Thanks kinco! As simple as they plant stools are they were made by my late dad so my mom could display her asparagus ferns in their first house. That was back in 1961. They were originally stained and varnished (typical of that time) but I painted them white to match the trim in our house. I love them for so many reasons :-)

I keep checking Jan's listings for plants (not cuttings) but am always outbid by you know who.

I recently saw some people selling Hoyas on etsy. Has anyone tried etsy? Maybe s**r hasn't gotten to etsy yet. lol

I've never bought plants off etsy but have purchased many artsy things, and jewelry, always have been happy. I was eyeing a couple succulents off etsy recently actually.

Also as a side note, can't believe I found and won, the finyasonii ripple leaf! Was sure at the last minute this aforementioned person on a Hoya binge was going to rip it out of my grasp lol! I even set an alarm ten minutes before the auction ended to keep an eye on it. Which is really saying something because I work nights.

You're lucky April. The last 3 auctions I thought I made it to the end without this guys outrageous bidding and 30minutes before it ends BAM. Outbid by a massive amount lol

That is probably what is going to happen with the little plant I am bidding on. And I will be out of town this weekend when the bidding ends, so yeah. Not exactly counting on this one.

Our eBay "friend" just paid $127.50 for a Fuscomarginata from Susan! Can you believe it?? Geesh, none of us stand a chance on most of the auctions now (unless it's one s/he already has!).

I know! Must be nice to have that kind of $$ lying around!

Klnco, ric has another RHP up as BIN on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hoya-pubicalyx-Royal-Hawaiian-Purple-5-potted-PLANT-/162084413957?hash=item25bcfbe205:g:EhIAAOSw7ehXQ3hg

I'm beginning to think that there is another bidder driving up prices.. In a not so legal kinda way.

Lol, Ric. Was thinking the same thing.

I've been around Hoyas and on Ebay for a long time and have seen all kinds of shady behavior.

I have a decent quantity of rare stuff but my plants never sell for that much.

Face it, Ric, you're the P.I.M.P! I do know the person pays, if not after complaining.

The problem is not so much "the Person"

I hear you!

Ebay needs an overhaul. If I didn't have another job, I'd set up a website where plant nurseries, traders, and mom n pop plant businesses could trade, auction, or sell their plants. It would have advertisements from A+ BBB nurseries as a source of income, so that you don't get charged fees. It would accept paypal, and I would ban shill bidders, along with other shady characters. Both buyers and sellers would need to prove identity. Sellers could leave honest feedback about buyers and buyers could do the same. Any malicious feedback from either side (if either side opens a case, neither side can give/receive feedback for that purchase, so long as the case is resolved sucessfully), would result in a ban. Buyers would be required to pay for all purchases within a 4 day timeframe.

List goes on!

I just don't have the spare time, know how, or funds!

I will full time myself, time is definetely a factor.

omg. i was gonna start a thread about s***r but i decided not to. lol.

honestly, i think besides having deep pockets, some individuals like the sport of bidding. there are plants listed there that can be purchased outright but aren't.

i think some plants got bid up to $130. i'm like, really?

it's my first time looking at these ebay bids for hoyas so i wasn't sure if this was normal. it's certainly weird and discouraging.

it's a pity gardino nursery has no plants for sale right now. i generally don't care for auctions. but i'm not willing to pay $40 for a plant in a 5 inch container. no ma'am.

I feel you! I will splurge on a large plant (deykeae is worth it, Ric...mine needs a friend...pathetic little thing) if it is one I do not have or if it is a mature, in bud specimen. That is why I like Ric. They may be cuttings, but they are BIN and if I don't have it, Ric usually does.

This weekend, I have the last of my scheduled auctions up. The rest will be BIN, ranging from $7.99- $24.99. I think that is the way it will have to be until something changes. That being said, if I sell one of my super-rare plants, it will go up for auction.

More Curious Doings on Ebay

s***r does not bid on raraflora's plants and there are some good ones. Has she been banned?

I don't bid very often as not all vendors will allow me to pay with a USPS money order.

I am super nervous about all the personal information PayPal now requires. I do not want to give them my Social Security number which may be silly but it still bothers me. I also don't like them having my bank account information. There are just too many incidents of hacking going on.

eBay used to allow personal checks and money orders and I do believe their pushing PayPal was because they used to own it and were making money from it.

Aurorawa, bought it! Beautiful plant

Good!

now i feel like a whiner. i came across a tiny haworthia that's been bid up to more than $600 and others going for more than $200. had no idea they could be so valuable.

Holy cow!

actually i just found a haworthia with a current bid that is more than $2000!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Haworthia-groenewaldii-Variegated-Extremelay-rare-First-time-offered-ever-/142006306397?hash=item21103c465d:g:i0kAAOSw6btXSEyQ

OMGosh - it went from $600 to $2,000 in one bid! That's crazy!! and s**r isn't even the bidder. lol

Bejeesus! See, I don't understand that, really, I don't.

Haworthia people are crazy apparently. Have seen this before, and I do not understand it either.

Also, my turn to pout. Forgot about a plant I was bidding on, missed it by just a few dollars while I was out of town. Drat.

and the seller has the nerve to charge $14 for shipping. bid is up to $3k. sorry to highjack thread...

Our frenemy s**r is at it again! She/he has been quiet for a few days, but I guess their shopping spree continues! Ugh!!!!

i noticed that. right now, she/he is into tawn.grise and beastlyflower's stuff.

tawn.grise's plants look so nice and healthy too. i like how they are photographed.

s***r has purchased most of yellow2green's stuff. lol.

I know, it's frustrating because there is no competing with him/her.

Why would someone buy so many plants so close together?

Maybe someone starting a business or setting up a greenhouse.

yeah, i think it's for a specific purpose, not to just be a hobbyist.

she/he only buys larger, unusual hoyas. no basic carnosas, etc.

but it's weird because i haven't noticed any bids for gardino's stuff. although all of it has gone for a lot without her/his participation.

suffice it to say, it's good to be an ebay hoya seller with unusual, large plants to sell right now.

unfortunately, when i see her/him on a bid, i don't see any point in trying.

oh well. i really don't NEED anything right now anyway.

Hmm, could it be someone buying for Gardinos? They don't have much inventory. Maybe they need to add some new varieties to their nursery?

I just block her.

If she is buying to possibly start her own small business why doesn't she try to buy wholesale? Or look into purchasing larger and more rare Hoyas from Epiphytica?

Wow! This thread has been educational. :/ I'm scared to bid on ebay.

why? if you have deep enough pockets, you can win. i've only purchased one thing, and it was a 'buy it now' hoya from yellowgreen2u.

there have been plants i wanted to bid on, but waited and found that it often goes too high for me. i'm not really willing to pay more than $22 for a single plant. on top of that shipping is $10-20.

i think people, even those who can't pay $100 for a plant, tend to spend entirely too much on ebay. it's ridiculous. and the sellers recognize this and start the plants off at higher rates for bidding than what you'd find as a base price at gardino or a nursery in your city. on top of that, they know that their product is not always easy to come by, so prices are higher.

just an aside, and ex. - a hoya kerri, variegated sold by yellowgreen2u has been bid up to $33!. this same plant (maybe smaller) is on the gardino site right now for $16.

for me, the only ebay vendor who has consistently fair prices and a great selection is yellowgreen2u. the buy nows are well-priced ($13) - as in what you'd pay at a nursery. And the size of the plants is generous.

you might want to also try etsy. i bought a krinkle 8 for around $7 on etsy. and there was no ebay nonsense or hiked prices or crazy bidding to be concerned about.

i've also noticed gardino has more plants in stock, so you can buy multiples things at decent prices and save a bit on shipping. so, if you've got the $$$ and don't mind the bidding process, you should be fine. i

There are some very good vendors on eBay that are also active on this forum. They sell very healthy and uncommon varieties and are always available for any questions and/or concerns. I don't mind paying a little more for these because those vendors most likely paid a lot of money on the mother plant that probably came from Thailand.

Through trial and error I know who I can and can't buy from on eBay. I don't have nurseries in my area that sell many Hoyas especially ones I don't already have.

I just hate when there's a bidder that makes it impossible for the hobby grower to have a fair chance at bidding.

i think at the end of the day, people can charge what they like and bid up the price as much as they like. that's the ebay marketplace, and people are obviously willing to do that dance.

however, i don't really buy the assertion that they have to make their money back on plants they chose to buy. i'm looking at an obovata rooted cutting with bidding that starts at 19.95. gardino has a plant for $10. yellowgreen2u had a big one as a buy it now for 13.99 i think just a couple of days ago. i would have bought that if i didn't already have one.

i look for value AND quality in what i buy. i'm not noticing a lot of that on ebay - for hoyas. thankfully, i've quickly started a collection (5 so far) and i only purchased one hoya (a clandestina that was a buy it now) from ebay. i'm glad i haven't relied on ebay for my plants. if i did, i'd be in a world of pain and frustration.

lol - I hear you on that. I've purchased quite a bit from Gardinos and Andy (yellowgreen2u) and have been pleased for the most part. I did lose some possibly from stress of transport and/or due to my inexperience with some varieties.

I too would rather use the buy it now feature on eBay.

Sometimes though, there is a bit of fun in the hunt for a plant for me. I had started bidding on a Gunung gading, then quickly realized it was going to get too rich for my wallet and backed off. Later, found another one... went a little crazy on my bidding and still lost it.

And then, while perusing my favorite ebay sellers pages, found cuttings of Gunung gading from ricinfl and jumped on it like white on rice on a paper plate in a snowstorm.

My Gunung gading (and Black Dragon) arrived this morning from Ric, and I am beyond ecstatic. The cutting is huge and gorgeous, and there is just something about finally having it after a long search and a few missed attempts that is sooo satisfying.

That, and really... if I had easy access to ALL the plants I want every time I wanted them... I would be living in a house full of grow lights, eating ramen noodles cooked over a fire and sleeping on a hammock strung up between growing racks. Probably all for the best. ;)

Ha ha! I know, once I get my greenhouse ordered I may end up maxing out my credit cards :-)

Looks like another bidder is taking over from s**r.

I was looking at the completed auctions from beastlyflower and rareflora and now there is a a***2 with huge bids.

$255.00 for a blooming Hoya Archboldiana from beastlyflowers and $202.50 for a Hoya imbricata var. basisubcordata from rareflora.

I didn't check all of beastlyflower auctions but he/she has a bid on every one of rareflora's auctions.

It could be the same person with a new account and shipping address. Or, someone budding in s**r's behalf. After ordering soooo many plants I think the USDA is/was checking up on her/him.

So in order to continue the shopping spree..,,,changes were in order. Just speculation on my part but it is strange that 2 people would be willing to pay sky high prices for a Hoya.

Sounds logical to me!

It is just so weird.

There are buyers on Ebay who buy in bulk for preordered items for overseas delivery. Shipping and maybe plant restrictions can be easier. This whole affair is quite the Hoya mystery let's keep it rolling.