Just lost $200 on a bulk flower order that showed up half dead

Placed an order for 300 stems of white hydrangeas from a new supplier I found online. They arrived two days late and the boxes felt warm. When I opened them, over half the blooms were already brown and limp, with slimy stems. I had to throw out 160 stems right before a big wedding job. Has anyone else had a disaster with a new wholesaler and how do you vet them?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_betty13d agoProlific Poster

That's a gut punch, sorry you had to deal with that right before a wedding. Honestly, vetting a new supplier now means I won't even place a big first order. It's worth paying a little more for a small test batch to see how their shipping and product holds up. Checking for reviews outside their own website is key, like in florist groups on social media. A lot of the good wholesalers don't even have a flashy online store, they work through reps or old school phone orders.

sullivan.abby13d agoMost Upvoted

Assume every new supplier is a total gamble. That test batch money adds up fast when you're trying to scale. Sometimes you just have to jump in with both feet and hope for the best.