Plants from Ebay? Any problems?

[sallyjano]

I am seeing a lot of amazingly cheap deals for plants on Ebay.

What should I be worried about? I know you need to trust a fish breeder due to disease, good breeding practices etc.....but what about plants? Any reason not to buy cheap plants from Ebay?

Thanks - advice appreciated as I a noob when it comes to plants and just starting out planting.

 

[MeCasa]

I only started buying plants a week ago but I will give both good and bad reviews from Ebay. The bad ones take away all the fun.

I like buying plants from the members of forums. Post a wanted sign and you'd be surprised the number of kind souls that will help you out.

You have to remember that aqua plants seem to multiply fast and most people don't care enough to sell the new ones on ebay. They can't keep them all and it's too much work to sell, so on many occasions they'll help someone out so that they can share their passion.

I just started learning about plants, but your question was my first lesson and the results were both inspiring and discouraging.

Take care
Mecasa

 

[sallyjano]

I only started buying plants a week ago but I will give both good and bad reviews from Ebay. The bad ones take away all the fun.

I like buying plants from the members of forums. Post a wanted sign and you'd be surprised the number of kind sould that will help you out.

You have to remember that aqua plants seem to multiply fast and most people don't care enough to sell the new ones on ebay. They can't keep them all and it's too much work to sell, so on many occasions they'll help someone out so that they can share their passion.

I just started learning about plants, but your question was my first lesson with mixed results.

Take care
Mecasa

Oh good idea! I had actually already looked in the classifieds for someone selling what I'm looking for but didn't think about putting up a wanted post.

Will do - thanks!

Out of curiosity - the Ebay experience.....what happened? Plants dead on arrival or worse?

 

[MeCasa]

That wouldn't bother me too much because even with an honest seller shipping really is hard on plants, especially weak or small ones.. The solution is not to buy weak ones but some ebayers show a picture of a strong healthy large plant and what you get is nothing like the picture.

Here's an example

Corkscrew Val Live Plant | eBay

This is what arrived nd this is after I cleaned up the melt which spreads like wildfire. The plants in the first picture would have shipped well and done well while these small plants could hardly take a 2 day cross country trip and half or more may die.



On the other hand I've received some beautiful plants from other ebayers.

Mixed bag at best while everything I received from forum members was very good (at least so far)
MeCasa

 

[FishCr8zy]

I have gotten over 90% of my plants off of eBay. I buy and sell plants on eBay and usually the only reason plants arrive dead is USPS kills the plant someway (ex: box gets crushed) or the seller did not package well. When on eBay, try to only buy from sellers that have a good feedback score (98% positive and above). Also, try and make sure the seller guarantees live arrival and will either reship/refund you. Most of the plants I order are low light and they survive 4 weeks + overseas handling in a plastic bag. They are still bright green when I receive them (most of the time anyway).

 

[FishCr8zy]

Making sure the seller says something like "These plants will come from a pest and disease free tank" can help as well. Though most of the time, you can tell if the plants are pest/disease free from the photos.

 

[MeCasa]

As I said, I've also bought some great plants on ebay

Have you found that high heat hurts a shipment?

MeCasa

 

[FishCr8zy]

High heat and cold weather will hurt plants. However, if the seller is experienced, he/she should use some sort of insulation to keep the plants at the right temperature.

 

[MeCasa]

Thank you, heat is always a concern living in Texas. The back of those UPS trucks are scalding in the hot sun.

That's why they wear shorts hehe

 

[FishCr8zy]

Yeah, whenever I ship to Texas or any state around there, I usually use more insulation to keep the plants cool. My USPS carrier wears jackets and long pants year-round

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Just make sure you're buying locally in the US and they're aren't any restrictions to a particular plant species from the department of agriculture in your state of potential invasive species. And don't buy from overseas vendors because importing plants without a permit is illegal (ie. Mosses from HK or AquaticMagic, etc.)

 

[jetajockey]

^ what he said. Buying plants from overseas (as well as hawaii/PR) runs a risk of getting your shipment seized if they don't get the proper permitting. Most sellers don't because it can be pretty pricey.

As far as ebay goes, I sell plant packages there but don't usually bother with individual plant species, and now I mostly sell medicated foods but that's about it. I don't really like the seller fees so it just ends up cheaper all around selling from a personal site. Anyhow, as mentioned, find a seller who ships USPS priority and uses insulated boxes if necessary. If a person is only charging $1.50-2.50 for shipping (or free shipping with a really low price) then you can bet they are shipping via first class. First class is kinda iffy for plants, it works decent if temps and handling are mild, but trust me it's worth the extra few dollars to get priority shipping. Priority typically costs $6.50-7.50 + materials, but has faster transit time and also includes free $50 insurance.

Also check the seller for live arrival guarantee, and always check their feedback score/comments to get an idea of how they operate.

 

[Coryluv]

High heat and cold weather will hurt plants. However, if the seller is experienced, he/she should use some sort of insulation to keep the plants at the right temperature.

I can attest to how well you pack your plants and the nice quality of the cuttings you shipped. I didn't realize you were a forum member here when I bought from your Vapor Plants Ebay listing. The Staurogyne repens arrived yesterday in great shape. Thanks for making my first Ebay plant purchase a great experience.

 

[sallyjano]

Great advice. Thanks for all the tips everyone!

 

[Abe86]

I bought most of my plants from eBay sellers. They were all good. Track the shipment 3-4 times a day until you get it and don't let it sit in your mail box for hours. As soon as you get it, take it out of the bag and take tank water in a container and drop the plants in it( this is what I usually do). One time the usps delivered my plant to the wrong address and I got the plants 4 days later than the actual delivery date and plants looked like they just came out of the tank. I was surprised it didn't dry out due to the summer heat.


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[MeCasa]

I would like to point out that buying from ebay isn't all that different than buying from brick and mortar or from people you trust, but there are some differences. In brick and mortar you actually see what you are buying while on ebay you must either depend on the honesty of the seller or ebay's promise of buyer protection.

It is difficult to make this post because I in no way want to disparage FishCr8zy who not only seems to work hard to make customer's happy but seems like a genuine nice person.

But at the same time the question was "is it safe to buy from ebay?. in order to evaluate this answer I want to keep forum members attuned to how and if ebay protects us.

This is what the seller depicted he was selling. He/she used a tape measure to depict a healthy 8" plant. Nice plant, should survive shipment.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111341840232?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Here's what I received



Not quite the same thing. As we all know the chances of keeping a 3" Val alive after shipping is not quite the same, if they survive shipping there's still more than a 50% chance they'll melt and the roots are not strong enough to support new growth unlike the 8" plant.

When contacted, here's the seller's explanation

"As is clearly stated in my auctions: "Plant photos are only examples of what the plant may look like. Actual plant received may be smaller, or larger than what is pictured."

Apparently the tape measure was there for kicks and not to depict a large healthy plant. I have filed a dispute with ebay and I will post the results. I have sent this link to the seller and invited him to the forum so that he has a chance to elaborate on whether his pictures should depict the product he plans on selling us.

This is all part of "whether it is safe to buy on ebay"? Will ebay protection protect us?

Whether they do or don't does affect whether buying aqua plants from ebay is safe.

Thanks

 

[Coryluv]

Okay, is it safe to buy from eBay? It can be.

The seller you cite did state that the picture was only an example. Many of the pictures on eBay in general are stock photos or exemplar photos. This is not just in aquarium plants.

Reading the fine print is a must. Comparing listings and reading feedback is a must. Not spending more than you are willing to risk losing is a must. Assessing shipping methods and costs is a must.

I've only really had one major problem with eBay (not an aquatic plant) and that was an expensive purchase by a family member made behind my back. We managed to get a $350 refund to compensate for the actual condition of the item opposed to the description in the listing, which was misleading.

I've only ever made one aquatic plant purchase from eBay. It went well. I had several listings for the same plant to choose from. It's probably no accident that the seller I chose ended up being a reputable seller. I did my homework.

I bought from eBay rather than a regular online merchant because in this case it saved me quite a bit on shipping. If I hadn't found a listing for what I wanted that looked right I would have found a different source.

While forum members in classified here are generally a good bet, unless they have a track record that is well known, is it any safer than eBay? I think not. In all of these individual online transactions there is an element of trust. Yes, it is terrible when that trust is broken. At least on eBay there is an easy way to leave feedback. Even if you don't leave negative or neutral feedback, you can still note a discrepancy.

Also by posting here your dissatisfaction with your eBay seller, any forum member can pretty easily find and, if they want to, reject buying from the seller you used. That's how these things work. Thanks for pointing it out. Now we know. I'm sad your experience was bad. I'm definitely *NOT* saying you did anything wrong or deserved melted Val. I'm just saying the seller did say the picture was only an example.

There are pitfalls to a avoid on eBay to be sure. One I see quite often is buying a used item listed for more than the new retail price. How crazy is that?

Done with some caution and knowledge it is not a bad way to shop. Sometimes it is the only way to find something or find something at a price you can afford.

 

[MeCasa]

Okay, is it safe to buy from eBay? It can be.

The seller you cite did state that the picture was only an example. Many of the pictures on eBay in general are stock photos or exemplar photos. This is not just in aquarium plants.

When you actually show a picture with a tape measure you are stating that this is the product you are selling. We all understand that every plant won't be 8", some will be 7" and some will be 9" and thus the disclaimer. But when you actually show a tape measure in your picture, you are stating an average.

If all you had to sell is 4" plants, then show a picture of a 4" plant with a disclaimer that they could vary.

This is classic Bait and Switch and it's wrong. If I had viewed a picture of a 4" plant I would not have bought it, 4" Vals do NOT handle shipping well and there is not enough root ball to recuperate from melt.

Seller's need to accurately depict what they are selling and not rely on small print to justify bad actions.

I'm working this out with this seller as I should. But discussing it here in an open forum is good for all of us because it tells Sellers to treat us fair. If you don't, then we will simply migrate to the Seller's who do.

This is how it should be, the Seller's who treat us well 'deserve' our business.

MeCasa

 

[Coryluv]

Glad you are working it out with the seller. Yes, there is a big difference between 4 and 8 inches. Hopefully they will stop showing tape measures and just describe the size range of what you might get. That would be more clear.

However this sort of thing can happen else where. My point was that buying on eBay can be okay and is generally as safe as buying from any unknown entity anywhere, especially if some basic precautions are taken

The only way to see the actual plant you are getting is to buy it in person. Even in a large metropolitan area that can severely limits the plants that you can get. So those of us who want certain plants, take the chance and buy online. That subjects our plants to shipping and the chance that it may not be quite what we expected. And even when the plant is bought in person there is no guarantee it will thrive in a particular aquarium. I find eBay inherently no worse or better than any other way of getting plants in the mail.

 

[MeCasa]

I agree 110%. This deal didn't sour me on ebay as I'm a big ebay buyer. This deal didn't even sour me on buying plants on ebay, it did however make me do more due diligence. I bought a plant today and I traded 3-4 questions back and forth with the seller before I made my buy. There's always going to be a part of us that doesn't want to be a pain in the #ss but it's far better to be a pain than to be disappointed or find yourself in a dispute.

Make sure that both yourself and the seller understand what you are buying, how it will be shipped, what your guarantee is etc. etc. If a seller will not take the time to answer these questions simply don't buy.

I made a deal with the original Seller. They finally stopped BS ing and admitted that those Vals were all they had left and all the big ones were gone. But, they had a scheduled delivery coming in this week and they promised me the pick of the litter so to speak. I still wanted the plants and I've always been willing to pay for quality so I sweetened the deal. I told them that if they delivered 6 extremely healthy plants before the end of the month, all plants above 8" that I would pay an extra $6.75 shipping as soon as I saw the plants. If they failed then all my money would be reimbursed.

I probably could have made the deal without giving any extra money but the chance to get 6 pick of the litter plants was my goal from Day One, if they were forced to send me what they considered free plants I would not get the best plants.

Four of the originals are still hanging in there although they are almost transparent. All in all I feel OK about the deal, my goal was to get some great looking Vals and I hope I accomplished that.

MeCasa