Winter Shipping Policies

Special considerations for WINTER shipping from Dr. Bill's Orchids, LLC (DBO):

• If you have temps under 55F (day or night) I recommend adding a heat pack. If any forecasted temps are below 40F, a heat pack and 2nd day shipping will be required to be covered for the live plant guarantee. Most simply, if under 40F and no heat pack +/- no 2nd day shipping = no guarantee (ship at your own risk). If you are unsure, email me and we can look at the weather- keep in mind that while your temps may be warm enough, it may have to pass through cooler weather in transit (like temps from my area to you).
• While I take great care in packing my plants, if I recommend a heat pack/insulation and expedited shipping for your shipment and you decline, I will not guarantee a healthy plant on arrival.
• Winter Shipping will be through UPS- Overnight or 2nd day delivery service is preferred over Ground delivery, especially in very cold weather. Plants shipped once Winter Shipping has commenced are required to have a heat pack and 2nd day shipping especially during the Holiday season (Thanksgiving through New Years). UPS ground shipments will have no coverage under live arrival plant guarantee. Using these services may slightly increase shipping costs in comparison to USPS Priority (depending on service selected), but allows for you to get orchids close to year-round, and without those plants freezing.
• Dr. Bill's Orchids tries to ship orchids as much of the year as possible. However, if during extreme bitter cold, inclement winter weather, etc., it may be unsafe to ship your plants, even with overnight service. In these cases, you will be notified that your shipment is being held until the next shipping date that weather is conducive for shipping.
• It is the Buyer's responsibility to check the next shipping date to ensure that someone will be available to receive the shipment and/or notify Dr. Bill's Orchids to delay shipping. If the Buyer is unavailable to receive his order (vacation, holidays, etc) and does not contact Dr. Bill's Orchids to delay shipment: Dr. Bill's Orchids is not responsible for any shipments that were shipped while the Buyer was away on holiday without written notification (email) to hold shipment until the Buyer's return. 
• For those of you who live in/near the Greater Chicagoland area, or are driving through- in-person pickup of orders is available BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Dr. Bill's Orchids is not open to the general public for non-scheduled viewing/purchasing. I will do my best to accommodate requests given in advance, but please remember that I (Bill) have a constantly changing schedule. *COVID ADDENDUM*- in-person viewing/purchasing is suspended due to COVID concern as my grow space is quite cramped and social distancing cannot be effectively practiced. In-person pickups/drop offs can still be scheduled, but I am not opening the growing space for sales at this time- all available sale plants are posted on the website.

The above Winter shipping policies are in addition to the normal shipping policies of Dr. Bill's Orchids, including the Live plant arrival guarantee conditions and terms of reporting an issue with your order, which can be found on the main Shipping Policy page. 

Updated 10/27/21