Snowdrop prices 2010

[loes]

I know Gerard.too bad.

[mark smyth]

I told Thunderbug on Ebay his Green Man isnt. S/he said

"You are very sad, I suppose you wrote the book , wore the tea shirt etc, just let the Ebayers decide. Find something better to do."

[Maggi Young]

It is that response which is sad, Mark..... given the trouble some Ebayers are getting into for flogging counterfeit merchandise, one wonders what the seller's reaction would be if a similar sanction was liable to be imposed for mis-representation of plant material!

[Anthony Darby]

Just report them to Ebay. The "Ebayers" can "decide" all they like, if it's wrong it's wrong and they can't change that!

[Hagen Engelmann]

E-bay for galanthus isn`t worth, to speak about it. Why do you do it?

[chasw]

Unfortunately this is what will happen more and more,When people see how much certain drops are making,they think ah I have one like that in the garden,put it on the bay and some un witting person buys it,then when they have a good clump, decide also to sell it,
Easy money for the unscrupulous,and even worse on the bay is that now bidders are hidden you can not tell if the seller is actually bidding the price up of there own item

[Maggi Young]

even worse on the bay is that now bidders are hidden you can not tell if the seller is actually bidding the price up of there own item

 I think that ebay will be monitoring for that type of behaviour, though, chas.... for it is illegal to do that in any auction format!  I am sure I have read Ebay Terms and conditions were it is stated that checks are in place to prevent that.


Hagen, I think the reason some of us are so interested in the Ebay situation is the high prices  soem snowdrops are fetching there, and the fact that in several cases, the plants being pictured/offered are not correctly named... it is a cause for concern that some people may be paying large amounts of money for something that is not what theuy think it is!

I realise that " caveat emptor " is the essence of such transactions, but it seems a shame that folks may be being cheated.

[Hagen Engelmann]

Maggi, I can understand you. But in my normal life, I also would never have affiance to a anonym person. Do you would give 100€ without thinking to an unknown person, who want to sell you the blue from the heaven???

[Maggi Young]

Maggi, I can understand you. But in my normal life, I also would never have affiance to a anonym person. Do you would give 100€ without thinking to an unknown person, who want to sell you the blue from the heaven???

Maybe I would, if the blue looked the best blue! 

[Mavers]

Well Mark if you can't get on Colin M's mail list then I'm sure I wont  

Thanks for responding to my query.

There is someone offering a nice looking snowdrop on Ebay from an unnamed clump in their garden. I think it sold for £30ish.

I see now they have listed half a dozen of them starting at £20 each!!

 

[mark smyth]

Look further back in the clump and there is at least one normal one!

[cycnich]

E-bay for galanthus isn`t worth, to speak about it. Why do you do it?

Totally agree, I have tried not to reply to this thread but it really winds me up and I am scared to say what I really think because If I do I may not be able to stop, its a really sad situation and not what growing plants is about, not just Galanthus but any plant.

[KentGardener]

 

E-bay for galanthus isn`t worth, to speak about it. Why do you do it?

Totally agree, I have tried not to reply to this thread but it really winds me up and I am scared to say what I really think because If I do I may not be able to stop, its a really sad situation and not what growing plants is about, not just Galanthus but any plant.

Pat

I understand this thread as being a laugh at how ridiculous the prices are, so I see all the posts as being fun.  

John

[cycnich]

I don't know if this is relevent to this thread but I think it is and bear with me as it is a bit long. Many years ago when I first started growing alpine plants before I had an interest in cyclamen and bulbs I was growing primulas, androsace and dionysias. Dionysias were very rare then there were no hybrids only a handful of species kept going by a few top growers. After obtaining all I could from people like Ron Beeston and Lismore Alpines (Brian Burrow) I wanted to get my hands on the really rare stuff. I contacted the people who grew them with mixed response. Only one person seemed willing to help and that was the late Eric Watson. I wrote to Eric and received beautiful hand written replies on brown paper which I still have and treasure to this day, this was followed by several phone conversations in which Eric flatly refused to put these plants in the post, if you want them then come to Newcastle and get them was his reply, so I did. I caught the overnight coach from Brighton to London and then to Newcastle. Eric picked me up at Gallowgate bus station at 6 30 am and drove me to his house where he made me breakfast. I spent the whole day with Eric at his house and in his garden, I was taken to another persons garden to look at his plants, I was given dinner and treated to a slide show in the evening before Eric took me back to the bus station at 11 pm to go back to London and Brighton . I came away with some beautiful rooted dionysia cuttings in 2in clay pots and little bags of cuttings of anything I had admired in his garden. I treasure the memories of that day and I have a tear in my eye as I am writing this. I was lucky enough to visit Eric again before he passed away to join his beloved wife nan in gods rock garden. What a contrast to this whole e bay thing where beautiful plants are sold to the highest bidder, everything Eric gave me was for free, just for the interest I had shown and the effort I had made. The great plantsman like Eric, Duncan Lowe, George Smith and others must be looking down and shaking their heads at what is going on now. I have never been on e bay, never wanted to and probally never will, I know life moves on but if this progress then you can keep it. If I have a plant that somebody wants then I would rather give it to them post free then sell it, just like Eric would have done god rest him.

[Yorkshirelass]

Could I just put in a word in defence of people buying on eBay, please? I have recently discovered the wonderful world of snowdrops. Our garden (and woodland bank and field) are full of singles and doubles and funny looking variations, but I wanted to get hold of some "real" varieties that I, as a beginner, can recognize and appreciate. I asked my friends and anyone I thought might know, where to get some, but I was met with blank faces all round. I rather naively put out a request on freecycle and at the same time offered anyone whom might like some singles or doubles from my garden. I had plenty of takers and gave away 8 ice cream boxes full of snowdrops, but not surprisingly, no offers of anything out of the ordinary came my way. Being the mother of a demanding 3-year old, I don't have much time to spare, so I have bid on a few snowdrops on eBay, as that is one way I can get hold of a few without travelling. Until you have some interesting snowdrops you don't really have much to swap with. So I apologise if I help fuel the snowdrop frenzy on eBay, but I've got myself three nice varieties so far, which is three more than I had a month ago!
Susanne
PS My snow drop monograph has finally arrived, so when my daughter goes to bed, I can get down to some reading. It should cut down on most of the obvious questions a novice would otherwise direct at the forum, you'll all be pleased to know!