Buying plants from a foreign country like Indonesia can make us anxious. because it will take a long trip for plants to arrive in our home.
Today we will talk about everything you need to know to buy plants from Indonesia. What should I expect and what should I do during the shipping process?
Check out our latest rare plants collection. You can also visit our US Rare Plant Shop Warehouse
Import Permit / EORI Number
Before you place your order, you need to check the import permit requirement in your home country. An import permit is a legal document national government authorizing the importation of certain goods into its territory.
If you live in the US, you can check on APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service), especially when you want to import more than 12 plants. Some of our US customers said that it will take a few weeks to process the permit.
For some countries in Europe, you also need an EORI number (Economic Operators’ Registration and Identification number) instead of the import permit. You can check the regulations in your country before importing plants.
An import permit will help your plants go through the customs. Your package will have a special barcode that is connected to your EORI number or the import permit. So people in custom check will handle your package correctly.
Phytosanitary
When buying plants from Indonesia, every country expecting each package will have Phytosanitary.
But what is Phytosanitary certificate?
It is a document with the identity of the plants, including the genus, type, and health inspection of the plants. Phytosanitary services will be provided by the seller. Some sellers will charge extra to proceed with the document, but Labijo will do so for free. For our Thailand fellows, we will help you get non-GMO documents. So the plants will get through customs easily.
Find the Right Seller
The next step before you buy plants from Indonesia is to find the right seller. There are plenty of sellers out there.
When the seller is active on social media, that is better. It means that they keep updating their stocks, and it is highly likely that they are online, so they can respond at any moment.
Most online sellers will do their best to assist you in obtaining your plants. If something bad happens, they will find a solution in the quickest and best way possible.
Shops like Labijo are trusted because, as plant parents and nurseries, we understand the weird way to know the plants are still on the way before getting home.
Patience
After Labijo got your payment, we will process the export permit to the authorized agent. This process itself would take 4-5 days.
Once we get the permit, we will pack your orders and send them to the quarantine office to inspect that the plants are healthy and free of any bugs or fungi. This process could take 1-2 days.
If anything is going well, your order will be handed to the shipping company. Their long trip begins. We will send you the tracking number, so you check where the package is.
Add extra patience when the tracker says your package is in customs. Neither the tracker nor we can say anything because the entire inspection will be controlled by customs. This includes checking phytosanitary certificates, tax calculations, and import permits/EORI numbers.
Trying to call the customs will not help anything, it doesn’t make their work faster or slower. The one that helping is only when a document (import permit/EORI number and phytosanitary are available)
Guarantee & Refund Policy
Sometimes, we will get tough luck. Some plants do not arrive in their best condition. It is unusual to happen but possible.
Minor damage:
- Yellow leaves: It is minor damage, you can just cut the yellow leaves and throw them away. The yellow leaves are not going to green anymore.
- Crisps leaves: Crisps leaves usually only happen in the minor part. It will be okay if the major parts are still green, it means that your leaves are still healthy.
- Weak leaves: It is normal since they come from a big trip without the sun in few days. You can put your plants in freshwater for few days until they are fresh again and ready to put in the pot.
For minor damage, we don’t send any replacement nor refund.
Major damage:
- Root/Bulb rot: Unfortunately, your plants can’t survive during the trip. If it is the case, we will send you to get the new plants.
- Freezing plants: When the plants are frozen during winter shipping and start to rot.
Refund policy applicable when we send a replacement but it still has major damage or at the first package but you decide to refuse replacement for major damage.
FAQ
Can I get my track number?
Yes. We will send the tracking number to your email. In case you can’t find it, please check on your spam.
Why is my package still in customs for a few days?
Please be patient. During the inspection on custom, no one can (Labijo nor DHL) interfere with the process.
What if my plants are missing?
It is beyond our authority but we will help you as much as possible with issues with our shipping company (DHL).
The customs just call me to pay the taxes. Why?
Some countries will charge extra taxes if you buy something from a foreign country after a certain amount (the amount can vary from one to another country). They will send you the bill to pay before your plants out from the customs. In case you don’t want to pay the extra tax, the customs will destroy your package and the refund policy is not applicable.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to send us an email!
