Has anyone ever gotten poorly germinated seeds from their purchases on the LA? When I say "poor", I mean no germination at all for a particular cross. What did you do in such a situation? So far, most of my seeds that I started have germinated. I am very happy with them. There is only one batch with 2 crosses from this particular seller that has really poor germination rate. The one cross with 7 seeds, I got 2 seeds germinated. The one cross with 6 seeds, I got no germination. The seeds just deteriorated and became mush over a 4 weeks period.

Kousa - Yes! I have been through that situation. I contacted the seller FIRST and told them about the issue. When that seemed to get no where, I contacted the LA staff, which has a link on the auction site. They looked into it immediately, addressed the issue with the seller, and I was able to get a refund. (I chose not to do an exchange for other daylily seeds.) The seller told me at that time that he had more than just me who had an issue with non-germinating seeds. I don't know why he had that problem, but it did eventually get resolved for me with a full refund (including the shipping costs)!

Thanks, Becky! Just don't know if I should eat my losses and never buy from him again. Or contact him and let him know so he can have a chance to correct the problem.

Here's how I look at it .... he may not know there is a problem. And what if the problem extends to more than just your seeds? And what if he does know and doesn't care. Either way, you bought the seeds in good faith and they should've been viable. For all the seeds you purchased to have none germinate, something is wrong here. Contact the seller (and then the site admins if you don't get this resolved between you and the seller).

You might be helping this seller out by notifying him/her and/or preventing this problem for other buyers!

I have purchased a bunch of crosses ( over 50, as they were sold in lots) and there were a few crosses that had no germination or very poor germination, however, the majority did great. I have read that some crosses just don't produce very many good seeds. I never contacted the seller, since most of the seeds germinated fine, I just assumed that it was the crosses that resulted in poor germination, and not the sellers fault. I don't know if all the seeds from this seller had poor germination for you, or not, but just thought I would add my expieriance and view. I am thinking of making extra crosses next year to sell on the LA, to help fund new Daylily purchases. I am curious what those of you who sell seeds on the LA would do in this situation. Do you gaurentee germination rates, or just healthy true named seeds arriving to buyer?

Gale

Somewhere I remember hearing/reading that the LA has a guarantee policy about germinating seeds, which the sellers have to agree to. But not absolutely sure if that is true or not.

I usually don't bother telling the seller because seeds don't germinate for different reasons.

The seeds may also be dormant and they could take months to germinate.

I agree.

The only thing I will mention is if the seeds were soft.

Well, when I tried to squeeze the seeds, the seeds became mushy. I don't think I can get any germination from them if the insides are no longer there.

Yea, if they pop or are soft, they are no good, and I do let the seller know. I dont ask for anything, but I dont forget it. Ive had them send me replacement seeds. They were the same. It is rare this happens, but its very irritating. I feel the seller should check those things. Things happen tho, and most people will for sure try to make it right. They would not be selling long if they didnt

I hate to join in here, because a topic like this can make a seed seller cringe...lol.

Karen, as a seller, I would always like to know. It is the only way I can make things right, and I think in almost every situation, folks want things to turn out right.

I have planted about 300 seeds so far, and most are coming up nicely....some are just now coming up at 35 days, and some won't ever come up. I think most sellers try to be generous enough with their bonuses and extras to make the "not coming up" less painful. Certainly, if an entire cross arrives soft or moldy, you should notify the seller immediately. If the seller is worth his/her salt, then they will want to rectify the situation. A side note, I have planted soft seeds before...of a cross that I just had to try....and sometimes, they have germinated.

Things can always go wrong. I do think that most long time sellers are prepared for some sort of issue. I just sent 30 packets of seeds to Canada, by FEDEX, only to find that the buyer had left for vacation, and his computer had broken down. When I tried to change the delivery, I was told that I could not, until after one attempt at delivery was made.....not to worry, they said. Well, the attempt was made, and completed, and was signed for by a person unknown to the buyer, and are now gone. Thirty packs of precious seeds....gone! As a seller of seeds for more than 13 years, I know that I did nothing wrong, but I also know that I will have to replace those packets with new ones. Things always can go wrong, and anybody who sells should be prepared to have a way to problem solve any situation.

So, please contact the seller and let them know the situation. I would suggest, only because a reputation can be destroyed in a instant, that you do so privately.

Just my two cents,

Steve

I've gotten seeds that sprouted fine and others not so much.
I didn't know if I'd done something to them or not, so didn't push for a refund back then.
Will be more watchful in the future.

Thank you so much for everyone's input! I just want to do the right thing. I certainly do not want the seller to be negatively affected by this post so no name is disclosed. This batch of seeds could just be a fluke. The good news is the seller is very responsive. After I contacted him, he immediately replied back and said that he would send me replacement of a different cross since he is out of this cross. I am good with this.
I don't mean to sound like I am a difficult buyer here. Had I gotten 50% germination, I would be happy with that. I know that not all seeds are perfect. But they all popped when I squeezed, it is impossible to get them to grow.

Steve! ( @Ahead )
I think a seller always deserves a chance to set things straight, especially if (s)he isn't to blame for what went wrong


Mayo

edited to correct my terrible spelling..

Oh, don't get me wrong....I have messed up big time. I could tell some stories...lol...but won't.

It is just if we are all in this...and we are all some degree of daylily crazy....then we are all responsible in keeping our trades, transactions, and coorespondence positive. That's why we do this, right...for the joy of it?

Karen,

Your questions are valid, and no negativity implied. I am glad you got a positive response from the seller.

I think that getting at least 50% germination is the lowest I would expect to germinate, but I typically get at least 80% of seeds germinating. Which means that 1 out of 5 may not germinate. Other times, I've gotten 100% germination. I have a pretty good track record with viable seeds germinating. I use the same method of sowing and growing them for all, so if a particular cross of seeds do not eventually germinate, then I am fairly certain it wasn't anything I did. And I do know that some seeds take much longer than others to germinate. I have waited up to 3 months for seeds to germinate and then I dug through the potting mix to find a seed or two, that were basically just the seed coating/shells .... so that tells me they were not viable. But that happens very rarely.

I have acquired seeds from trades, others sharing with me (thanks to those generous folks!!!), and from purchases on the LA. Out of all those, I have only had an issue with 1 single person who was an LA seller. So I would venture to say that the sellers on the LA are good to buy from!

Ahead said:I hate to join in here, because a topic like this can make a seed seller cringe...lol.

Karen, as a seller, I would always like to know. It is the only way I can make things right, and I think in almost every situation, folks want things to turn out right.

I have planted about 300 seeds so far, and most are coming up nicely....some are just now coming up at 35 days, and some won't ever come up. I think most sellers try to be generous enough with their bonuses and extras to make the "not coming up" less painful. Certainly, if an entire cross arrives soft or moldy, you should notify the seller immediately. If the seller is worth his/her salt, then they will want to rectify the situation. A side note, I have planted soft seeds before...of a cross that I just had to try....and sometimes, they have germinated.

Things can always go wrong. I do think that most long time sellers are prepared for some sort of issue. I just sent 30 packets of seeds to Canada, by FEDEX, only to find that the buyer had left for vacation, and his computer had broken down. When I tried to change the delivery, I was told that I could not, until after one attempt at delivery was made.....not to worry, they said. Well, the attempt was made, and completed, and was signed for by a person unknown to the buyer, and are now gone. Thirty packs of precious seeds....gone! As a seller of seeds for more than 13 years, I know that I did nothing wrong, but I also know that I will have to replace those packets with new ones. Things always can go wrong, and anybody who sells should be prepared to have a way to problem solve any situation.

So, please contact the seller and let them know the situation. I would suggest, only because a reputation can be destroyed in a instant, that you do so privately.

Just my two cents,

Steve

There are so many things that can happen one never knows but I would rather mail some keepers or refund the cost then leave someone high and dry. Mailed off the only keepers I had from UNDEFINABLE because the first batch went south. Thems the breaks!

James - Ouch! UNDEFINABLE is an "in demand" cultivar. Bummer to have to give up your own keeper seeds.

It hurt a little bit but I still have the plant so I can always use it next year. I would much rather not massively disappoint someone who really wanted the genetics and supported my auctions.

I would have to agree with you on that!