fine_things_boutique on ebay
 

I haven't purchased from here, but this vendor essentially hoards a bunch of SVO releases and flips them immediately for $55-60, 2-3 times the price. And he gets sales at 100% feedback. Maybe I'm narrow minded but it kind of pisses me off that this business model works. Makes me wonder if people would be gullible enough if I start a drop shipping business and just list stock from other vendors for twice the price. It would only work if I request that Fred doesn't include the receipt and packing slip of course. :lol:

I'm pretty sure nia22d does the same thing with Ecuagenera. She's selling the $15 Catasetum macroglossum and $22 Catasetum integerrinum for $69. I think I've stumbled upon probably the most profitable venture in the orchid world.

Not long ago a cactus and succulent dealer told me of a customer who photographed plants at the nursery, posted them immediately for auction on eBay, returned after the auction closed, bought the plant from the nursery owner, put it into a box he brought with him, and took it to the post office.

Caveat emptor...

While you may not like the pricing, it's really not a whole lot different from anyone that resells plants, is it?

LetsTalkPlants on Etsy does this with Exotic Orchids of Maui plants. Buys them for $6, puts them in LECA, sells them for $40 as quickly as possible before they die.

i see people who buy the better gro bag babies and simply remove the bag and double the price.

i dont like to jdge i just choose not to purchase.


some people like to pay of convenience, some like to pay for brand names, some like to pay for rarity.

i like to find good value and reliability. i also like to support the small business when i can over a reseller.

some greenhouses dont have time to list individual plants online so only locals can get them without the reseller...

Back when I sold plants, it was 99% resales.

Not buy at retail and mark up, but 1) see a plant I wanted for my own collection, 2) buy at wholesale and 3) mark up to less than most other firms' retail prices.

Triton Orchids on ETSY does much the same, buying from growers who will only sell a minimum number of plants at a time, which most retail customers won't do.

Fascinating!

I see buying wholesale or importing then marking up, or buying and growing it out for a season and marking up, as completely different. A legitimate service is being offered here, since most orchid collectors have no interest in buying thousands of dollars worth of plants at once or going through the importation process. Smaller plants have a higher failure rate, so most people want plants a bit larger as well. LAOC and Orchids by Hausermann often have tiny plants that are 1-2 seasons out of flask, and that's fine. Work has taken place.

This is different from either buying up a large amount of something then marking up immediately, or drop shipping. The former is kind of like those PS5 or concert ticket snipes that try to profit off of the scarcity, and take opportunity away from people who actually want something.

I agree with Ray; that said, you could shoot Fred Clarke a note giving him a head's up that his photos are being used on ebay sans credits...

how do we know this person is hoarding plants? Fred actually offers discounts to huge orders so this person probably ordered in bulk to take advantage of discounts.

Personally, I wouldn't buy those at that price. We know they are Sunset Valley crosses and we know how much Fred sells them. Also, I skip sellers who doesn't offer returns. You can't guarantee the health of the plant.