Tea
n. A back-formation from the letter T for "truth"; refers to information and true facts. i.e. "What's the tea?"
This is where I do my best to provide you with some useful information to help you get the delicious plant goodness on offer here at Forager, as well as share my terms with you. Let's all get on the same page before you hand over your money and I hand over the goodies.
Here's what you need to know and the terms you are agreeing to when completing a purchase with Forager:
WHERE DOES ALL THE MONEY GO?
I set up Forager because I was so frustrated seeing plants sell for so much money and all of it just sitting in back pockets (mine included). Meanwhile, thousands of unwanted animals are being put down every year because people choose to get designer pets from breeders rather than saving those who are already on their death bed.
I want to see the ludicrous prices of plants go to help a problem I am truly passionate about. So at the end of every financial year (31 March) I will donate all of my profits (revenue minus operating expenses) to a different animal rescue charity each year. I will ask my customers to help me choose the charity each year. DC Rescue Dogs was chosen for the half year of my firs year as well as year 2 as that's where I rescued my recent puppo from.
The lawyers made me put a lot of legal stuff on the legal mumbo jumbo page so that snoops can't go too deep into my life. But if you have any questions I'm always happy to chat.
HOW DOES FORAGER WORK?
The end goal is to be a heaving tropical nursery with thousands of rare and unusual plants imported/sourced locally and grown by me and use all of the profits for good (I'll probably have to pay myself a salary by then as I will need to quit my day job). Imagine spending your days pottering around your tropical jungle with your rescue doggies at your side. One can dream.
In the meantime, I scour the country looking for the plants we all want. Then I sell them to you to raise funds for the legends out there working with rescued animals.
My plants currently come from nurseries who sell to me at wholesale. I also have a small group of private growers who have swapped from selling through TradeMe to selling on Forager and I take a small commission - this makes up most of the sales at the moment.
WHO ARE YOU?
Who me? I'm Mickey! Kia ora.
I don't know what to say really, I'm not overly interesting at all. I spend my spare time checking to see if my plants have grown and doing fun things with my two rescue dogs, Minnie and Marble. I suffer from anxiety and my plants and dogs are my treatment.
I work for a charity in the health sector - my job is to create campaigns that educate high-risk and vulnerable kiwis and raise money to further our work.
Give me a follow on Instagram if you can bare to see cute dogs and plants every day - @mickeypowpow.
WILL MY PLANT LOOK LIKE THE PHOTOS ON THE LISTING?
Most of the plants are grown privately and don't have the size consistency of nursery stock. I do my best to group batches based on their size, and price accordingly. But there will be variation. When a batch is ready for sale I'll upload images of the plant (or one similar) and/or include more details in the description. The price will change between batches depending on the size and source of each batch. The main image used is just a teaser and should be considered “plant porn” only for your reference. If you have any questions, I'm only an Instagram message or an email away.
DO YOU HAVE WISHLISTS, WAITLISTS OR AFTER-PAY?
That's a negative sorry. Your best bet is to set up notifications for when I post/add to my story on Instagram as I usually post as soon as new batches are released.
WHEN IS THE NEXT BATCH OF PLANTS COMING?
Your guess is as good as mine, i'm afraid. Your best bet is to set up notifications for when I post/add to my story on Instagram as I usually post as soon as new batches are released.
DO YOU COMBINE SHIPPING?
Yes! However, please note that as the plants come from different locations, you can expect that if you order more than one plant they may arrive in separate packages. You'll still only pay one combined shipping cost obviously! If you place an order and want to add something else because you're a greedy guts, use discount code COMBINE at checkout (assuming I haven't already sent it)
WHEN WILL I GET THE GOODIES?
I tend to spend my Monday evenings packing. Then the nice courier picks up Tuesday mornings. I do this to give your plants the best chance of arriving in the same week, and so I can have a life. If your order is placed after i've finished packing it will be dispatched the following week. However, as I do this in my spare time I can't make any promises.
Expect the courier to deliver within 1-3 business days, however orders may take up to 5 business days. If your order hasn’t been received within this time frame, please contact me.
You will receive an email from me with tracking information once it's packed up and on it's way.
WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THE SHIPPING COSTS?
Shipping costs vary depending on product and where they are coming from in New Zealand (many come from rural addresses). Costs will always be stated as you progress through to cart. If in error, this is not appearing please contact me immediately.
WHERE DO YOU SEND PLANTS?
All over Aotearoa, to both business and residential addresses. I don't send to PO boxes.
HOW DO YOU SEND PLANTS?
All plants are sent tracked with Courier Post and all deliveries require signature upon delivery. This is to protect all parties involved and is non-negotiable.
WHAT IF I HAVE AN "AUTHORITY TO LEAVE" (ATL) ON MY PROPERTY?
I only send signature required so if you can't be home you'll have to pop down to the depot. The goodies are too expensive and rare to have left in an unsecure location.
I don't want to put either of us in an awkward position. We know couriers are unreliable and don’t follow clear instructions, so my policy is signature only.
WHAT IF MY PARCEL GETS LOST OR DAMAGED IN TRANSIT?
Shipping is at buyers risk. However, that doesn't mean that I won't do everything I can to rectify the issue if a plant shows up damaged or fails to arrive, including lodging claims with the courier. This is a very rare occurrence (has only happened a handful of times, and the courier paid out).
CAN I PICK UP?
My plants are sent from various locations all around the country. Some plants may be available to pick up by appointment. If you would like to pick up please contact me before purchasing via email or Instagram and I will let you know if possible.
RETURNS AND REFUNDS
Due to the fragile nature of plants your order cannot be exchanged, refunded or returned should you change your mind. That being said, a few people have had immediate buyers remorse. We're all human. Just let me know and we'll figure it out!
All plants are packaged very carefully to ensure they arrive at their destination in great condition. In the very rare instance that your plant is damaged in transit please send me photographic evidence of the damage on the same day that your plant arrives so that I can raise a claim with the courier company. Following the claim outcome, I may be able to replace or refund your purchase. You are required to return the original product(s) to Forager's Auckland location at your own cost.