I just don't get it

[isurus79]

There is no way to tell if this plant is actually a Porsche or an VW bug with a Porsche emblem stuck on. I wouldn't touch it unless I personally knew the grower and knew they were reputable.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Looking at the original E-bay listing, here is how I would evaluate it.

The blooming photo shows the potential of a fully-grown plant with many pseudobulbs. The offered plant that is also shown is a back-bulb division, whether it achieves its potential is up to the purchaser. This assumes it is disease-free (which is unknown). The actual division being sold is shown, and assuming that is a correct picture, and the condition of the plant is as-indicated in the Ebay listing, then the seller has dealt honestly.

The original start price was only $0.99, relatively modest. Obviously, it was bid up pretty quickly (can't blame the seller for that!). Would I have paid the final price? H3LL NO! But someone thought it was money well spent.

I have shared divisions of some of my plants with friends (given for free - not a sale) that were also small back-bulb divisions; condition not too different from the plant offered. Some of these may grow on to be great plants, others maybe not. My plants seem to be healthy (I've had some of them for decades), but I can't guarantee they are virus/fungus/bacteria/insect free, even though they appear to be to me.

I mostly deal with vendors/growers that I know well. I have looked at e-Bay listings before, even bid on a few plants, but never won a bid on an Ebay offering before. As long as the seller is honest, it is up to the buyer to decide if the offered item is worth the price.

[Bayard]

If it was something I wanted badly enough and knew I couldn't get anywhere else, I would place a bid for the maximum amount I could afford.

[Jungeoma]

Well, here again, the old adage applies: Let the buyer beware.

[MattWoelfsen]

Originally Posted by Jungeoma

Well, here again, the old adage applies: Let the buyer beware.

An excellent rule to live by when buying product anywhere on the Internet!

[PaphMadMan]

Some of the comments seem aimed at eBay vendors specifically. Buyer beware applies anywhere, certainly not just eBay or internet purchases. In this case the vendor has no negative feedback and lots of positive comments. The rating system is far from perfect, but a bad vendor would show some clues. Back bulb divisions usually don't look like much, but in the good old days before cloning that's how most Catts were propagated. At least 2 people thought this was worth at least $159.99 plus shipping, so it probably was, at least to them.

I certainly understand those who might want a excellent cultivar that isn't widely distributed even if it looks like hell right now, rather than a pretty but nearly worthless mass market clone - a serious selective collector who knows their own taste and recognizes a diamond in the rough vs. someone who goes out and buys the first cheap thing that sparkles.