We applied the conditions checklist to conduct one of the first quantitative assessments to compare trade dynamics of wild-collected and farmed wildlife (5). Our study focused on Rhynchostylis gigantea, a Southeast Asian protected ornamental orchid. The species is extensively propagated for commercial sale, but also subject to intensive wild harvest. We measured hundreds of farmed (legal) and wild (illegal) plants at Bangkok’s Jatujak Market, Thailand. We found that many of the checklist conditions were met for R. gigantea, suggesting that conservation outcomes were likely. For example, farmed plants were of superior quality on the basis of most physical variables we measured (size, condition, flowers), suggesting that consumers seeking the largest, healthiest plants in bloom would have chosen cultivated plants. Moreover, for any given set of physical characteristics, the origin of the plants (wild vs. farmed) did not affect price, so purchasing cultivated plants would generally not have represented a more expensive alternative. However, consumer and trader interviews highlighted perceived differences and preferences between wild and cultivated plants, suggesting these were not substitutable goods (similar to findings on other wildlife products (3,6)). We also identified other prospective barriers to conservation, including low financial incentives for R. gigantea farming, technical and financial barriers to farming among wild harvesters, and a lack of enforcement against trade in wild plants.