Has anyone bought seeds off of sites like ebay? Have they grown for you?

Hi Renae.

>> Has anyone bought seeds off of sites like ebay?

Twice, from the same vendor, a few years apart (but he was not part of eBay, so this may not be a directly relevant answer. I do know many people who love eBay.)

"Water Spinach" = Ipomoea aquatica (semi-aquatic sub-tropical crop, invasive in warm-wet climates)
"Water Morning Glory" = "Water Convolvulus" = "Swamp Cabbage" = "Chinese Spinach"
Indonesia: "kangkung" or Kang Kong
Thai: "phakbung"
Mandarin: "kong syin tsai" (hollow heart vegetable)

The first time, I got the seeds - great, considering that they are barred from import to the USA because they would be invasive in southern FL.

The second time, I sent my money and got nothing for a long time. I finally reached him somehow and he gave me a suspicious song-and-dance like "they'll be in the mail real soon". Of course, nothing ever came.

THEN I researched him and found that he had been keeping a LOT of peoples' money and sending nothing, for some years.

I would avoid him even though he had a lot of variety advertised at one time.
(I am VERY slow to forgive someone deliberately tricking or taking advantage of me.)
Sandy Lao
www.ethaigrocer.ecrater.com

My experience with him, eBay and "etsy" (that name may be wrong) convinced me to stick with "real" vendors whose business plans include SATISFIED customers. It seemed to me that eBay was set up EXACTLY for cheating vendors like him, and for customers who don't want any recourse if they buy from a lying thief. YMMV, and a lot of people do disagree with me about eBay.

Probably, if you know the SPECIFIC vendor you are buying from, they could be great. But just because they spout some charming popular rhetoric doesn't mean that they BELIEVE it, or that they aren't glib crooks.

Caveat emptor!
(Capitalism means not having to say you're sorry.)


(Admin edit to remove email)

I have ordered seeds from Ebay, and every time I ended up without the seeds I ordered. I got seeds, but they were always something more common than what I had ordered. I've gotten plants and seeds on Etsy, and haven't had any problems. They've always been as represented. In both cases, you can always get your money back if you make a claim with Ebay, Etsy or Paypal.

I have successfully purchased seeds and plants from Ebay and Etsy. I always make sure the seller is in the U.S. I go to their sites and see what else they are selling. So if they are advertising seeds and/or plants but most of their wares are used tires, I don't buy from them. There are nurseries who do all their internet business on Ebay or Etsy. I also check to see if anyone has left reviews. I always pay with PayPal.

I would never buy anything from international sellers, especially ones in China or Thailand. If the plant or seeds you covet are normally rare or impossible to find, you won't find them on Ebay. It's absolutely a "buyer beware" environment.

Thanks guys. I'm just having a hard time finding vendors that are local or online and in budget that I can buy certain plants from. There's always a few plants I have a hard time finding that are in my price range and from a reliable site. I saw an Ebay lister that says they sell dwarf starfruit, dwarf papayas, and dwarf avocados tree seeds and dwarf mango seeds for around 4 dollars. I'm just wary about buying from them.