Frequently Asked Questions:

Please click on the question below to be directed to that specific section and answer.

Will the plant(s) I order look like the photos?

Can I order now, but have my order shipped at a later date?

What shipping methods do you offer?

Can I visit PetFlytrap.com in person, or pick up my order at your nursery?

I already placed an order. Can I add to/change my existing order, or combine two separate orders to save on shipping?

I already placed an order, but now there are items that you have at a lower price/on sale/you are running a sale. Can I get a credit/refund for the difference?

What is your refund/return policy?

What are your guarantees?

How long will it take to receive my order?

My order was damaged in shipping what do I do?

USPS tracking shows my order was delivered, but I don't have the package. What now?

Is there a warranty on my plant?

Who actually delivers my order?

What happens if my order is returned to your office?

Can I track my order?

What credit cards do you accept?

Can I send cash?

I don't live in the US. Can I still order from PetFlyTrap.com?

Can I place an order by phone?

Can I pay using PayPal?

I don't feel comfortable giving my credit card info over the web. How can I place my order?

How do I order by check?

How to pay using Paypal?

Can I purchase your products for resale or in wholesale quantities?

Do you offer co-branding or private label products?

I'm doing a school project. Can I use your information?

Can I get a catalog of products from you ?

 

Will the plant(s) I order look like the photos? (back to top)

The short answer is yes it can...eventually! HOWEVER, we sell mostly young plants; and generally speaking, ALL young plants of a given type (Venus Flytraps, or Nepenthes, or Sarracenia, etc.) look the same when they are young. So if we used photos of the young plants, every single Nepenthes (or Venus Flytrap, etc.) we have would look VERY similar. Because of this, we typically show photographs of more mature plants, so that our customers see what the plants they order will grow up to look like. This is not meant to be deceitful in any way...we just want you to be able to see what the different plants look like before you buy them!

Additionally, many of the plants we offer are sold as assorted clones. This means that there will be genetic variation - sometimes quite markedly - in the plants that are offered under this item. In some cases, our suppliers have literally hundreds of different clones that are all the same hybrid (or species) and marketed as the same item; and there is just no way to show all the possible variations of the item.

We also make a point of listing the general sizing descriptions for each category on the main Category page for that type of plant.


Can I order now, but have my order shipped at a later date? (back to top)

Absolutely! Simply place your order in the usual manner, and specify when you want your shipment to arrive in the Order Comments area during checkout. This is especially helpful during Christmas, when you may prefer for the recipient to get their plants just in time for Christmas.


What shipping methods do you offer? (back to top)

We offer several methods of shipping in order to best suit the customer:

USPS Priority Mail - USPS Priority Mail is our standard shipping method, and we have found it to be very satisfactory...even in the pandemic. It offers delivery confirmation and basic tracking ability to determine where your package is while en route. Shipments are typically delivered within 2 to 3 business days once you've been notified of your package being shipped. However, USPS Priority Mail is not a 'guaranteed delivery date' service, and there are rare instances when shipments might take longer than this. Please note we do not offer refunds for shipping charges on packages which take longer than the typical 2 to 3 business days in transit.

USPS Express Mail - This service is more expensive but is guaranteed by the post office to arrive on time. Generally Express Mail is one-business-day delivery (once mailed) to most ZIP codes in the continental U.S. PLEASE NOTE that insured Express Mail packages automatically require a signature upon delivery; and we always insure packages up to the maximum free amount that USPS allows ($100.00 for Express Mail - above this amount is an additional fee) free of charge. For more information regarding insurance and our maximum liability if you elect not to purchase additional insurance, please see the What Are Your Guarantees section below. Also, as of April 2022, we no longer recommend using USPS Express Mail except when absolutely necessary to ensure a guaranteed delivery date. We have seen a vastly increased portion of the country in which USPS Express Mail is only guaranteed to be delivered within two or more days; and Express Mail to Alaska and Hawaii no longer has a service guarantee at all. Shipping from our location (suburb of Houston) now takes 2 days to suburbs of Austin (less than three hours away by car) and Louisiana (two hours by car). We feel the greatly increased cost of Express Mail is not justified, but we will ship via whichever method you select at checkout.

To ensure that our live plants have the best chance of not sitting in the extreme temperatures of a shipping container over the weekend, we ship orders on Mondays only. As a general rule, orders placed between 5 p.m. Central Time Sunday are shipped on Monday. USPS Priority Mail generally takes from 1-4 business days to arrive, depending on your location, but it is not a 'guaranteed delivery date' service. Average delivery time is 2-3 business days from date of shipment to most locations in the continental U.S. However, our shipping policy may be altered depending on availability of stock, order volume or weather conditions which may adversely affect live goods in transit.


Can I visit PetFlytrap.com in person, or pick up my order at your nursery? (back to top)

PLEASE NOTE: WE NO LONGER ALLOW CURBSIDE PICKUPS. WE ARE EXPERIENCING UNPRECEDENTED ORDER VOLUME, AND NEED EVERY SINGLE MOMENT WE HAVE TO ENSURE YOUR ORDER IS PROCESSED CORRECTLY, AND SHIPPED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

Due to unprecedented online order volume (and also because we do not have a retail nursery 'showroom floor'), we are not allowing nursery visits or curbside pickups at this time, except as detailed separately below.

SPECIAL EXCEPTION - PetFlyTrap.com does occasionally have IN-PERSON curbside shopping opportunities; and we also try to regularly attend select local plant and vendor markets. We always post these first on our Facebook page, so follow us on Facebook to get firsthand information on these.

I already placed an order. Can I add to/change my existing order or combine two separate orders to save on shipping? (back to top)

Due to increased order volume, and the risk of order mix-ups/errors, we are no longer allowing customers to add to or change existing orders, or combine one or more individual orders to save on shipping. If you wish to modify/add/combine orders, the only way to do so is to place a brand NEW order with everything that you wish to order, and then contact us to cancel and refund the original order(s). We can also cancel the original order BEFORE you place the new order if you wish; however, keep in mind that regardless of the timing of the original order cancellation, the items that you originally ordered could be out of stock when you place the new order.


I already placed an order, but now there are items that are at a lower price/on sale/you are running a sale. Can I get a credit/refund for the difference? (back to top)

We do not offer credits or refunds if the price of an item becomes lower for whatever reason; and we think this is pretty easy to understand. If a customer buys a gallon of milk at the store on Tuesday and it happens to go on sale on the weekly ad on Wednesday, the customer typically understands that the price has become lower without requesting a credit/refund from the grocery store. As with any retail store with literally tens of thousands of items, there are times when we reduce the price of an item due to a change in our cost. However, this cost reduction doesn't make the one that you bought (before we received the less costly ones) cost us any less. Also, many of our items are in VERY short supply and highly sought-after (sometimes we might only have one single item available!), and if it was not purchased at regular price by you, there is a good chance that someone else might have purchased it before the price was lowered if you hadn't done so. For these reasons and others, we do not offer credits/refunds for the difference in price. If you wish to receive the lower price for one or more items in your order, the only way to do so is to place a brand NEW order for the same items, and then contact us to request for us to cancel your original order and issue a refund. We can also cancel the original order BEFORE you place the new order if you wish; however, please bear in mind that regardless of the timing of the cancellation of the original order, the items that you originally ordered could be out of stock. To reiterate, PLEASE bear in mind that there is no guarantee that the same items from your original order will be in stock when you place a new order; we cannot be responsible for items that are out of stock by the time the old order is cancelled/refunded and the new order is placed.


What is your refund/return policy? (back to top)

We do our best to post messages regarding any shipping policy exception on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/petflytrap. However, rest assured that when your order is pulled for shipping, you will receive an email from PetFlyTrap.com stating that the order is being shipped, including the tracking number that you can check for shipping progress.

Full refunds are only offered if an order has been placed and not yet shipped. If an order has shipped, the package MUST be returned unopened (refused by customer) in order to receive a refund for the purchase price of the item(s). Shipping charges are not refunded.

If a customer receives their shipment and is not satisfied, we make every effort to correct the issue. If a refund is requested, we may request to have the order returned to us in order to process a refund. Refunds will be processed once the item(s) are returned in the same condition in which they arrived to you. However, shipping charges are not refunded, and we do not reimburse for shipping charges for returned merchandise except by prior written approval.

We understand that in the world of big box stores and their "we don't want to talk to you (give you genuine customer service), we'll just give you your money back", our return/refund policies might seem harsh. We can only hope you understand that we do not have dozens of locations and a nationwide fleet of vehicles. We are well-known in the industry as a leader in customer service, and do so by interacting with our customers (answering the phone when you call, not getting an automated or outsourced message, etc.)  to try and resolve any issues in a fair manner. Check our Testimonies page...you'll see our regular customer would agree!  

 

What are your guarantees? (back to top)

We make every effort to deliver the HIGHEST quality products to our customers. We guarantee that our plants arrive healthy, and the products are as described. Please note that the plant photographs shown on our web site are meant to demonstrate what the plants look like at maturity, and do not necessarily represent the size or quantity of pitchers/traps/leaves if any (especially during winter) on the plants as shipped. If a plant arrives dead or destroyed due to shipping, we will promptly replace the item with an exact replacement or comparable item when the exact replacement is unavailable, provided we are notified VIA E-MAIL with photographic documentation of the damage WITHIN 24 HOURS OF DELIVERY BY THE USPS of your order. We do not receive texted messages/images on our business telephone...please e-mail us.

USPS Priority Mail packages are automatically insured for up to the first $50.00 in value. For orders with a total item value of over $50, we strongly encourage the purchase of additional insurance from USPS when checking out. If additional USPS insurance is not purchased and your shipment is lost or damaged, PetFlytrap.com will only be liable for a maximum of $50.00 in value of your order.

Unfortunately, due to many variables, we cannot guarantee any live plant beyond the point it reaches the customer, as we have no control over the quality of care the plant(s) receives after delivery.

In some cases, the customer may be asked to return items they are not satisfied with in order to process a refund. However, shipping charges are not refunded, and we do not reimburse for shipping charges for returned merchandise except by prior written approval.

 

How long will it take to receive my order? (back to top)

The time in transit depends on the shipping method you selected and your location in the country. Average delivery time to most locations in the continental U.S. is 2-3 business days once your order is shipped via USPS Priority Mail. We ship on Mondays only, so figure 2-3 days from that next shipping date after your order is placed. If you have purchased from a pre-sale category, refer to the information on that category's main page for shipping information. There is always a delay in the shipping of these plants as they settle in.

 

My order was damaged in shipping. What do I do? (back to top)

Please email us with pictures IMMEDIATELY at [email protected] to discuss the condition of your order, or to file an insurance claim (if insured package). You may also telephone us at (281) 433-3290, but we do not receive texted messages or images on our business line.

 

USPS tracking shows my order was delivered, but I don't have the package. What now? (back to top)

While this might seem like we are trying to push this back on our customers, these are truly the best things to do in this situation. The first thing is to IMMEDIATELY check with your coworkers, neighbors, family, etc. to verify that someone didn't collect the package on your behalf. We have found that this is often the case! If this does not help you locate the package, contact your local post office, or especially your regular USPS delivery carrier, to ask for more detailed information about where the package was placed. Even if you can't catch your specific delivery person, leave a detailed note in your mailbox for them. This is the fastest, most reliable way to track down your package, and is what has been recommended to us by USPS. We have tried filing a Search Request with USPS.com in the past; however, they will reply to tell us only that the package shows as delivered, without supplying any additional information. This is of no value and is why the above solutions work best.

Unfortunately, with the rampant issue of 'front porch piracy' and similar circumstances, we are not able to honor claims for packages that USPS shows as DELIVERED or NOTICE LEFT. It is your responsibility to monitor the tracking information for your package, and to ensure your packages are collected as quickly as possible upon delivery/notification by USPS to prevent these issues from happening. We are also happy to label your package to for HOLD AT POST OFFICE, and you can collect it there if you wish; just note this in the Order Comments section when you place your order.

 

Is there a warranty on my plant? (back to top)

We guarantee live arrival of the plants; however, due to many variables, we cannot warranty the plant once it's in your care. Please notify us via email or telephone call (we do not receive texted messages/images on our business line) IMMEDIATELY UPON RECEIPT OF YOUR ORDER if plants have been damaged in shipment.

 

Who actually delivers my order? (back to top)

Orders will arrive via the US Postal Service.

 

What happens if my order is returned to your office? (back to top)

On occasion, we receive an order back from a customer with a invalid address, or when the customer fails to claim the package.

We expect our customers to KNOW their own address and make sure their order is being delivered to an address with a valid mail receptacle, and to pick up their package immediately when it arrives.

If a package is returned, and the customer requests redelivery, the fees for shipping will be charged to the customer for re-shipping the order.

If a customer requests a refund due to a package being returned, we will refund the cost of items, less shipping fees.

 

Can I track my order? (back to top)

Yes. In the Shipping Confirmation email you will receive from us when your package is shipped, there will be a tracking number. This is available for all plant orders shipped via USPS Priority Mail and Express Mail. To track a package, visit www.usps.com and insert the provided tracking number in the appropriate tracking box.

 

What credit cards do you accept? (back to top)

We accept all major credit cards: Visa (preferred), Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. Due to increased online fraud, we have increased the security measures we use with credit card purchases. Pre-paid debit cards might not work on this site. PLEASE NOTE that as of July 26, 2024, due to rising PayPal fees and very few PayPal customers, we no longer accept Paypal. To pay by phone or by check/money order, you may still place an order and select Check/Money Order as your payment method. To pay by check, call (do not text) us at 281-433-3290 for assistance. Your order will remain in pending status for five working days to allow us to receive your check. Orders that are not paid within five days are subject to automatic cancellation, so please contact us if you need additional time for payment.

Checks / Money Orders should be payable to PETFLYTRAP, and sent to:

PETFLYTRAP
3826 E. MOSSY OAKS ROAD
SPRING, TX 77389
281-433-3290

 

Can I send cash? (back to top)

While you can attempt this, we (and the USPS) strongly discourage sending cash through the mail. We cannot be responsible for lost payments, and your order will not be shipped without being paid for.

 

I don't live in the US. Can I still order from petflytrap.com? (back to top)

NO. Currently we do not ship outside the U.S.

For dry goods and other plant/terrarium supplies, we may be able to offer USPS shipping options - please email us at [email protected] or call (do not text) us at 281-433-3290 for a quote and to place your order.

Live goods shipping to some U.S. protectorates is available; call or email for details.

 

Can I place an order by phone? (back to top)

We make every effort to answer the phone whenever we are able! You may call 281-433-3290 between 10am and 5 pm Central Standard Time (CST) to place an order by phone.

Please have your credit card information ready, as well as the items that you are interested in ordering.

 

I don't feel comfortable giving my credit card info over the web. How can I place my order? (back to top)

Although we have a completely secure web site for payment processing, if you do not feel comfortable entering your credit card details you may call us at the number below to give us your credit card details.

We recommend that you complete an order online before calling with your credit card information. During check out, select "PAY BY CHECK or MONEY ORDER" and continue to registration. This will allow the order to be completed in our automated system, resulting in accuracy while shipping, as well as expedited processing of your order.

You may call 281-433-3290 between 10am and 5pm Central Standard Time (CST) to place an order by phone. We do not receive text messages/images on our business line.

Please have your credit card information ready as well as the items that you are interested in.

 

How do I order by check? (back to top)

We recommend that you complete an order online before sending a check for payment. Go shopping in our store and select the items you would like to purchase. Continue to check out. During check out, select "PAY BY CHECK/MONEY ORDER" and continue to registration. This will allow the order to be completed in our automated system, resulting in accuracy while shipping, as well as expedited processing of your order.

If you choose to send a check or money order without completing an online order, please insert a detailed letter of what it is you are ordering and how to contact you. Do not forget to include the exact shipping address. Please be aware that we have limited stock on some items. Your items could sell out before your written order comes to us.

You may then send a check to:

PETFLYTRAP
3826 E. MOSSY OAKS ROAD
SPRING, TX 77389
281-433-3290

 

How do I pay using PayPal? (back to top)

Over the years, we have had more and more issues in our dealings with PayPal. For this reason, effective July 26, 2024 we no longer offer PayPal as a payment option. We are more than happy to help you complete a credit card order/payment over the phone if you wish.

 

Can I purchase your products for resale or in wholesale quantities? (back to top)

Please refer to the BLOWOUT SALE SECTION category for availability and pricing. Due to extremely high order volume, we are not able to offer additional discount levels. You can contact us via email at [email protected] with any questions, but the items listed in the Blowout category are the only ones that are available in larger quantities. Again, we are a retail online nursery, and do not typically have plants in larger quantities.

 

Do you offer co-branding or private label products? (back to top)

We have been approached with opportunities to develop co-branded or private label products. Please contact us with your ideas to discuss any potential project. Anything is possible!

[email protected]

 

I'm doing a school project; can I use your information? (back to top)

Yes please!! We encourage our customers and web site users to use our site as a tool for information and learning. If you are participating in a project where direct use of our published information is beneficial to you, please contact us at [email protected] for permission in writing.

 

Can I get a catalog of products from you ? (back to top)

Unfortunately, we no longer produce a printed catalog due to the rapidly changing inventory on hand. Everything we have available currently is posted on our website.