Frequently Asked Questions

Bonsai Tree (Pty) Ltd is an e-commerce store only. We do not have a retail store.

We do not operate a nursery open to the public.

Yes, I love to share my passion for bonsai with likeminded individuals.

I have done many demonstrations, talks and workshops.

Please contact me to discuss your needs.

Yes, I give private one-on-one classes to all levels of bonsai artist. These lessons can be given at your home or you can come to my house in Somerset West. If you are too distant then we can use Facetime, WhatsApp, Skype or whatever other application you wish.

You can purchase consultation time with me here.

As a Japanese trained bonsai artist with over 20 years experience, I am able to complete whatever work you need done to your trees. You can either drop the tree or trees off in Somerset West, Cape Town or I can do the required work at a place of your choosing.

Any travel or materials needed such as repotting mediums, pots, wire and such will be billed in addition to the time required.

Purchase time with me here.

Simply view the items you would like to purchase, add them to your virtual shopping basket by clicking the ADD TO CART button. 

When you are done adding items, click the CART button and a list of the items you added to your store appears. You can edit the items in your basket, increasing the qty or removing items altogether.

To proceed click the PROCEED button.

Creating an account is optional, but if you think you might order again it saves a lot of time to create an account as all your details will be saved such as your delivery address and more, meaning you will not need to enter this information again.

If you have a voucher please copy and paste it exactly into the box provided; its the box on the right hand side of the screen under your order with the word DISCOUNT in it.

Please click the CONTINUE TO SHIPPING METHOD button to continue.

All available shipping options will be presented to you. Please make your selection and your order total with any discounts will be displayed. 

Please click the CONTINUE TO PAYMENT METHOD button to continue.

Please click the COMPLETE ORDER to continue to payments.

Your order is confirmed only on receipt of confirmation.

You will receive a copy of your order via email as well as subsequent notifications about shipping and more.

You might have received a voucher code from me for some reason, or perhaps it is a code being advertised for a special discount. This is how you will use that code.

After you have added the items you wish to purchase to your cart you should click the "CART" button, found on the right side of your screen at the top.

You will now be able to confirm the items in your cart, on the left of your screen.

Once you have confirmed that your order is correct, click the large red "CHECKOUT" button. (You may add any special notes pertaining to your order in the block provided)

You are now on the Customer information page. Here you need to enter your email address and all other relevant information. 

Note: This is the information we use to send your package to you. If you enter these details incorrectly we are not liable in any way.

On this page, to the right you will see a list of the item/s you are buying. Just below that you will see a box with the text "Gift card or Discount code". This is where you can paste the code. You can also type it in, it is not case-sensitive. 

You must click "Apply" and then confirm that it has been accepted. If it was successful you will see the applicable amount deducted from your total and listed as a discount in the summary of amounts.

You can now proceed with your order by clicking the "Continue to shipping method" button below your address.

Our default currency is South African Rand (ZAR). By law our prices refelct VAT inclusive.

We accept all major credit and debit cards through South Africa's largest payment gateway, Payfast as well as international Paygate.

Direct EFT is offered through OZOW and we also accept Zapper.

We provide interest free payment plans through Payjustnow and Payflex

No, this is not necessary as once your payment is confirmed by the payment service provider you selected, your order is automatically marked as paid.

Absolutely. In order to accept your credit card and other forms of payment, we make use of Payfastwho uses extended validation SSL with 256-bit encryption for the highest level of encryption currently available.

None of your payment details are shared with us.

Yes.

3D Secure is an extra layer of security which Payfast has in place. Buyers are asked to enter their 3D Secure password or one time PIN {which they register with their bank} to authenticate that they are the actual cardholder. This is a good thing for you as it prevents your card from being used by fraudsters.

We are happy to announce that we are able to offer corporates a full, high quality bonsai kit for branding efforts, promotional giveaways and other marketing related activities. 

Our kit comprises of a glazed bonsai pot and matching saucer, indigenous bonsai seeds and professional seed growing medium, professionally illustrated step by step instructions, packed into a durable presentation carton. You can see an example here.

Corporates can tailor their kit by choosing a glaze colour to match their corporate colours. Should you wish to have your logo on the pot we can glaze this on.

Contact me now for your corporate enquiry.

Yes.

I would like to support you with great products at great prices so you can make a fair profit and spread the art of bonsai in your local community.

Please contact me about discounted pricing so I can discuss this with you.

We offer free delivery when your order is valued at over R1000 but weighs less than 2kg.

Unfortunately we do not have the means to display to you the weight of your order as you are adding to your basket.

During checkout, you will be given the option to include insurance. The carrier we use automatically offers insurance up to R1000.00 however if your package value exceeds this you will need to opt for additional cover or you will not be covered for the portion above R1000.00

If your order arrives and you discover an item is broken please contact meimmediately.

Kindly take a photo of the broken item and the packaging and email them to us so a claim can be started.

All couriers charge for a minimum of 2kg. So if your order only weighs 0.5kg you will still pay for 2kg. Playing around with what you put into your basket will enable you to achieve the most cost effective bundle of items to order and for us to send.

TIP! Where bundles are offered, select these as they consolidated best for shipping.

If you are able to collect from Somerset West, Cape Town you are more than welcome to select the "PICKUP" option and avoid any delivery fees.

Deliveries within South Africa

We exclusively use a door to door courier service.

NO OTHER service is used.

Each order which is fulfilled has a unique tracking link which is automatically emailed to you. This enables you to check where your order is and when it is out for delivery.

We use double walled carton boxes for fragile items such as pots. We also pack each pot using protective materials. Tools, growing mediums and other less fragile items are packed courier-safe.

However should you still receive an order with a couple broken items please advise us for further steps.

We fulfill orders nationally within South Africa.

At this time we are not accepting international orders. Apologies for any inconvenience.

All orders are dispatched the following working day

If you ordered anytime on Monday your order will be sent on Tuesday. If you ordered on Friday then your order will be sent on Monday. 

Please note that your quoted delivery timeframe (stated during checkout on the shipping options step) only begins once the package is sent. 

Please track your order using the tracking number supplied to you when your order is fulfilled by us, which you will receive by email. 

To do this simply click on the link and you will be directed to our website and the tracking information pertaining to your order will be displayed.

When your package is ready for collection you will be notified by email, along with all the instructions and directions you will need to make the collection.

You are welcome to collect your order between 09h00 - 16h00, week days only (excluding public holidays).

The collection address is:

Stor-age,

Attention: Bonsai Tree

42 Delson Circle

Somerset West Business Park

Somerset West

7130

Should you feel in any way that the product is not what you expected, wanted or would like to keep, please contact us so that you can return the item and we can initiate a refund. 

The refund is subject to us inspecting the goods first to confirm that they are in a brand new condition, and that all original packaging is in tact.

Please also take note of the following:

1. All returns will be at the cost of the buyer, unless the fault is ours. We can have the courier collect the item/s from you and you will be charged the appropriate fee up to but not exceeding your original delivery fee.

2. Should you wish to return your order yourself please note that we do not accept any other form of return than by door to door courier or in person (by appointment only).

3. Goods returned within 30 days will attract a 15% handling fee provided they meet the requirements for return goods. All goods must be in their original packaging, unused and in perfect condition.

4. The refund calculation will work as follows: {Original amount paid} - {Original delivery fee} - {Collection fee if applicable} - 15% handling fee = Refund amount

5. The refund is usually made directly into your bank account as an EFT transfer however card refunds are possible only if the original payment was made by card.

6. The original delivery fee is not refundable.

7. Goods may not be returned under any circumstances after 30 days.

After 14 days from when you placed your order, you will receive an email requesting that you review the products you purchased.

The purpose for writing a review is both to let me know what you think of the product and more importantly other customers would like to know.

If you have bought something from us, used it for a bit and have formed an opinion on the item then you are ready to write a review.

Roughly 50 words will be great and should cover the product fairly. Keep it short and to the point but mention why you like/did not like the item, whether you would recommend it or not etc.

Although I do not expect anyone to write an indepth study on the product I would prefer that it be little more informative to customers than simply, "Great product, good buy!"

In return for your time you will be sent a R25.00 voucher which you can use any time in the future towards a purchase.

Vouchers do not expire.

Yes, you can use your voucher against any items and for any value. However we do not give change and you cannot use multiple {review} vouchers for a single order, so please ensure the value of your order exceeds the value of the voucher or the remaining voucher value will fall away.

Please copy and paste the voucher code preferably as the voucher code must be exactly what is in the system or it will not be recognized.

During checkout you will see a box with the word "DISCOUNT" in it. Its in the area where your total is.

Simply copy paste the voucher code into this box and the discount will be applied and your total adjusted accordingly.

You cannot use multiple vouchers for the same order.