Unsure if this purchase was a good choice.
 

Last Tuesday (19 March) I decided to purchase an Onc. Twinkle 'Fragrance Fantasy' from a vendor on Amazon. I had been looking for one since the weather had turned better but couldn't find any via any regional orchid growers. I paid for a "bloom size" plant with a heat pack and USPS Priority Mail (aka extra shipping) for three day delivery. The vendors stated policy is that items are shipped within two business days of ordering.

Amazon on early Thursday morning (21 March) notified me that the orchid was sent. But when I checked tracking number the USPS tracking number site stated "Awaiting item to be sent". Figuring that it takes time for the USPS system to catch up with scans I didn't think any more about it. Friday morning I check the tracking number again the USPS had "Awaiting item to be sent." and the Amazon site had no updates. By that afternoon I email the vendor through Amazon asking which notification was correct. I quickly received an reply from the vendor. The owner stated they had experienced an inventory problem but it was now resolved and my order would go out ASAP and they were sorry for my inconvenience. Friday evening USPS tracking site stated the item had arrived at their facility and now was in transit.

Since it was mailed on a Friday evening it couldn't reach me until Monday. Monday here the high temp was 44 F and the low had been 32F but it shouldn't have been a problem because I had paid for heat packs. At 4.30 pm the mail carrier finally drops off the package. But it wasn't a package. It was a Priority Mail padded envelope containing a cardboard sleeve and a heat pack The heat pack had exhausted itself so the cardboard sleeve around orchid was cold. The inside was damp and it was obvious that items had been stacked on top of the envelope because the sleeve was not rectangular but a parallelogram.

I open the cardboard sleeve and the orchid literally fell out of the pot of moss. It had been shoved into moss before shipping. The part of the roots were attached to a horticultural plug of rock wool. The plant was two very small pbulbs (one without a leaf) and one larger bulb. Technically I suppose it would be considered bloom size but not exactly what I was expecting. I took a photo of the condition of the plant then potted it up and put it on a seedling mat.

I emailed the vendor to tell him I was not happy about the condition in which the plant arrived along with the photo. I get an email apologizing and stating they would be happy to send a replacement plant. They also stated that the heat packs were suppose to be good for 96 hours. I'm thinking if it was packaged early on Thursday afternoon and it didn't arrive here until late afternoon Monday (plus spending all that time in the carriers truck) then of course the heat packs would be totally spent. I don't think I will hold my breath on getting a replacement. This is the first time I have order an orchid "on line" and I'm not sure I want to repeat the process any time soon.

Is this typical of online orders or was this a bad experience?

My experience has always been that the vendor will not mail a package later than a Wednesday - to prevent a weekend stayover. That said, your orchid looks fine plus they will send you another one.
Regarding packaging - I've had well packaged, with tape to prevent what happened to yours....to a couple scrunched up newspapers. A rule of thumb is the more expensive the postage cost, the better the packaging.

For what its worth, I have had a similar issue with Amazon, where the shipping status that they showed was not accurate... fortunately was not a perishable item like a plant, but it was a gift that arrived 2 weeks after they said "shipped" but it wasn't actually put in a box and out the door - they show "shipped" when the label is created. Indeed the vendor should not have shipped on Thursday. But Amazon also had the responsibility to give correct information. There are plenty of places to make online purchases that handle things much better.

In spite of all that, the plant actually looks quite good. Orchids are tough...

The plant looks healthy to me. This is probably better than average, for this type of seller, assuming it matches the description of what you thought you were buying. If you're expecting anything different, I think you're going to be disappointed more often than not.

If you expect a large plant with a robust set of well established roots bursting through the pot and immaculate foliage sent in well-packed fashion, you're going to find yourself a lot happier if you avoid vendors who are primarily or exclusively low cost resellers.

This is not to knock you nor is it to knock resellers, it's just the reality of the business. The US orchid industry has moved heavily towards reselling (where typical sellers are getting finished product instead of growing them from flask) of mass produced clones at low prices. Essentially, they get them in and flip them pretty much immediately, there's little profit margin to begin with, and most don't spend the time or money to acclimate their stock before reselling.

I agree with the others. That is a decent looking plant. Twinkles are tough and chances are good it will thrive. In the case of orchids, you get what you pay for. I'd personally like to see more of us sharing our plants with each other.

Onc Twinkle are easy to grow. You should have no problems getting this species to get going.

I just wouldn't use moss as a potting medium. Small wood chips works just fine.

I agree that it looks fine and should pull away once it's settled down again. I can confirm these are tough plants. I bought two, post-flowering examples at a recent orchid show. One had the usual, plump pseudobulbs with three new growths. The other had completely flat pseudobulbs with no obvious wrinkles so I assumed that was a feature of this plant. It wasn't, as later experience showed.

I repotted both plants and have watched the second plant start to slowly re-inflate the bulbs. Best of all, though, it's put up three new growths already. Yes, they're tiny and growing slowly but they're there are I'm happy that this plant will survive and thrive for me.

Keith

Cluelessmidwesterner! Next time you are considering an online order you just send me a message! I have ordered plants from MANY orchid vendors online and have had them mailed and I take photos of all plants upon arrival. Problems or not! SO if you want to see an offer description and then the arrival condition for a particular vendor I am more then willing to send it to you if it's one I've purchased from!

I do stay away from Amazon and eBay but actual orchid nursery vendors, I have exhausted many! Living in Idaho will do that to an orchid grower! I am more then willing to share my online/mail ordering experiences with others! Since I am a beginner I often feel like I take far more then what I offer to others on here and I hate it so if this is a way I can help others i am more then happy to do so!

Maybe we should do more sharing of online orders...Like on the vendor page...post title can include the vendor name, you can include a short description of the experience, say what you ordered and were expecting and then post photos of what you received. Then just update if any issues arise....I would be willing to do it if others would be interested/appreciate it! I definitely would have appreciated it back when I first began to order online. Even too many of our vendor reviews are pretty outdated...I guess I always just presumed that everyone ordered online unless they lived next to a large orchid nursery.

I will admit, I have ordered many tiny orders...even just like a 2.5" pot size seedling, and never have recieved one in an envelope! THAT is definitely a new one to me! Normally all the orchids I have received online are extremely well packaged. Their isn't a millimeter of wiggle room in their package no matter the size. Every nook and cranny is stuffed with something.

Luckily it sounds like your plant will be ok! I know interior water gardens does have this one for sale although they are pretty pricy. I haven't ordered through them yet but I believe they sell all their orchids already transitioned and established in s/h culture which, for some, the extra price may be worth them already being transitioned if they grow in s/h.

Thanks everyone for input. Sorry I haven't responded sooner. It's my busy time of the year with dog oriented activities (volunteering time to teach folks how to train their dogs, 4-H dog training, agility trials, volunteer work with my dogs, going to agility practices). Some day I will need a "No" intervention.

Hahaha!!! Clueless Midwesterner! NEVER a "No" intervention for that!!

Oh gosh. I understand though it is just SO hard when you think about how happy the pups are too see you when you walk in! I feel terribly guilty anyway I don't go into the shelter because of it....which doesn't happen too often!