Refund policy
Refund and claims policy
Last updated: September 28, 2026
Who this applies to
Plants Without Borders Inc. sells at wholesale to growers and plant sellers. This policy applies to every order placed at plantswithoutborders.com. It forms part of our Terms of Service. Where the two differ, the Terms of Service control.
What one unit is
One unit is one plantlet. A listing priced at $29.00 with a minimum order of 5 delivers 5 plantlets for $145.00. The quantity on your invoice is the number of plantlets you receive. There is no bag, pack, or bulk count behind the unit.
Live plants are not returnable
We do not accept returns. Plants are perishable and cannot be resold once they leave our care, so there is no return window and no return address. If something is wrong with what you received, you file a claim instead. The section below explains how.
Cancelling before your order is invoiced
Every order rides a published delivery cycle with a fixed order cutoff, shown on our delivery schedule. You may cancel or change any line at no charge at any time before that cutoff. Email your account executive or support@plantswithoutborders.com with your order number.
After the cutoff we have already committed the units to our laboratory partner and the order cannot be cancelled, reduced, or changed. If we cannot source a line you ordered, we remove it before the invoice is issued and you are never billed for it.
Paying, and what happens if you do not
An order becomes binding when we confirm availability and issue the invoice. Payment is due on the date shown on that invoice. We do not ship before payment clears. If an invoice goes unpaid past its due date we may cancel the order and release the units. A cancelled unpaid order creates no charge and no refund, because no money changed hands.
If you paid and we then cannot ship a line for any reason, you choose: a credit to your account, or a refund of that line to the original payment method. We process that choice within five business days of your telling us.
Which standard applies to your order
Every collection ships under one of two written standards. Your packing list names the collection, and the collection names the standard.
The Hong Kong and Fujian collections ship under the Seller's Choice standard. The Hainan, Macau, Foshan, and Bangkok collections, and every other collection, ship under the Grower's Choice standard. A missing item follows the missing item rule, whatever the collection.
How long you have to file a claim
You have 2 days from the FedEx delivery timestamp to file any claim. This applies to Seller's Choice, Grower's Choice, and missing items. Saturday and Sunday count. We decline claims filed after the window. All sales are final after payment.
What every claim must include
Every claim needs an unboxing video filmed from the moment the box is opened, plus a photo of each affected plant. There are no exceptions.
The video must be continuous and unedited. It must keep running until every plant is out of the box and visible. We cannot accept a video that starts after the box is open, because it cannot show whether the damage happened in transit.
How to file a claim
File your claim at plantswithoutborders.com/apps/returns-portal. Enter your order number and email, choose each affected plant, and upload your video and photos. We answer every claim within three business days of receiving the complete claim.
What is normal on arrival
- Plantlets arrive in vitro. The agar or gel in the bag is the growing medium, not damage.
- Plantlets are small. The size test is the root-to-tip length described below.
- Boxes ship without cold packs.
- Plants need acclimation after unboxing. The first 21 days decide the outcome, not the first hour.
Grower's Choice standard: ready to acclimate
Every Grower's Choice plant ships ready to acclimate, with established roots. This standard covers whether the plant can live after planting. It does not cover looks.
We check each plant on three points:
- The root-to-tip length is at least 1.18 inches.
- The plant has at least 1 leaf.
- The plant has at least 1 root.
A plant with 0 fails is Grade A. It is as sold, and no remedy applies.
A plant with 1 fail is Grade B. You receive 20% of that plant's price as credit.
A plant with 2 or more fails is Grade C. You receive 100% of that plant's price plus its share of shipping.
Yellow leaves, melted leaves, browning, and small size are not Grower's Choice fails on their own.
Grower's Choice: when a plant dies after planting
If a Grower's Choice plant passes all three checks, the only event we cover is the death of the plant.
To prove the death, plant it as soon as it arrives. Then send us a photo of the dead plant in its planting media, inside the 2-day claim window, along with your unboxing video.
Seller's Choice standard: ready to sell
The Seller's Choice standard applies to the Hong Kong and Fujian collections only. It covers how the plant looks to your customer. We score each plant on eight points:
- Leaf count. A plant with 1 or more viable green leaves passes. A plant with 0 viable green leaves scores C.
- Yellow or melted leaves. A yellow leaf and a melted leaf count the same, because each is a defective leaf. A plant with no defective leaves passes. A plant with 2 or more leaves and 1 defective leaf scores B. A plant with 2 or more leaves and 2 or more defective leaves scores C.
- Browning. A plant with no browning passes. Some browning scores B. Severe browning scores C.
- Root development. A plant with visible roots passes. Minimal roots score B. No roots score C.
- Root-to-tip length. Alocasia and Monstera pass at 2 inches. Anthurium and Philodendron pass at 1.2 inches. Slightly under scores B. Significantly under, or no growth, scores C.
- Agar contamination. Zero visible contamination passes. Trace contamination scores B. Severe visible contamination is an immediate C.
- Leaf mold. Zero visible leaf mold passes. Severe visible leaf mold is an immediate C.
- Agar volume. Roots fully covered by agar pass. Low agar scores B. No agar scores C.
A plant with 0 fails is Grade A. It is as sold, and no remedy applies.
A plant with 1 or 2 fails is Grade B. You receive 20% of that plant's price as credit.
A plant with 3 or more fails, or any immediate C, is Grade C. You receive 100% of that plant's price plus shipping on those units.
An immediate C is severe visible agar contamination, severe visible leaf mold, or 2 or more yellow or melted leaves. Aurea and albo sectors are the cultivar and are not scored as yellow.
Missing items
A missing item is an item on the packing list that is not in the box. Send the unboxing video filmed from the moment the box is opened.
With the video, we reship the item if it is in stock, or give you credit. You choose.
If you do not send the video within 2 business days of our request, we decline the claim. There is no partial credit.
How a claim is settled
We grade each affected plant against its standard and show you the count. You then choose credit today or a reshipment on the next departure.
Approved claims are settled in reshipments or account credit. We do not issue cash refunds on approved claims. Account credit does not expire and can be applied to any future order.
What is not covered
We cannot cover losses that begin after the plants reach you:
- Acclimation losses, including decline during the first weeks in your growing space. Follow the acclimation guidance we send with every shipment.
- Repotting, transplanting, deflasking, or any handling on your end.
- Pests or disease introduced after delivery.
- Light, humidity, temperature, water, or substrate conditions in your facility.
- Damage from a delivery you were not present to receive, or a box left outside.
- Normal variation in form and coloration that the standards above do not score. Tissue culture plants vary, and photographs are representative rather than exact.
- Delays in transit, customs, or carrier handling, and anything that follows from a late arrival.
Shipping charges
Shipping is charged from our published rate table and is not refundable once a shipment is tendered to the carrier. The only exception is the shipping included in a Grade C remedy.
Payment disputes
If you believe a charge is wrong, contact us first. We will look at it and correct any error we made. Opening a bank or card dispute before contacting us may result in your account being placed on prepayment terms while the dispute is open.
Contact
Plants Without Borders Inc.
328 N Market Street, San Jose, California 95110
support@plantswithoutborders.com