Shipping Information

Here you can find information regarding our shipping options, delivery times, as well as general terms & conditions for placing orders.

Safe delivery, guaranteed

One of the biggest concerns for buying plants online is their safe delivery. Even cacti, which are known for being hardier than your average houseplant can get pretty banged up in a distribution centre by a careless worker. But at Cactus Culture Australia we have perfected our cactus packaging and can boast a 100% (yes, really, 100%) safe delivery rate. Our perfect track record is thanks to the medium-density foam we surround our cacti with inside the box. What’s even better is that we source this foam from a factory and save it from going to landfill - pretty great, huh? We are so confident in the safe delivery of our plants that if your plant shows up damaged/broken, we will replace it for you free of charge (you will need to send us the damaged one back, and we’ll pay the shipping).

Shipping Restrictions

Due to biosecurity laws, we cannot ship some of our products to certain states and territories in Australia.

We can send plants to the following States and Territories:

  • Queensland;

  • New South Wales;

  • Victoria;

  • Australian Capital Territory and;

  • South Australia.

We can send seeds* to the following States and Territories:

  • Queensland;

  • New South Wales;

  • Victoria;

  • Australian Capital Territory and;

  • South Australia;

  • Northern Territory;

  • Tasmania.

*this includes our seed kit product

Unfortunately, we CANNOT ship plants or seeds to:

  • Western Australia;

  • Internationally (outside of Australia).

Customers from these restricted areas CAN place orders for merchandise and items which are not subject to biosecurity laws.

If you ignore this information and proceed with an order from one of these locations you will be offered store credit for merchandise that can be shipped to your location or a partial refund (order total minus payment processing and admin fees).

Tracking

Standard and Express shipping customers will be emailed a tracking code when Australia Post processes the order. This is typically Monday afternoon, or Tuesday morning. This is affected by public holidays as explained below.

Shipping Options & Delivery Times

All Standard and Express orders are dispatched on Monday morning. Orders are not dispatched after Monday to try and minimise the possibility of our live plants sitting in boxes in distribution centres over the weekend. Orders must be placed by mid-day (12pm) on Sunday to be guaranteed on the Monday morning post run. Whilst not essential, please consider leaving a phone number for text-based order updates.

Public Holidays

Australia Post does not operate on Public Holidays. When a public holiday falls on a Monday in Queensland, the weekly post run will be delayed until Tuesday. When this happens you will receive your tracking information on Tuesday evening, or as late as Wednesday.

Standard Shipping

Standard Shipping is handled by Australia Post’s Parcel Post service and is typically charged at a flat rate of $19.50 per order. The exception to this is seeds which can be sent for $5.60 in a tracked envelope. From the Australia Post Website:

“Some items are taking a little longer than usual right now due to high parcel volumes and ongoing COVID-19 restrictions. Under normal circumstances we aim for:

  • Same state: 2–5 business days

  • Interstate (metro to metro): 3–6 business days”

Express Shipping

Express Shipping is handled by Australia Post’s Express Post service and is calculated based on weight/size of order. From the Australia Post Website:

“Express Post is still the fastest way to get mail from A to B, but we can’t guarantee next-business-day delivery right now. Items may take longer than usual to arrive.”

A full breakdown of delivery times for both Parcel Post (Standard Shipping) and Express Post (Express Shipping) can be found here.

Large Order Shipping

If you place an order that exceeds the Australia Post weight limit of 21kg it will be sent via a courier, rather than Australia Post. IMPORTANT: Unless specifically requested and approved by us your order will be sent via courier in 1 large carton. It is your responsibility to ensure you and the delivery location have the means to accept large cartons. If you are worried about your capacity to accept such an order please contact us at hello@cactusculture.com.au and we would be more than happy to discuss alternative options that work for you.

Free Shipping on orders over $150

All website orders over $150AUD qualify for free standard shipping with Australia Post. There is no need to enter a discount code, it will automatically be applied at checkout when your order is over $150AUD. We have added a counter at the top of our website so you can keep track of how much you need to spend to qualify for our Free Shipping offer. Our Free Shipping option does not apply to Express Shipping.

Custom Shipping Quotes

While we strive to ensure our website calculates shipping costs accurately, we can sometimes struggle with the irregular size and weight of our items, particularly for large orders. If you feel that our website has inaccurately calculated your shipping costs please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at hello@cactusculture.com.au to receive a custom shipping quote. We can also offer palletised freight options or courier services for businesses and large orders.

Out-of-Stock Items and Substitutes

We always strive for our website stock levels to be accurate to ensure the best customer experience. However, the nature of our business means that our stock levels are frequently changing, and whilst uncommon, items in your order can be out of stock. Below is a breakdown of what happens in these situations.

For products with in-stock substitutions of the same or higher value

Out-of-stock products with multiple variants will be upgraded to the next most valuable product size/type. Mid-cuts will be substituted for top cuts, but top-cuts will never be substituted for mid-cuts. Cuttings will never be substituted for a different species unless discussed with the customer. Examples below:

  • A 20-25cm mid-cut may be substituted for a 20-25cm top-cut or larger, or a 30-35cm mid-cut or larger.

  • A 30-35cm top-cut may be substituted for a 35-40cm top-cut or larger.

  • A 100mm golden barrel may be substituted for a 200mm golden barrel.

For these types of substitutions/upgrades, you will not be contacted. If a suitable substitute is not available as outlined above, you will be contacted with an alternative solution which may include product substitution or a refund.

For products with no in-stock substitutions

For products with no substitutions, such as the most valuable variant in a product you will be contacted via your order contact details to discuss your prefered options. We will always attempt to call you, and if we cannot reach you we will email. You will be offered a product substitution with similar or greater value at no additional cost. Alternatively, we can provide a full refund and cancel the order.