For a big order is shipping by cargo worth it ?

We can ship to your airport by cargo if the customs there can accept perishable goods. Not all airports carry phytosanitary services.
In addition to the cost charged by the airline, charges at your airport must be added : taxes, agent, delivery to your nursery etc..
From a real situation in 2012, for a shipment to Europe of 200 kg, with a plant value of 2150 eur ( from our wholesale list, such as 1075 rooted Hoya x 2 eur = 2150 eur ) , the total transport cost from our site to the destination airport is around 1050 eur; if you add a 6.5% import tax in your country and a VAT at 19.6%: ( 2150 + 1050 ) x 1.065 x 1.196 = 4018 eur
The remaining charge will be the transport from your airport to your place, this can be around 100 eur. Hence the total cost, plants and transport, will be 4118 eur; based on a wholesale plant price of 2150 : the ratio is about 1.92 = 4118/ 2150

You may also have the plants shipped to your airport and dispatched by your agent directly to your customers. Click on this link to know more :
plants to your airport and dispatched by your agent

Please note that one kg is what we all know on scales - the Gross Weight - but for the airline industry the weight is also a volume divided by 6000 ( and sometimes noted Vol Wt , or volume - weight ). The airline willl always charge the weight on a minimum Vol Wt.

This is how it works on an example :we use cartons of 50 x 100 x 25 cm. We divide by 6000 this volume and find 20.8 , this is the Vol Wt. If the content ( Gross Weight, weight on scales ) is only 18 kg, anyway the airline company will charge on a weight of 20.8 kg; but if this content is 25 kg the company will charge on this weight of 25 kg

Also usually airlines charge on a minimum weight of 45 kg.For instance we ship 2 cartons of Vol Wt 20.8 each, total Vol Wt is 20.8 x 2 = about 42 kg. The charge will however apply on 45 kg. Usually a carton of Hoya, Fern or Bromeliad does not exceed its Vol Wt of 20.8 kg.

Considering all costs for contents up to 60 kg, several small postal parcels, by Small Parcel Air or by express parcels : EMS, may be a better option, in particular when the plants occupy a rather high volume but are light. Hoya, Fern and Bromeliad are better candidates for post parcels than the dense Plumeria. Indeed the Thai post, contrary to other courrier ( DHL, Fedex etc - that anyway , in Thailand, do not accept live plants - ) consider the gross weight not the volume for the charge of transport.

Hoya and other plant collections are for sale on aleyagarden.com Plant care is available in various posts of this blog. Contact : aleyagarden@hotmail.com

Find all Aleyagarden posts on http://aleyagarden-blog.blogspot.com/

Assessment of the transport cost : issues and solutions

When a cargo of plants lacks homogeneity because the plants vary greatly in volume, weight and size their transport cost by air is uneasily estimated, especially when the gross weight of the cargo may exceed the volume weight of the boxes.

Gross weight is the one read on scales. The volume weight, ( Vol wt ) is the volume divided by 6000. If the dimensions of a box are 100 x 50 x 25 cm , its Vol wt is about 21 kg ( 100 x 50 x 25 / 6000 = 20.8 ).

This volume weight is the minimum chargeable weight : such box with a gross weight of 15 kg will be charged on 21 kg; and of course if its gross weight is 25 kg it will be charged on 25 kg. ( sea freight is instead always charged on the volume ).

Hence if you intend to import plants to airport from Aleyagarden you will consider the three options below and select one :

1 : you pay your transport after arrival to the airline ( depending on airlines and their contracts with the cargo agents, that option is often not possible )
2 : you transfer an advance of money to Aleyagarden based on an estimate of the transport cost. ( this estimate is made by yourself and Aleyagarden ) Usually the past ratios : plant cost/transport cost are good indicators. Hence there will be after shipping a balance - in THB -, to pay immediately ( with any international currency ) or with the next order.
3 : there is no balance and since Aleyagarden will not pay for your more expensive transport than expected ( heavier boxes ) they will overcharge the estimate of the transport cost when making the proforma. ( a proforma is an invoice received for payment of the goods / services before delivery )

The balance is in THB because invoices of transport are issued and paid in THB and Aleyagarden does not have an account in foreign currency : the $ or euro received are changed in THB as soon as they arrive to Aleyagarden's account.

You may prefer that Aleyagarden owed you money rather than your owing them if you sense that the euro or $ will loose strength against the THB.

Hoya and other plant collections are for sale on aleyagarden.com Plant care is available in various posts of this blog. Contact : aleyagarden@hotmail.com