eBay NEEDS to crack down on **bleep** sellers of bonsai! I would be willing to bet at least 75% of so called bonsai sales are illegal as they have no AGRICULTURE LICENSE, therefore their plants / cuttings can not be transported or shipped across state lines! They could be sending out and spreading many plant diseases and or bugs to areas that don't have them! Each seller should be required to put there ag license number in their listings, and eBay SHOULD verify it!
I personally (a few years back) sold very nice "established" bonsai trees on here until the market got flooded with these type of sellers...out strictly for a buck, and not caring who they screwed. Yes, I had an ag license, and had two nurseries in two different states.
Overlooking the lack of licensing, what I have recently observed on here are clowns selling "pre bonsai cuttings" which may or may not grow...depending upon the species I would venture to say about 90% of the cuttings would not ever take root for the purchaser! Besides that, why pay $15 and up for a piece of a branch when you could go out and cut one yourself? But my biggest complaint is the ones selling bonsai that (just) went to their local box store or nursery, bought a plant, went home and stuck it in a pot and called it a bonsai after doing a little trimming and selling them for $60 to $200! An experienced bonsai person can detect that trick quite rapidly, as they can see the fresh cutting on the plant...THIS IS NOT AN ESTABLISHED BONSAI, and is worth no more than the cost of the plant and pot!!! Just as the cuttings, it's a scam for a buck, as many of them die within a month of receiving them!
An established bonsai is just that...ESTABLISHED, it has been growing in the pot which it is in for one year plus!
Also, MOST all of the sellers say you can grow it indoors or outdoors.......**bleep** on that one too! A tropical can be grown indoors, but all other trees are outdoor ONLY, especially junipers, which I see many listed as can be grown indoors! They can be moved inside for one or two days for show, but will not tolerate much time away from their normal climate... Either these people are just plane ignorant and watch too much tv with bonsai trees, or they just don't give a **bleep** and are out for the buck!
All trees should come with care instructions also, directed to indoor or outdoor, or even more specific to that particular species, which I doubt very few send along with the purchase.
I personally no longer have my nurseries, but still care for and grow bonsai, some as old as 80 years that I have been caring for just shy of 30 years myself. I just had to voice my opinion as I hate seeing people getting ripped off, then having a bad outlook on the hobby due to their loss which hurts legitimate bonsai sellers in the long run, as well as the craft / hobby...
PLEASE LEAVE ANY COMMENT YOU HAVE, AND PLEASE PUSH THIS ISSUE WITH EBAY!
