Today's Lesson...... Purchasing plants from ebay, etc.

[Bonnie]

How about we learn something from this..
When purchasing plants online what are things that you should look for?

Let's use this as an example (even though it's from Ebay)   

What questions would you have about this listing/seller ?

Seller xxxxx has 65 Feedback remarks - 98.5% Positive

      
   
RED lotus tuber pond plant

(N. Caspium) Pinkish-red single blooms. Grows 3-5 feet.

Lotus can be grown in tubs or large containers as long as the soil is kept very wet by having at least 2-6 inches of water above the soil where they are planted. They prefer being planted in soil and they are heavy feeders. We do not recommend growing lotus in gravel or kitty litter.
This hardy lotus is a perennial plant and will go dormant in the winter, and will winter over in zone 4-11 and above if planted where the roots wont freeze.
In optimum conditions will reach full potential in regards to height, leaf and bloom size.

zone 4-11 American Yellow Lotus. Red blossoms reach 8" in diameter. You are getting big healthy plant/tuber!

Beautiful large flowered lotus, flowers over 5" in size. This plant is MEDIUM to LARGE, with a spread of 4-5 ft. Leaves and flowers stand above the water surface. Hardy perennial from zones 4-11. Prefers 5-6 hours of direct sun. Pot in large shallow round containers and place 2-12" below water surface. Auction is for 1 tuber, with at least 2 growing tips. Larger divisions available on request. Planting instructions included. We guarantee to send you a healthy tuber, but can't guarantee it will grow in your pond. I ship priority mail on TUESDAY if payment is recieved by Sunday. Buyer to pay $7.50 S&H. Save money on S&H, buy more than one. S&H on 2nd lotus is only $4.00 more. ALL auctions  paid thru PAYPAL must be in one invoice.

[Timgod]

Lotus.....
Hardy Lily....
They don't seem to have a clue what they are selling.
Their growing reecommendations only apply if you have the correct plant.
This is why you should only buy from someone who "has a clue" as to what they are selling.

caveat emptor - Let the buyer beware.

Tim

[CT]

Not only that but 98.5 feedback? I would ask about extenuating circumstances for such a poor feedback rating.

[puddleponder]

Sorry, accidently deleted.  Found the website where the ebay person from Ft. Worth stole their description: http://www.ewaterlily.com/cgi-bin/shop/cart.pl?db=data.file&category=LOTUS

I didn't see where they said anything about a hardy lily in their description.  I was wondering if they used the picture of the lily to bring buyers to their website, which is an ebay violation.

[Teresa]

   
   
RED lotus tuber pond plant

(N. Caspium) Pinkish-red single blooms. Grows 3-5 feet.

zone 4-11 American Yellow Lotus. Red blossoms reach 8" in diameter. You are getting big healthy plant/tuber!

So is it red, pink or yellow?

[bunny56lbc]

 That is one of a kind lotus !.... ...wonder how many they sold ?
bonnie

[Bonnie]

I don't want for everyone to think that I'm bashing ebay sellers.. there are good and bad.  I buy and sell on ebay.

Just thought this would be something for us to discuss, especially newbies who know nothing about purchasing plants online.

[CT]

I love ebay sellers. I get plants that I can't get locally and usually for less including shipping. It does pay to watch and read a sellers feedback and note the size of the plant. I got some EE's from a seller and honestly they were 1 inch tall with one leaf. I paid closer attention after that. The best deals of all though are through our sellers here. 

[happyoutsidegirl]

Thanks Bonnie for bringing this up. I sure don't know enough that I probably wouldn't even have noticed it. I have never bought plants from ebay or on line. Just from Lawanna, or local stores, witch are very very limeted. Lesson learned!

[Joyce]

I never buy pond plants from anyone who doesn't show actual photos of the plant.
Or if they show ridiculous overexposed 'glamour' shots of plants.
Or if they have bad feedback, and get nasty/name-calling with anyone who complains about the plants they recieved.
 

[laurw]

Yah- like when you open one of the garden catalogues that come unasked for at your door- and notice that the blue balloonflowers have been 'colorized' deep sky blue, instead of the purplish color you know they really are. 

Retouching photos in that way really torques me off, because when I first started gardening I was a teenager, knew absolutely nothing about flower gardening and was soooo disillusioned by those mail-order houses.   :'(

[Bonnie]

I never buy pond plants from anyone who doesn't show actual photos of the plant.
Or if they show ridiculous overexposed 'glamour' shots of plants.
Or if they have bad feedback, and get nasty/name-calling with anyone who complains about the plants they recieved.
 

Yep especially if you have never dealt with them this is so true.. the least they can do is explain what size it is.   

With digital cameras and email, ask them if they would send you a pix of the actual plant you are receiving.



Remember though... this is when BUYING PLANTS.   For postage or trade you can not be as picky but trading etiquette is another story..

[Bonnie]

I'd like to add, I asked a big ebay seller last year if she guaranteed her plants to be true to name.. she sent me this huge email that she has been a seller for years, blah, blah.

Her response basically was that most of her buyers were not true collectors and as long as it was close,  it was good enough!

NOT!

I did NOT buy from her.....

[Craig]

I realize I'm a stickler, but I never would have gotten passed the offering.

There is no lotus by the name of N. Caspium.  Correctly there is a Nelumbo nucifera var caspicum.

It may be petty on my part, but if you want to sell plants know the correct name of your what you sell....if you enjoy plants that is just second nature, part of the enjoyment of dealing with them.

I always suspect people pretending to be knowledgeable but that don't care enough to know the correct name and its spelling, have a greater interest in the money than the plant.

And abbreviations are included.  If you are indeed professional, you will take the few additional seconds to write the full botanical name.  It is 'Albert Greenberg' not AL and not Greenburg.  Director George T. Moore and not Dir Moore or Director Moore.  Makes me wonder what other shortcuts they have taken.

If they claim to that you are buying "direct from a grower"...ask for their state nursery registration number.  That can be about your best protection in warding off scamsters.  All states require legitimate growers to be registered and inspected and the responsible ones comply willingly. 

[PondmaninAL]

I've only bought one live plant on Ebay. The seller was fairly local and they had a picture posted. The plant was eel grass, a native plant in Florida.

Most everything else that I've gotten on Ebay was from a reputable seller and the items were seeds.

Scott

[Teresa]

Not only that but 98.5 feedback? I would ask about extenuating circumstances for such a poor feedback rating.

I never buy pond plants from anyone who doesn't show actual photos of the plant.
Or if they show ridiculous overexposed 'glamour' shots of plants.
Or if they have bad feedback, and get nasty/name-calling with anyone who complains about the plants they recieved.
 

I would like to point out just how very correct these two statements are . . . . it may not seem like 1.5 percent bad feedback is anything to worry about, but it is!!!  There are many sellers out there with 100% good feedback. 

And PLEASE please go check the actual bad feedback . . . you'd be surprised just how nasty some people are to those who are not satisfied with what they got for their money!  If you aren't satisfied, you at least deserve and explanation, not a personal attack.  If you see even ONE comment in the feedback that is an attack, walk away no matter how badly you want that plant!!!

[Joyce]

Amen, Teresa and Craig!

[SheilaJ]

I'm usually OK with feedback of 98 or 99. I give them the benefit of the doubt for the 1 or 2 percent of people who are unreasonable, or didn't read the listing carefully, or blame the seller for something the buyer didn't do (like not care for the plant and then it died!). For a feedback of less, I'll read through the negatives and perhaps buy with caution, especially if the negatives were a long time ago and the seller has been better lately. Under 95 percent I walk away.

[LeeAnne151]

98% feedback is NOT good! Great in school, poor on eBay.

98% is not just 2 percent down from 100. The numbers go 100, 99.9, 99.8, 99.7 etc. 98% is waaaay down in ranking.

I would not recommend buying from anyone under 99% and if it is an expensive item, under 99.6%

PayPal doesn't offer any buyer protections if the seller is below 98%! Neither does eBay.

Don't buy from newbie sellers either, they often have no clue or are scammers using a new name.

Don't buy unless you can use your credit (not debit) card.

I spend hours every week trying to help people who have been ripped off on the eBay boards and many of these people brought it on themselves by picking lousy or new sellers and not using their credit cards. Let someone else give the poor new seller a chance. Let the poor new seller buy stuff to build up his feedback and learn how eBay works before selling. If the price is too good to be true, you are about to be ripped off.

[Bonnie]

I would not recommend buying from anyone under 99% and if it is an expensive item, under 99.6%

I disagree..
Using myself as an example.
    Feedback Score:    399    
   Positive Feedback:    99.5%    
   Members who left a positive:    401    
   Members who left a negative:    2    
   All positive feedback received:    643

Out of 643 transactions (plus the ones that don't leave feedback) I have 2 negatives. (1 neg. 1 neutral)
I personally don't think that anyone should feel the need to second guess that.......

One was a seller who left retaliation feedback because I left him neutral feedback due to he was advertising Gallon sized plants and sent plants which would fit in a dixie cup...  he didn't like it even though I emailed him first to try to get things resolved.

My other negative was actually a NEUTRAL from a buyer who I bent over backwards for.
She was TWO weeks in sending payment.. which supposedly got lost in the mail. 
I gave her a payment extension which was a two week deadline for payment and she still didn't like my response.
(Some people are negative about transactions regardless.)

[LeeAnne151]

You aren't under 99%!

I was speaking in generalities, there are always exceptions. A neg from a seller wouldn't make a difference to me as a buyer.

Neutrals don't add to your score by the way. Not up nor down.

I read about a hundred posts a week from ripped off people on the eBay message boards. Used to be a hundred a day but I just don't have that much time any more. By far the vast majority of these ripped off people chose sellers who were below 99% or were brand new.

[Bonnie]

Neutrals don't add to your score by the way. Not up nor down.

I was just making that comment because I have 99.5% and wouldn't ever want someone to feel that they couldn't trust me.

I've been ripped off too but luckily it's never been alot of money! 

Someone who used to sell plants on Ebay had a great reputation and all of a sudden she moved and alot of people were not sent their plants.   Luckily I paid by credit card and got all of my money back.


HUM.. I need to check.. I could swear the guy was the only one who has ever left me a negative..

Regardless, be careful when purchasing online and ebay. Know what to look for..

LeeAnne, also as far as paypal..
If you get stiffed... They don't pay the first $25 or so, do they??

[Bonnie]

LeeAnne, my bad about the neutrals.

I forgot in 2000 a person left me negative because after numerous emails to her without a response, I sent back her MO when I received it THREE WEEKS LATE!

[LeeAnne151]

No one with a clue, reading your feedback would be afraid to trust you.

eBay and PayPal Buyer Protection Policy changed recently in January 2007.
There is no longer a $25 deductible. It was an eBay fee, not a PayPal one when it was in place.

There is no longer any buyer protections unless you pay with PayPal. Paying with your credit card gives you more protection than using bank or balance transfer.

Some auctions are covered up to $200, some up to $2000.
In order for a seller to be covered up to $2000 he has to have feedback over 98% and more than 50 of them.

[Teresa]

I think that assuming someone who has a 99% positive feedback score is a good person to buy from but someone with a 98.5 score is a bad person to buy from is a mistake.  It depends on how many transactions they have made . . . if you've only a total of 300 feedback coments, it only takes a couple to drop you. 

What is far more telling is the actual negative feedback.  Here's an example of feedback on a plant seller (feedback over 99% positive) that should scare off a potential buyer:


Comment by buyer:  May be all USPS issues, but no support of product that was dying. Just excuses.
 
Reply by seller: Tries to chisel free stuff. stated 'Most everything was great' 3 day usps trip



 
Comment by buyer:   Never recieved item. He refused to refund my money & blamed my postal service.
 
Reply by Seller: no sign of any item 'returned to sender' post office sometimes 'sits' on items 

Follow-up by buyer: RUDE!! Emails filled w/ attempted insults. Items aren't returned if never sent!

[andrew davis]

>>What is far more telling is the actual negative feedback.  Here's an example of feedback on a plant seller (feedback over 99% positive) that should scare off a potential buyer

Feedback is a two way street.

What do you expect when a very small and insignificant minority of folk are blatantly dishonest, malicious and untrustworthy.

Regards, andy
http://www.members.aol.com/abdavisnc/swglist.html

[Joyce]

Thank goodness only a very small and insignificant minority are blatantly nasty,
name calling idiots with no scruples, just out to make a buck.

[tammie]

I promise to always spell out plant names.  I hate to type, that's my excuse...
Tammie

[Joyce]

I rest my case.
Well, well, well....Look who's first to name call and slander.
As for keeping my emails on file....I'm sooooo scared of you andyyy! 
But I do feel special now.

By the way, Tammie is one of the most awesome Traders on AMerican Ponders.
She sends me plants, mossy rocks, pond stuff...all huge and ready to bloom.
Check out her trader feedback.

In fact, like eBay, everyone here had a feedback rating...
make sure you read feedback before you trade or buy from anyone.
Click on the number after Trade Count under each persons profile name.
For example, you can start on this topic...I have 14 feedbacks.

[barb]

 

I recently bought 35 Hyacinths on eBay, for about $25.00 including shipping.  The plants were teeny tiny, sprouts, nothing like the picture.  I haven't left feedback yet, I can't decide whether to bother or not.  I could email the seller and argue with them, and hope he makes it right.  It could be ugly and I hate to bother, though.  Or I could leave neutral feedback, and risk getting neutral or poor feedback in return.  So far I have done nothing.