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?
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.
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.
Ever think skipping the test batch was the smart move to save cash? I got burned so bad last year by a "sure thing" supplier that I totally changed my tune. Now that small test order feels like cheap insurance.