No, Nick, sadly not all people check what things are worth before bidding. I had lost a particular Encyclia species a few years ago and was looking for another to replace it. Not overly rare or anything, but not always easy to find. The dealer/seller put one up on eBay for $15, a very nice plant, which was what they sold it for at their orchid website. So I bid $15, it wasn't important where I bought it from them. Next thing you know, the bids are flying in. Once it went over $17, I went to the website and bought one that same day for the $15. The frenzy continued and the eBay plant ended up selling for -- I think it was about $60 or more. If my memory is correct, a second one they posted up afterward also sold for big bucks. A lesson I learned long ago: always check the price and availability at online websites before bidding on anything, even a toaster.

Hi...its all as they say walking a thin line, and all advertising and many many low-life do it.... I often google plants in images to see what they look like and there is always lots of pictures from GW...there not GW's pictures there the people on this sites pictures but they are taken from here and used by who ever, because if you click on some it takes you to all different sites, having nothing to do with plants...so whats that.... and the world of words...you can put anything into words and what is discribed is not what you think was discribed...has that ever happen to anyone??? and where do you go to get this undone???? to get your justice???? I agree with you what you post is yours, but there is no respect, there is no keep your fingers off others stuff........... I see lots of so called good people in church every sunday..and I guess that makes up for their actions the rest of the week..... Please don't chop me up for this post.... I grew up when there were no locks and you respected all your neighbors the ones you knew and the ones you haven't meet yet....linda

You can buy every type / brand model faucet on ebay or online in general these days... so, it's not the sales / distribution channel that determines whether or not the faucet it garbage or not. It is the brand... and ultimately price that does. From birth we've all heard the saying "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." And nowhere is this more true than plumbing and lighting fixtures. I've been building new and renovating old houses for over 25 yrs and I can assure you--as someone who has bought, installed, replaced, and returned countless faucets and light fixtures--that you get what you pay for in construction. In fact, I rarely use anything but Kohler plumbing fixtures anymore--since (a) I have never had to replace one and (b) they have an extremely generous warranty and repair parts policy--though they are generally on the more expensive end of the spectrum. Without exception, any cheap, Chinese made faucet that you install will have to be replaced within a very short time period if it gets any regular use. And it will be difficult if not impossible to find repair / service parts for it. As opposed to Kohler, for example, which supports their products virtually forever. So, you not only have to consider the up-front costs... but the long term costs--and the very real potential for damages that a cheap fixture that fails can cause in your home. Unless you're a handy-man / DIY type--who can install, replace, and repair your own plumbing--these legacy costs will easily be more than the difference in price between that cheap foreign knock off and a good Kohler fixture. And Kohler just makes better looking stuff anyway. If you can't find a Kohler product that works perfectly for your project--you're doing it wrong. They avoid cliche and short term trends--opting for a more classy, classic product line up--that "ages" well stylistically. But they have beautiful options for all segments of the style spectrum--from neo-classical / traditional to ultra-contemporary to industrial. All you have to do is pick up a Kohler faucet in one hand and pick up a cheap knock off in the other to notice the difference between them; the Kohler will likely weight twice what the cheaper faucet does. And that extra weight is more brass and thicker, better plating, etc.

it's a dying business model Understatement of the year! I joined eBay in 1998, as a buyer. Then I started selling collectibles in 2000, and it was great. Easy to list items, reasonable fees, and the vast majority of buyers and sellers were good honest folks. As time has gone by, eBay, (also known as FeeBay and GreedBay among other names..), has instituted so many awful changes and probable illegal practices that it is indeed in its death throes as an Online Auction Site. It is very close to becoming the Walmart of the Internet. Actually I apologize to Walmart, that comparison is an insult to them. Picture a fabulous flea market, with all kinds of items and happy buyers and sellers. As time goes on, some bad buyers and sellers show up, but the community of good buyers and sellers are able to help each other avoid the bad apples. Then the owner of the real estate where this flea market takes place decides he wants a bigger cut, and raises the rent he charges the sellers. Numerous times. To keep the customers coming in, he squelches every opportunity for the good buyers and sellers to keep the flea market pleasant and honest. He institutes a blanket "The Customer is Always Right" policy, which opens the sellers to outright fraud by bad buyers. Sellers are forced to ship items *before receiving payment*, and they just have to hope that the buyer doesn't falsely claim the item was broken or never received. Then, when it is obvious that the sale went well, and the buyer is happy, the seller has to wait until The Boss decides to give them their money. When a seller is defrauded, they are not allowed to warn the rest of the community. The system that used to make this work has been changed, so the sellers are not allowed to talk about bad buyers. Ever greedy, The Boss forces the sellers to funnel any money they get from buyers through his bank, so he can take another cut. If they don't comply, he offs them. (yes, soon sellers will get kicked off of eBay for not using their money launderer. Gee, it's beginning to sound like MafiaBay.) In the end, which is very soon, the wonderful flea market will become a dumping ground for wholesalers, liquidators, and thugs. And the top brass at eBay are the biggest thugs of all. If you think I'm just being a cynic, log onto eBay and read the Community Forums, specifically the Auction Listings and Paypal forums. It's very sad. Many sellers have left, more than I've ever seen. I regularly shop for a specific type of item, and in the past 6 months, the listings have gone from an average of 1500 to an average of 300. New auction sites are gaining steam. I'm wanting to sell again, but waiting until a new site or two starts taking off.