We have seen a lot of attractive potted plants sold online. However, we have heard a lot of complaints from other plant lovers that their plants bought online have wilted when they received and we are scared we will meet the same scenario. Actually I have tried several times online buying live plants and never failed to buy good quality potted plants. We just need to follow the online buying tips and we could avoid disappointments of buying low quality potted plants online!
Step 1: Select your target plant and search on severals e-commerce platform.
Survey the location you intend to place the plant. After that, decide the types of plants and the size of the potted plants you want. Then mark several choices first for the ease to make comparison later.
Step 2: Go through the picture and compare the potted plant in the picture with its product description
The purpose to compare the description with the picture shown by the seller is to confirm that the potted plant in the picture is the actual potted plant sold by the seller, not for illustration purposes only. Some of the sellers sold the cutting, bulbs, sapling or even seeds only but showed the picture of the matured plants. It might misleading the buyer but if the seller has made a detailed description about what they are selling, but the buyer didn't read it carefully. Then, the faults are considered made by the buyer. Other scenario that might mislead the buyer is the seller is actually selling sapling or small size potted plants but they have shown the mature plants in the picture. It is because some of the sellers just copy the other seller's photos and put them as their mine. So, if you find the picture and the description is not compatible or the watermark on the picture does not belong to the seller. Then, you better request the seller to send some actual plant pictures before you decide to purchase. Or you may choose other sellers who have shown the actual products and make a detailed description about the plant height and pot size of the potted plant they are selling.
Step 3: Check the rating and review of the seller
Do not check the 5 stars review only but check the worst 1-star review also. If the worst review given is caused by the courier delaying the delivery and because the plants wilted then the review could be ignored. This is because the courier service is out of the control of the sellers. However, if the bad review is caused by the bad packaging techniques then you should check how many reviews are complaining about their packaging. If one or two bad reviews only it may be ignored but if a lot of the complaints are about the same issues you may consider buying from another seller. If the good review is far more than the bad review, then it is a trusted seller.
Besides the star rating, the chat response is another rating that could be a reference for buyers to judge the seller. Avoid low chat response sellers could avoid irresponsible sellers. Some sellers refuse to reply to complaints, even if the subject of the complaints is reasonable and should be borne by the seller. However, the chat response rate should not be the ultimate factor to judge the seller, because the chat response rate is calculated based on whether the seller replying customer within 24 hours. Some sellers may reply a bit later than 24 hours, but not denied replying. Besides that, sellers who refuse to reply to the spam chat will affect their chat response rate too. Therefore, if the seller have earn many of the 5 stars rating but the chat response rate is only around 70% only, the seller still could be consider as a trusted seller.
Step 4: Before making the payment, check whether it is pre-order?
Sometimes the seller marks the items as pre-order is just because they need more time to prepare the parcel. Therefore, if you see the remark of pre-order, contact the seller whether they have ready stock? If not, then you may consider other seller. But if they confirm they have ready stock and they could send the parcel within the time range that you could accept. Then you may proceed with the payment.
After checking all the steps mentioned above, then you can just choose the varieties of plants you want and just wait at home for the potted plants to arrive! Purchase potted plants online is far more easier than you think! It provide a alternative choice for you to buy the potted plants!
