On this page you will find links to frequently asked questions on various topics on this site. Is your question not here, or the answer is not sufficient, you can contact us through our contact page.

Quantities

• › Are special offers always subject to a full barrel unit?
All offers always apply per full barrel unit Heemskerk has opted for this to keep the offers as competitive as possible (a full barrel divided across our customers results in considerable processing costs savings).

• › Why are super offers limited?
Because we want everyone to benefit from the low sales pric

• › Can I also purchase smaller quantities?
You also have the option of purchasing smaller quantities The minimum is always 1 tray / barrel unit when purchasing plants. Once the plant is big and no longer fits in an auction barrel, then the minimum will become 1 plant. You can buy less than a barrel in case of flowers. You will then see two numbers; the quantity of the full barrel and the quantity of one bunch (for example eustoma: full container (50) or per bunch (10)). However do note, all offers will always apply per full barrel.

• › What are the minimum order quantities when purchasing from Heemskerk?
Discuss the quantity guidelines with your account manager. Within our customer database, we know the direct customers and the customers who are supplied via a line rider (Flying Dutchman). No minimum order quantity applies to this last group, as the lorry comes by the customer. However, the direct customer needs to consider transport costs. After all, there is a minimum transport rate. The transport costs are not in proportion to the quantity of purchased products in case of small quantities. This is why you need to agree on a guideline regarding the minimum quantities with your account manager, to ensure it continues to be financially attractive.

• › Is the volume indicated by the computer always correct?
The volume indicated by the computer is purely an indication. A mathematically justified calculation. This calculation does not take seasonal influences into consideration (flowers are larger and heavier during the summer months). The calculation is also based on average volumes. Deviations of a few boxes more or less are therefore very reasonable.

Buying on the internet

• › I have forgotten my log in code/password, what should I do?
Contact your personal account manager if you have forgotten your log in code/password Your account manager can give you your log in code or password, or he/she can help you to request a new one.

• › How do I complete my purchase?
Product selection is your purchase confirmation The products you select from the Cash and Carry will be placed in your shopping trolley. You will see the "reserved for you" message with this placement. At this specific moment, the product in question will be reserved for you in the hall and it will no longer be available to other potential buyers. This message is your purchase confirmation. No definitive confirmation of your transaction is needed. However, it is possible for you to remove the reserved products from your shopping basket and thereby cancel the purchase of the product concerned.

• › Why can I only shop until a specific time on the day of departure?
You will only be able to shop until a specific time on the day of departure, as we will need to provide timely information on volumes It is possible to shop until 11.00 am if you would like the products in question to be transported that same day. We will need to provide the transport companies with volume information, enabling them to collect the products from us on time.

• › Why is the webshop in my language (French for example), but the product names aren't?
This concerns identical article numbers and product names The products auctioned in the Netherlands are given an identical article number and product name by the "Vereniging van Bloemenveilingen" (VBN) (Flower Auctions Association) (https://www.vbn.nl) All Dutch exporters work with this VBN list. This list is currently only published in Dutch.

• › My demo code no longer works, what should I do?
You can contact your account manager to request a new demo code. Demo codes are used to make the webshop visible for starting out customers. They are therefore only valid for a limited period of time. You will not be able to make a purchase with a demo code, you will need a personal log in code and password for this.

• › What do I need to do to make a purchase?
You will need a log in code and password in order to buy from the webshop Please contact us on telephone number 0031-714098100 or via info@heemskerkflowers.com if you would like a log in code and password. One of our account managers will subsequently contact you as soon as possible. You will keep this account manager as your contact person and he or she will assist you with the log in code and password application.

• › How do I buy something that is not displayed in the webshop?
Products which are not displayed in the hall can be ordered in various different ways You can order these products via the webshop, or from your account manager.

Quality

• › What does "Maturity" mean with the product information? Is this connected to the freshness?
Maturity is the flower's openness stage at which the grower has cut the flower.

Example of Maturity stage 1: A rose is still very coarse (it is even possible for it to have been harvested too soon, which may result in it experiencing great difficulty in opening up). A lily is very coarse and it takes a long time before it takes on a colour. The same applies to most other types of flowers.
Example of Maturity stages 2 and 3: The flower opens up a little bit and already shows a bit of colour.
Example of Maturity level 4: The flower is reasonably open and displaying a great deal of colour.
Example of Maturity level 5: The flower is open and the colours have fully developed.

• › What is botrytis?
Botrytis is a normal natural phenomenon which ensures flowers rot Botrytis Cinerea or Botrytis Rot (Botryotinia fuckeliana) is a parasite which can affect both seedlings as well as all other plant parts (leaves, flower parts, stem, fruit). This will take place via small wounds or fallen off flowers in case of high levels of humidity or wet crops. The mould will continue to grow on dying and dead plant material. It can therefore also affect live material. The effects sometimes aren't visible until much later on. In other words: botrytis is always present, but there are factors which make botrytis visible more quickly. If there was no botrytis, then flowers would never rot.

• › How can I recognise the quality on the website?
You will recognise the quality by the hallmark All our products are of ‘A1' quality, unless we have expressly stated otherwise on our website. A common alternative quality with the rose group is ‘BENT'. This concerns roses of which the head is not positioned straight on the stem. These are popular products, as they enjoy a much more competitive price. The website also provides information on the length or height of the product, as well as the pot size and maturity in case of plants (whereby maturity 1 means very coarse and maturity 5 means ‘open'). Some growers have been qualified as FFP, MPS A, MPS B or MPS C. (https://www.my-mps.com and/or http://www.fairflowersfairplants.com) This will particularly tell you something about the way in which they grow (for example environmentally friendly). The name of the grower is also included, as some are so good/well known that customers specifically want to buy products from these growers.

• › When are flowers of a lesser quality?
The quality of flowers is dependent on the humidity The quality of Dutch products decreases when humidity levels are very high and the grower doesn't need to use the heating. Warm days and nights are disastrous for flowers. Not having to use the heating is a good thing for the grower, as the associated costs are enormous. Only you and we will be hindered by this. Not using the heating will increase humidity levels in the greenhouses. The grower should really be using "dry heating" with the windows open, but this has become impossibly expensive. The quality of imported products often reduces during the rainy season. Many growers in countries like Kenya don't have a heating system to remove the moisture from the flowers. You will notice a high level of humidity when you, for example, take a carton of milk out of the fridge and this remains moist on the outside. Roses with many petals retain a great deal of moisture. This greatly increases the risk of the flowers rotting from the inside out. Heemskerk has invested in an optimally conditioned area. We store our products at a relative humidity (RH) level of 84% (botrytis will have a free hand above 87%), but we can't influence what happens in the rest of the chain.

Pricing

• › Why do ordered flowers appear to be more expensive compared to flowers from the sales webshop?
The product is auctioned in various different quantities at various different times. Suppose a grower auctions off 100 containers of the same types of flower (same length and weight). The auctioneer will allow the first buyer to only purchase 1 container

*which is particularly interesting for the very small buyer who doesn't need any more. In this example at the price of € 0,90 per stem. The auctioneer will subsequently state that the next buyer needs to buy a minimum of 2 containers (which is known as option 2). The very smallest traders already won't be able to participate at this stage. The next two buyers will each take 2 containers for, for example, € 0,89 per stem. The subsequent minimum number of containers to be purchased is 3 (option 3). More potential buyers will now be out of the running and there is a chance the price will reduce even further. If things don't progress quickly enough, the auctioneer will continue to increase the number of containers to be purchased (option 6 or option 9). And finally the auctioneer will say: "And now the remainder!" or rather: whoever buys now, must take all the remaining containers. This is usually only left to the major buyers. There will certainly be a good chance that this buyer will be able to buy the "remainder" of the batch for considerably less (for example only € 0,72). The pricing strategy in this example situation is often evident in falling markets. In case of a rising market, or with a scarce product (more demand than supply), you will often find that the first buyer will have enjoyed the best price. For example, he will have paid € 0,90, the next € 0,92, the third € 0,93 and so on. *

The auctioneer will start off with 1 container, as the auction is a cooperation for growers. And the auction is trying to realise the highest possible price for these growers.

• › How is the price on the clock set?
Prices are determined by supply and demand. Flowers are really live products, with a limited life span. Factors like the time of year, temperature and the quantity of light determine the exact moment when these flowers should be made available to the public. Cold temperatures and limited light will result in much fewer flowers than warm and light weather. Everyone knows that Christmas, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day result in a high level of demand. Yet these occasions do often coincide with the "cold and dark" season. The logical result is a major demand and limited supply. In short, high prices. On the flip side of the coin, many people go on holiday in the middle of summer, whilst the weather is very ‘growth friendly'. Result: limited demand and major supplies. Low prices.

• › Why are there different prices for the exact same product?
The products will subsequently be purchased by several parties You will normally be better off purchasing a product in large quantities. However, this certainly isn't the case with large quantities of the same flowers. In order to keep up with demand, the buyer will need to purchase various different quantities from different suppliers and on different days. Suddenly demand will rise drastically, whilst supplies remain the same.

• › Are "special offers" of a lesser quality by definition?
"Special offers" are not of a lesser quality by definition "Special offers" are very competitively priced products compared to the usual clock price. We use these products to give our customers the opportunity to really benefit from a true bargain (although the maximum quantity per customer is limited, to ensure as many customers as possible can make use of it). "Special offers" are therefore definitely not of a lesser quality!

• › Why auction via the "Dutch auction" system?
Flowers are auctioned via the Dutch auction system, as they are live products. Clock purchasing works via the Dutch auction system. At a flower auction a system is opted for which starts with a price which is too high, which subsequently continues to go down. Whoever stops this auction is the buyer (he therefore offered the highest price at that specific moment). So buying at flower auctions therefore works in the exact opposite way as other auctions (like the art auctions Christie's and Sotheby's) where the auctioneer will constantly ask for higher bids. These auctions don't start until the first bid is in.

• › Why does the price increase with very large orders?
The products are then purchased from several parties. Normally, you're better off if you purchases a product in large quantities. In case of large quantities of flowers of the same , this is not the case. To be able to deliver the buyer must purchase multiple parties from multiple growers and on different days. The question suddenly becomes very large, while the supply remains the same.

Transport and handling

• › Why do I need to choose a departure day, rather than an arrival day?
You will always choose a departure date from the Netherlands, as the arrivals will differ per customer The arrival date will be different for various different customers, as a result of the distance and/or drop off point along the transporter route. You can check with your account manager whether the transport company will actually be departing from the Netherlands on your required day of departure.

• › How can I return barrels and carts?
Barrels and carts can be returned via the transporter Some barrels (and carts) can be reused and must therefore be returned. These barrels can be given to the transporter, who will return them back to us. The transporter does need to leave you with a signed receipt (CMR), as proof that you have given them to him. We will not have any proof you given anything to your transporter without this CMR. We will immediately credit the amount back once we have received your e-mail.

• › Why can I choose transport days on which there is usually no transport?
You can choose transport days on which there is usually no transport, as these days can be placed in the system It is therefore also possible to arrange for transport on public holidays.