Frequently asked questions
Shipping, the replacement guarantee, and what to do when your cutting lands.
- What exactly arrives in the package?
- A fresh cutting hand-selected from a mature, healthy mother plant, with at least one viable node. To keep it hydrated in transit, the node is wrapped in a moist paper towel, sealed with biodegradable cellophane, attached to a firm cardboard insert, and shipped in a biodegradable bubble mailer. All packaging is 100% biodegradable or recyclable. Because every cutting is unique, size, colour intensity, and variegation vary naturally from the photos.
- When do orders ship?
- Orders ship on Mondays so packages never sit in a depot over the weekend. If a Monday falls on a B.C. holiday, orders ship the following Monday.
- What are the shipping options?
- Free shipping: regular letter mail, untracked. It’s entirely at your own risk: extreme cold or heat can affect live cuttings, and no replacements are offered on this option. Paid Xpresspost: tracked Canada Post shipping with a replacement guarantee. It’s charged at a flat rate, and if actual postage comes in lower (or multiple cuttings ship together), the difference is refunded. For either option, I’ll message you to confirm the terms before your cutting ships.
- How does the replacement guarantee work?
- On tracked Xpresspost orders: if anything looks wrong, send clear photos within 24 hours of delivery so I can assess the cutting. Cuttings sometimes arrive looking stressed or wilted from shipping and still propagate perfectly well, the node is what matters. If the node itself arrives in an irreversible condition, I’ll send a replacement. Please keep an eye on your tracking and collect the package promptly, and note that P.O. Box deliveries aren’t covered by the guarantee.
- I'm in Squamish, can I skip shipping?
- Yes! Choose free shipping at checkout and send me a message on Etsy; I’m happy to drop your cutting off in Squamish for free.
- Is winter shipping safe?
- Cuttings are tropical, so please check your local forecast before ordering; a deep freeze is hard on letter mail. Xpresspost is faster, tracked, and covered by the replacement guarantee, which makes it the safer choice in winter. (This is also one of the big reasons to buy Canadian-grown rather than imported. more on that here.)
- How do I root the cutting when it arrives?
- Unwrap the node, stand it in room-temperature water somewhere warm and bright (no direct sun), and change the water every few days. Roots usually show within 1–3 weeks; pot up when they reach about 5 cm. The full walkthrough is in the rooting guide.
- Why does checkout happen on Etsy?
- All orders run through my Etsy shop, MyPlantifulLife. You get Etsy’s purchase protection, secure payments (Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Apple Pay, Klarna), and order messaging in one place, and I get to spend my time growing plants instead of running payment infrastructure.