One of the questions I get asked a lot of the time when people stumble upon my Instagram is 'Where did I got my Philodendron Pink Princess?' from. And similar questions about my Philodendron White Wizard, Syngonium Albo, and other rare plants.
So here is my secret... eBay :)) I think most of you are searching to buy new plants from sellers that are local in order to keep plant damage to a minimum or to avoid higher shipping fees. And I wanted that too, but I wanted a Pink Princess more. So after searching on eBay from start to the end and again and checking sellers ratings, prices, etc and narrowed down my search before Christmas when I found a Pink Princess and White Wizard in an action in Thailand.
Of course, I was worried about the plant making that journey but I really wanted to try it out. I knew the seller as I bought my Syngonium Albo Variegated from them few months before. Since my Al (that's the name I gave my Syngonium :)) ) arrived safely and without any damage and decided to bite the bullet as they say.
The one advice I would give looking back: don't buy plants from a different continent in between or after holidays. Post Offices are packed everywhere so your beloved plants might be sitting in a post office for few days.
Both my plants took almost 3 weeks to arrive to the UK. The boxes sat in a post office in Thailand for 3 days before they got picked to be sent here and the whole process was a lot slower than last time. When they arrived, they weren't in the best of shapes. My PP lost a leaf (the only one that was actually pink) and my White Wizard started dropping leaves few days later. I repotted both pretty much straight away and sat them under grow lights and close by the humidifier.
And now, fast forward 2 months later they are both alive and well and putting up new leaves. I knew it was a risk when buying them but (like you) I desperately wanted one. And let me tell, it defo didn't had the price tag you find the Philodendron Pink Princess for in the UK or Europe.
So for me, eBay is still the best bet for most rare plants but I still check some of the local plant sellers. Plant friends are also amazing and I have managed to get some plants I couldn't find in the UK from people in other countries. My Instagram account has introduced me to lots of really friendly and amazing people that have jumped to my rescue fulfilling my plant wishlist.
