Guides
Florist Wire Service Fees Compared: FTD, Teleflora and Direct
Florist wire service fees decide whether filling a wire order makes money. This compares FTD, Teleflora and direct sales on commission, membership cost and control.
What to take away
- Wire service fees work two waysa cut on every order you fill and dues to belong. Filling shops commonly report keeping 73% to 80% of the retail total. Direct orders keep 100%, but you find the customer yourself.
- FTD, founded in 1910, and Teleflora, founded in 1934, carry most US wire volume. Most American shops compare those two first, then ask whether direct is worth the effort.
- The number to compare is net dollars per order after commission, dues, clearinghouse charges and delivery cost.
- No option solves the underlying problemsomeone must own marketing, and wire services sell that work to you rather than doing it free.
- Ask for the current fee schedule in writing before you sign. Rates change and vary by contract.
The three options side by side
A wire service is a network. You pay dues, and in exchange other member shops send you orders to fill. You also send orders out, and the receiving shop fills them. A clearinghouse, such as FTD's Mercury Network, nets what you owe against what you are owed.
On a filled wire order, money splits three ways: the sending shop's share, the network's fee and your payout. Florists commonly report receiving 73% to 80% of the retail order total. The split is a contract term, and it can move with order type and volume.
Direct sales means the customer finds you, orders from you and pays you. No network sits in the middle. You keep the full retail price and you carry all the marketing.
Membership dues at FTD or Teleflora typically run about $100 to $300 a month depending on tier and add-ons. That puts annual dues in the low thousands of dollars, and setup fees apply at signup.
Clearinghouse charges usually run $1 to $3 per order transmitted, plus periodic statement or technology fees. Full fee schedules are contract documents rather than public rate cards.
Figures for dues and commission are set by contract and change over time. Ask each service for its current schedule rather than relying on what another florist paid two years ago. The FTD history and business model explains how the network and its fees developed, and the Teleflora overview covers the competing network's structure.
FTD vs Teleflora vs Direct
FTD
- Commission
- % per contract
- Membership cost
- Annual dues + setup
- Clearinghouse charges
- Per-order fees
- Order flow
- Network-generated
- Brand recognition
- High
- Pricing control
- Limited
Teleflora
- Commission
- % per contract
- Membership cost
- Annual dues + setup
- Clearinghouse charges
- Per-order fees
- Order flow
- Network-generated
- Brand recognition
- High
- Pricing control
- Limited
Direct
- Commission
- None
- Membership cost
- None
- Clearinghouse charges
- None
- Order flow
- Your marketing
- Brand recognition
- None
- Pricing control
- Full
The criteria that matter
FTD
- Commission on filled orders
- Filling shop commonly nets 73% to 80% of retail
- Membership cost
- Typically $100 to $300 a month plus setup
- Clearinghouse charges
- Commonly $1 to $3 per order transmitted
- Order flow to your shop
- Network orders routed through the Mercury Network
- Brand recognition with senders
- High; founded 1910, one of the oldest US networks
- Control over pricing and design
- Limited by order specs
- Reporting and directory listing
- Included in dues
Teleflora
- Commission on filled orders
- Same typical range, set by contract
- Membership cost
- Typically $100 to $300 a month plus setup
- Clearinghouse charges
- Commonly $1 to $3 per order transmitted
- Order flow to your shop
- Network orders through Teleflora's member network
- Brand recognition with senders
- High; founded 1934, owned by The Wonderful Company
- Control over pricing and design
- Limited by order specs
- Reporting and directory listing
- Included in dues
Direct
- Commission on filled orders
- None; you keep 100% of retail
- Membership cost
- None; marketing spend instead
- Clearinghouse charges
- Card processing around 2.6% to 3.5% plus 10 to 30 cents
- Order flow to your shop
- Your own marketing: Google Business Profile, Google Ads, Meta ads, local directories
- Brand recognition with senders
- None; you build it
- Control over pricing and design
- Full
- Reporting and directory listing
- You build it
Volume, contract length and order type move both the commission and the dues figures.
Option by option
FTD. The Florists' Transworld Delivery network was founded in 1910 and went through Chapter 11 in 2019. It is now held by Nexus Capital Management. Orders arrive without you spending on ads, and they route through the Mercury Network.
In return, commission and dues apply to every transaction. Dues typically run $100 to $300 a month, and the filling shop's share of a wire order commonly lands between 73% and 80%. Shops that fill a high volume of incoming orders often find the math works. Shops in thin markets may not.
Teleflora. Founded in 1934 and owned by The Wonderful Company, Teleflora uses a similar structure with a different member mix and marketing programs. Some shops belong to both networks and compare the net per order each quarter. Belonging to two networks doubles dues, often adding $1,200 to $3,600 a year, while widening order flow.
Direct. Every dollar stays with you. You pay for that with time spent on search, social, local listings and repeat customers. Card processing through Square or Stripe typically costs 2.6% to 3.5% plus 10 to 30 cents a transaction. Local delivery commonly runs $10 to $20 per order in most markets.
Paid search clicks through Google Ads commonly cost $1 to $4. A quote template with pricing examples helps you price direct work consistently so you can compare it against wire orders on the same basis.
Where each one wins
FTD works when incoming wire volume is steady and your designers can handle it without turning away retail customers.
Teleflora works when its member mix sends orders in categories you already stock, such as sympathy work.
Direct works when you have a distinct brand, a strong local following or a specialty the networks do not market well.
A useful test: track net dollars per hour of design time for one quarter across all three. Whichever produces the most profit per hour deserves your capacity.
Wire orders are not free revenue. They are paid revenue with a marketing fee attached, and the fee is the network's price for finding the sender.
What none of them solve
None of the three fixes a weak local reputation. A shop with poor reviews will still struggle, whether orders arrive through a network or a search result. None removes the cost of delivery, and none guarantees order quality from the sending shop.
Wire services also do not protect you from seasonal swings. Valentine's Day and Mother's Day concentrate demand, and no fee structure changes that. Owners who plan capacity around those weeks, using a stock control checklist for owners, tend to negotiate fees from a stronger position.
