A few dahlia vendors (that sell only dahlias) might be taking orders right now, but won't ship them until spring. If you are looking at getting the tubers RIGHT NOW, you'd be better served to wait for the new crop to be dug this fall. Any tubers still on the shelves from last fall have a high chance of being shriveled up and devoid of life next summer at planting time.

Have you discovered 'www.dahliaaddict.com' yet? You can search for vendors that sell specific variety names, or do a search for all varieties that match a certain profile (like giant red cactus-type dahlias).

It is an awesome tool, but be aware that most 'true' dahlia vendors aren't even open until after thanksgiving (which is the earliest for digging/storing/inventory). Most are up by mid-January, as they can be fairly certain which varieties will make it through winter storage. Any vendor open right now either grow so many that they know they will have surplus stock, OR they are guessing what they will have (and often subsitute without permission... watch out for this!) My store, Dahlia Vacation, always opens the first or second week of January, along with several other small vendors that are careful to not promise what they might not have in spring.

If you are after a new or hard-to-get variety, it's best to order the first week of a vendor opening their virtual doors, as sell-outs can happen quickly. However, if you see 3 or more vendors sold it last year, you can take your time and shop around in Jan/Feb, to make sure you go with a vendor that has multiple varieties you want, saving on shipping costs. Sometimes I go in on an order with a trading buddy so we can share the shipping fees, if I only want 1-3 from one place.

Hope this helps. What variety are you eyeballing?