Buying From Ebay

owlsgomoo · Post by **owlsgomoo** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 1:39 pm

What is the general consensus from buying seeds and plants from ebay?

iann · Post by **iann** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 2:58 pm

Buyer beware

There's good stuff and bad stuff. Some reliable sellers, some unreliable, some con artists. Even some stuff almost certainly illegal.

TimN · Post by **TimN** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:23 pm

I agree with Ian. I've bought a lot of cactus on ebay and a few seeds. I've nearly always had good results.

Ask questions of the seller or for more pictures if you are uncertain. Most will be happy to help.

I like to see a picture that clearly shows the growth point. If it's dusty and crusty, the plant might be a zombie!

I also pick a price and go with that. If some jerk wants to snipe you at the last second, at least you put in the bid you were comfortable with. If you get sniped and you would have paid more than your last bid, that's frustrating.

I've also bought plants on ebay from a grower in Thailand. I had a good experience, but you never know!

Has anyone bought anything from the seller in Hungary?

The problem with buying plants from international sellers is that your whole order might get confiscated and destroyed. It's never happened to me, but you have to be prepared to lose it all.

Bonezy · Post by **Bonezy** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:54 pm

I concur with both Ian and Tim. Shop carefully on eBay. I have purchased different types of plants from eBay over the years and had various results. With the few cacti I've recently acquired from the venue so far I've had decent results. I normally go with but it now and look for the sellers with very good feedback. Normally these sellers will mention in the listing that you will receive a plant similar to, or grown in similar conditions as the plant in the picture. So far so good with this approach. The cacti that I have received may not have been as bright and colorful as the one in the picture, but they have been clean, undamaged and in excellent health.

As far as seeds are concerned I haven't been down that road yet. There is one seller of cactus seed whose every listing mentions that they are "rare cactus seed", even the most common, run-of-the-mill species. I'm guessing that this seller uses the same template for every listing which is why every seed is called "rare". As for me, when I'm ready to grow cacti from seed I'll find a more reliable source for them than eBay.

GermanStar · Post by **GermanStar** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 5:04 pm

I've picked up 4 Agaves on eBay from 2 vendors, plants that simply cannot be found through usual channels, one actually quite rare. In each instance, the plant was healthy and as advertised. I will say that one vendor does a better packing job than the other.

GermanStar · Post by **GermanStar** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 12:56 am

Yeah, if an eBay ad says "rare", I wouldn't trust it -- or the ad's authors. If a plant is truly rare, prospective buyers don't need it pointed out. I've also seen plenty of misidentifications, which I assume are innocent mistakes, since I see just as many at reputable nurseries.

fanaticactus · Post by **fanaticactus** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:10 am

To avoid international complications (explained in previous posts) and for faster shipping (I'm very impatient when I've ordered cacti!), I've only ordered from two online sellers--both of whom are extremely reliable and ship beautiful plants. There is a third I will do business with this spring & summer. However, I note that others have not mentioned specific sellers, so I will refrain also; that seems to be proper etiquette. Also, I've only purchased "Buy Now" items with a fixed price, as long as it's reasonable, to avoid being "sniped", as it is often called.

dustin0352 · Post by **dustin0352** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 10:24 am

I too agree with all that has been said. I myself, tend to stick with a couple known sellers that have ebay stores. I have always been weary of buying a plant from a ebay member who has 90 listings for automotive parts and one cactus plant listing. Not to say that the plant might be bogus, but I just dont feel comfortable in a purchase risk like that.

Also the best thing to do is read up on the persons feedback! If the seller has 1,000 positive feed backs in the past 6 months and 5 negative feedbacks, there is a great chance the seller is excellent.

Once you have done the research make a small purchase to test out the sellers shipping and product. If you like them, then make that grand slam order! Good luck and happy ebay hunting!

peterb · Post by **peterb** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:41 pm

Apart from snagging "must have" plants that one can't find from established dealers, why buy plants on eBay?

peterb

Harriet · Post by **Harriet** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 3:15 pm

If you know who you are getting the plants from, why not get them on eBay? I can think of one forum member who often has a great selection of plants on eBay.

Bonezy · Post by **Bonezy** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 3:21 pm

peterb wrote:Apart from snagging "must have" plants that one can't find from established dealers, why buy plants on eBay?

peterb

There is a very large selection of sellers on eBay and with that there is a vast selection of plants, cactus and others, to choose from. Everything from the most common to that occasional gem you turn up can be found on that venue. Prices between sellers are always competitive and for the most part very reasonable. I suppose the real answer to your question is that it's simply a matter of personal choice. For the record eBay is just one of several sources that I use for my plants.

As an observation what I'm finding out is that a lot of sellers on eBay have their own websites yet they haven't updated the site in months. They usually have less of a selection of plants on their site than what they offer on eBay. It would seem that it is much more cost effective to pay a monthly flat rate to run a store on eBay than it is to maintain their own website. eBay receives a tremendous amount of traffic every day and for that reason alone it would make sense to have an eBay store rather than taking the time trying to attract traffic to their personal site through SEO and whatever else it takes to make it happen.

*Barracuda_52* · Post by ***Barracuda_52*** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 3:22 pm

I have gottin great buys from ebay have always went with the same sellers sometimes a new seller but i always check feedback and tend to go with sellers that have atleast 99% or 100% feedback. I always ask lots questions about said item and try to go with items that have actual pictures, also i make sure they give full refund if the item dont make it in the way it should or that im not satisfied with condition of said item.. If i ask a seller a question and dont here back from them in a reasonable amount of time i avoid them and continue my search..

peterb · Post by **peterb** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 4:07 pm

I haven't bought plants on eBay because I have established relationships with growers who sustain the hobby. When I order from Brack or Woody Minnich or Miles to Go or High Country Gardens or (someday) Darryl, I also think of it as supporting the incredible diversity of what is in cultivation these days. I try to remember that we're very lucky to have this incredible range of plants fairly easily available, either as seed or plants, and this is not possible without the preservation of the diversity that can only be sustained by a specialist grower.

I have stirred the pot on this one before, urging people not to buy from big box retail, for the same reasons. It's not a very popular position. But I do believe we shape the world through where we put our energies, and money is energy.

peterb

GermanStar · Post by **GermanStar** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 4:17 pm

I find your big box argument sound, but not your cry to avoid dealing with fellow hobbyists. That is what eBay is for, right? Folks like you and I who have put our love of our hobby into a propagating one or a few rare and unusual plants. Honestly, I don't understand that take at all...

peterb · Post by **peterb** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 4:22 pm

I guess I was thinking of eBay sellers who mostly offer commonly available stuff and insist on BS-ing that it's "rare" and "one of a kind." I deal almost exclusively with cacti, and I have never seen a cactus plant for sale on eBay that I can't get from the specialists I listed. (other than old, obviously illegally collected habitat plants).

I haven't really browsed Agave or other succulents and could be missing some great finds as a result.

peterb