Handling orders passed between florists

A wire order is an order that one florist takes and another fills. The shop that takes it is the sending florist. The shop that makes and delivers it is the filling florist. The customer deals only with the first. A shop uses a wire-out when it can't deliver an order it has taken, for example because of distance or other constraints.¹

The term comes from the telegraph. Members of the first wire service, a florist cooperative, exchanged orders by telegraph message.² Today the orders travel by software or phone.

Sending an order out

Order software calls this a wire-out. One florist program's help page describes the case. A customer places an order and the shop can't deliver it. A member of a wire service can forward it to another florist within the network.¹

The steps are close to those for any order. Fill in the order details, choose the type of wire-out, then pick a local florist.¹ The program lists florists in the recipient's area. Staff who already know the other shop's code can enter it to find that shop directly.¹

The order is then priced, placed and confirmed in the usual way.¹

Receiving an order

A wire-in is the other side. It's an order you receive and fill for another shop. The program has a separate entry for a phone wire-in, used when another florist rings you directly.³ That's instead of sending the order online.³

The entry has its own fields for wire details and for the recipient, plus the usual delivery date and time.³ The help page does not say where a saved wire-in appears.

Keeping track of status

An order passed on has two shops holding it. The sending florist needs to know it was delivered, and the filling florist needs to read messages.

One network's guidance says to read and answer any messages sent in its system.⁴ It also says users of its app should set the order status to Attempted Delivery after a failed try.⁴ These rules are that network's, not universal ones.

The filling shop's proof of delivery matters here too. Proof is covered in the drivers page.

Money

Wire services keep statements. At the end of the month, the help page says, the transaction shows on the wire service statement.¹ The sending shop receives a percentage for wiring out the order.¹

Another kind of relay is a website that sells an order and passes it on. It sends the order and payment to a local florist in the delivery area, minus a commission.² The same source describes a related service, the order broker. Brokers are third-party agents that show product images and pass orders on to local florists. Wikipedia lists one disadvantage for brokers: the customer can't see or pick the fulfilling florist.²

Exceptions

Phone wire-ins are the gap. The help page says it is the florist's responsibility to report these orders, and that wire services give the Hana software no automated way to report them.³ If you take phone wire-ins, write the report step into your routine.

Fee splits, statement dates and rules differ by network. For tax treatment of wire income, ask an accountant or the tax agency in your country. This page doesn't give tax advice. These pages were read on 2026-11-03.¹