Exotic Plants: caveat emptor

[ashley]

Recently I ordered seed from Exotic Plants which turned out not to be even the right genus (Pelargonium).  However when I contacted the supplier and provided photographic evidence he flatly denied that any mistake could have been made.

Seed mis-identification often becomes apparent only after expiry of the Paypal dispute period, so beware dealing with this supplier.   

[johnw]

And several of the Fargesia species offered are all the very same species according to the experts.  If I recall correctly all are F. fungosa and no true gaolingensis, yuanjiangensis or yunnanensis.

johnw

[Alan_b]

... mis-identification often becomes apparent only after expiry of the Paypal dispute period ..

The Paypal dispute period is 45 days, I believe.  I suspect there is a whole branch of fraud that sells fakes that cannot be identified as such within 45 days.  Seeds and plants out-of-flower can easily fall into this category so you should be particularly cautious when buying under such circumstances.

Edit: Or looked at the other way, if you are a seller then if you sell something that cannot be identified as 'true' within 45 days, astute buyers will be more cautious so you will not get the best prices unless you have a well-established reputation.     

[Steve Garvie]

With effect from June of this year Paypal have extended their "dispute period" from 45 to 180 days.

When buying flowering-sized dormant plants this extended time limit clearly does make it easier for buyers to pursue unscrupulous vendors (you know who you are!) when the veracity of ID is in doubt.

[mark smyth]

Ashley was it species Pelargoniums you were looking for? I'll be ordering from here next week
http://www.floraberrynursery.com.au/species.html

[Alan_b]

With effect from June of this year Paypal have extended their "dispute period" from 45 to 180 days.

That's a big improvement!  I'm also a bit confused about what happens if you buy something through eBay but use Paypal to pay for it; which disputes procedure takes precedence?   

[Rick R.]

Seed mis-identification often becomes apparent only after expiry of the Paypal dispute period, so beware dealing with this supplier.   

Yet another good reason for the existence of our project on Seed Identification : photos of named seed varieties.  One might be able to compare the seed rather than wait for sufficient growth for a decisive ID.  (And also yet another good reason to contribute to the thread with verified seed photos!)

[Maggi Young]

Yet another good reason for the existence of our project on Seed Identification : photos of named seed varieties.  One might be able to compare the seed rather than wait for sufficient growth for a decisive ID.  (And also yet another good reason to contribute to the thread with verified seed photos!)

Rick  - thank for for this very sensible suggestion, which I hope will strike a chord with members and lead to more contributions to the Seed ID project.

[ashley]

Thanks for that link Mark; interesting. 
I ordered Pelargonium praemorsum and although the seeds looked roughly right (no photo unfortunately) the seedlings certainly don't

Response from Paypal: ... PayPal Purchase Protection allows you to report a problem with any item you purchase using PayPal within 45 days from the transaction date.  ... We have reviewed your claim and see that your purchased plant seeds which are also not covered by PayPal Purchase Protection. PayPal Purchase Protection only applies to physical goods ( ) that can be shipped and tracked and are not on the Prohibited or Restricted items list.

So if seeds aren't considered as 'physical goods' then perhaps other dormant plant materials (e.g. snowdrop bulbs) aren't either.  Not much customer protection there.

[meanie]

Buying seeds is always a leap of faith so I tend to stick to a handful of suppliers.
Never dealt with Exotic Seeds, but I note that they're in Bulgaria so I doubt that they are harvesting their own seed. My guess is that they are;
a] buying in
or
b] merely acting as an agent. Where were the seeds dispatched from?

Either way they are at the mercy of their suppliers. Their attitude though appears a little daft as what they have achieved is to alienate a customer and whip up a wee storm around their reputation. In the grand scheme of things probably not enough to concern them though.
There is a flip side though - they do need to sort out the chancers. I sell about £100 worth of seed a year to cover heating the greenhouse. I do a test sowing of all the species I offer. Allium christophii forced in the fridge and 100% germination put on fleabay with full instructions about cold frame and wait till spring blah, blah, blah. One chancer started a dispute in mid December saying that he had zero germination!! Guess when his protection was expiring!

As you say - caveat emptor. I use Scampton Succulents a lot because I'm happy with them. Plus a couple in Oz and SA.
Is there a thread for recommended suppliers anywhere?

[fermi de Sousa]

Ashley,
are you sure they aren't pelargonium seedlings?
I have a tuberous rooted pellie from someone locally (can't remember the name off hand) and the adult foliage is similar to your seedlings.
cheers
fermi