years -- and echo Butch's sentiments; and, if or ever some issue affected the plants -- whether it was weather or an unforeseen delay with the USDA tapeworms like last year -- he was always good about replacing things and what-have-you . . .

 

[mato]

I'll second that. Save a few minor mishaps, my experience with Andreas' has always been positive. I have lost one plant in the dozens I have ordered, and nothing was ever forgotten.

That being said, if you ever find your package is filled with desiccated plant matter, don't hesitate to let him know. It's as simple as writing a two-sentence email and replacements will be sent in the next shipment.