Finding cheap flowers to send online isn't easy. When people want to send flowers over the Internet, they tend to shop at the same one or two places out of habit. The problem with this shopping habit is that you just won't find the best prices at the larger online flower shops. What is a person to do when they want to find half price flowers to send?
People who want to know how to find half price flowers to send online tend to be people who shop at one of the "big three" online flower shops exclusively. 1800Flowers, FTD.com, and Teleflora hardly ever have competitive rates on flower delivery. You will occasionally find sale items, like cheap rose arrangements on Valentine's Day or around Mother's Day, when shopping at one of these massive online flower stores, but for your everyday flower delivery needs you just won't find a good price with the big name shops. Just because you've seen a million 1800Flowers ad doesn't mean you'll be getting a good deal when you buy flowers from them.
In fact, most of the time you can find the best price on flowers by shopping at lesser known stores. There are several websites that can help you find the cheapest online flower delivery, like flowershopdeals.com. Using these services, you search for a specific flower or even a price range, and the site shows you a list of online flower shops that match your search criteria. This way you search multiple shops at once, rather than looking at a dozen different flower shop websites.
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When you send flowers online, paying shipping and fees can add up to as much as half of your expense. Especially when sending less expensive flowers and arrangements. Many flower shops have "low price" or "under $30" sections, ideal for sending a quick gift without spend a ton of cash. Unfortunately, most of these online florists charge between $12 and $25 for delivery, depending on the day of the week you're sending flowers and the size of the delivery. If you're buying a $19 flower arrangement and being charged $15, you could easily save 50% off the cost of your online flower delivery order by searching for a site that offers free shipping.
Much of the price of "shipping" flowers is what is called a "wire fee". There's no reason to pay this fee -- it is a hidden fee that helps the flower company make money. This fee is tacked on by the middle man (the web site you order the flowers from) and doesn't actually go to pay for much at all. A small portion of that wire fee covers the shipping charge, the rest is pure profit. Search for a promo coupon or customer code for free delivery from your favorite flower retailer - you may be surprised how many flower shops have coupon codes for one-time-only free delivery. Proflowers.com, a big online flower shop but not one of the largest, offers free delivery from Monday to Friday on most orders. You can search through the flowers available for free delivery at Proflowers.com by clicking the "Free Flower Delivery" link from their homepage.
Some flowers are less expensive than others, either because the flower itself is cheaper or because there is such a demand for that particular bloom that retailers can afford to sell it for less.
The flowers most likely to offer a discount of as much as 50% are roses, daisies, and select mixed bouquets. This is good news for people in romantic relationships -- there is always a 50% off deal on roses somewhere on the web. Also good news for people who have a significant other that loves daisies. These flowers are fairly cheap for the florist, are really popular, and work in just about any occasion.
The idea here is to avoid setting your heart on one particular type of flower or one style of arrangement. If you're flexible about the type of flowers you send, you'll be more likely to find sales or seasonal deals on flower delivery.
Believe it or not, most online flower shops sell single flowers, or flowers in groups of two or three instead of massive arrangements or bouquets. These are especially easy to find around Valentine's Day (sometimes they are called "She Loves Me Not" arrangements -- a single flower in a large vase) and other "floral" holidays. Sending a single rose to a lover is considered especially romantic, and a pair of roses twisted together implies its own romantic message. The point is -- you don't always have to send an elaborate bouquet.
Online flowers shops tend to jack up the price of their flowers. This higher price does not reflect a higher quality arrangement or "better flowers" than those available at your neighborhood florist, instead they reflect a hidden fee intended to do nothing but increase their profit. If you take a few extra minutes to shop around, use promotional codes, or find free shipping options, you can easily save 50% off flowers to send online.
If you want to send flowers on a limited budget, don't get discouraged. It really IS the thought that counts.
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