orchids off of ebay?

[theroc1217]

Originally Posted by rangiku

Wait, there is a Dendroboard???

Yeah, they deal mostly with tree frogs, but their commitment leads them to have a lot of exotic miniatures of ferns and broms, and lots of orchids.

They have a lot of stuff from the Pleurothallis and Bulbophyllum alliances.

[jeremyinsf]

Coming back to this thread:
So, I've had three orchid experiences off ebay now, enough to take the time to post here about them:

1. Paph Dollgoldi - wanted one and couldn't find locally, so bid on a 'blooming size' plant and won. There were pictures of the plant and a good feedback history with the seller. It was not in spike and I had no idea when it would, but I knew what I was getting into that it was an un-bloomed plant. The seller, who turned out to be a very well known grower, put the wrong address on the plant, and it was returned to the sender. (this was their error entirely) When I inquired with ebay and opened a case for it, per ebay procedure, the seller responded and clearly didn't know where the package was. The offered to send me a "larger plant". I said, OK. I got said plant a few days later, and it was a smaller plant (another that did not sell in another auction) that had an entire set of leaves less than the one I bought. It also came with the largest leaf broken due to poor packaging. I wrote back, and the seller refunded the transaction.

2. Paph Lowii x dianthum. This was a very small seedling and I was interested in the cross. I bid and won and it was what I consider a low cost (a couple cups of coffee). It arrived, packed well. I had that quick moment of "well, it's smaller than I expected". But, it was indeed the correct size, I'm just not used to buying little babies like that. The plant was healthy, as described, and it was a good transaction. I have since potted it in my own media in a size up, as it needed it. It's under the lights now, and we will see what happens in the future. If nothing, then I don't feel like a big loss. I look at it as an experiment.

3. Phrag. Sorcerer's Apprentice. I have wanted one of these since I knew what a phrag was. Bid and won the auction. Seller was AMAZING with communication after the fact, let me ask a couple questions and gave me the history of the plant, as it's a division from her mother plant. I got lots of info, which, I like. It arrived today. It's a younger plant, not as mature as the other phrags I already have - but I knew what I was getting and now it has a new home. The spike is in tact, along with the current flower (less than perfect due to transit, as we can all imagine) and a new bud that's formed is safe. While it's not a giant specimen plant with multiple spikes that I got locally for pennies (this has just about happened to me before) it seems healthy and is on track for the long run.

Summary:

- Pictures of exact plant are required for me.
- Look at feedback. This is ebay and ebay rules and procedures apply.
- Ask questions ahead of time. A good seller will answer them honestly and help with the biggest killer (expectations).
- Don't expect perfection when the actual plant arrives. Some damage may occur in transit. But it shouldn't be all broken, or misrepresented.
- Ask questions AFTER! The seller might -also- be passionate about orchids, and be willing to share information that is nice to know, or useful down the road.
- I will probably only do this for plants I can't find other places. Or the less common one that catches my eye. But, we will see...
- Don't get too let down if something goes wrong and that really nice plant doesn't work out.
- And my rule #1 with orchids applies - RELAX AND HAVE FUN.

[Andrew]

It pays to do your homework when you buy on eBay. A lot of the time you can buy the same plants on eBay listings from nurseries for the same price or less without having to compete with anyone else for the purchase. Where 'bricks and mortar' nurseries are selling on eBay, you might still find it cheaper to buy from them via eBay after you've factored in postage but you should know when to stop the bidding war so you don't spend way more than their normal catalogue price. Both nurseries and private sellers will sell uncommon "one off" plants on eBay that are well worth considering. Occasionally, you can get a bargain if nobody notices the listing but often the final price skyrockets beyond their real-world value. Then again, if you don't know who to ask about getting hold of those plants, you might think its worthwhile paying the extra money.

As for seller ratings, they're a bit like buying a car with a road worthy certificate. It's the bare minimum you should look for in a seller. As as there is a time limit for submitting feedback, a 100% rating says more about the seller's ability to pack and post a plant rather than the quality of the plant itself. Often virus etc are not checked by people before leaving feedback and, in the case of seed or plants without flowers, you don't know if the ID of what they're selling is correct or how closely it matches the picture in the description. If you see a seller with a few negative or neutral scores, read the comments. Most times the seller is at fault but occasionally trigger happy buyers can post negative feedback about a slip up that the seller ends up sorting out and sometimes there are just buyers that are unreasonable jerks. If you're looking to buy from a seller you've never dealt with. Your best bet is to either search forums or ask around to see whether they're OK. You're much more likely to get a true idea of the seller. Be aware that there are a few other orchid forums where negative comments about vendors aren't permitted so make sure that a vendor doesn't have a few posts of glowing praise because the negative posts have been deleted.