We invest thousands of dollars on plants and landscaping for out yard.  For some reason, we deem it necessary to compete with those around us for the best yard, or just for a nice yard. 

Those of us that are plant lovers search high and low for something exotic or a bargain.  EBay can be both; however there are some precautions you need to take before you buy.

1. Make sure that you are dealing with a real nursery, not just someone selling out of their back yard.  This can easily be done by asking the seller if they have a license to sell plants.  Most states require more then one license.  Here in Florida I need 3.  One for the city, one for the county, and my plant license from the Agriculture department.  I get inspected regularly to make sure my plants are high quality and free from disease.  If a seller can not produce a valid license DO NOT BUY.  You could be in trouble for importing in diseased plants or plants that are not allowed.

2. Insured.  Any real business will be insured.  This if for multiple purposes.  There are liability concerns that should be addressed by any business person.  The insurance protects the seller not the buyer. 

3. Invasive Plants.  The buyer is the person responsible for making sure the plant is allowed in the state.  Every state has specific laws requiring what plants are allowed in the state.  Even though very few packages are checked by the state, if caught the plants could be confiscated or worse, you, the buyer, could be heavily fined.  Most states will not come after the seller but will come after the buyer, since they live in that state.

4. Zone.  Not all plants can survive in the zone you live.  We sell tropical plants.  These plants will not grow in zone 5.  I also have an eBook and an eBay guide that will show you how to grow these plants in any zone.  Most tropical plants have the ability to grow anywhere if you take the right steps.  Just think, if you could walk into your living room and pick a rare lychee fruit and eat it while watching a blizzard out your window.

5. Shipping and packing.  This is a subject that most people do not want to hear.  When shipping a plant its not as simple as throwing in a box and taking to the post office.  If not packed correctly the stem will break and die.  Precautions need to be taken to make sure they will not break.  We spend lots of money to pack our plants, we put bamboo stakes to keep the stem in one piece.  We wrap the pot so the soil does not come out, we water and place a moisture material around the plant so the plant will survive.  These are all additional steps to make sure you receive a plant arrives alive.  A seller who charges bare minimum for shipping on a plant that is already very cheap is usually someone that does not have a license to sell and you are taking your chances with them.  A good nursery charges a decent amount for shipping and handling,  just to make sure you get your plant.  All these costs the seller incurs are usually part of the handling fee.  If the seller is not charging the buyer for this, he is eating this price somewhere else, usually in quality, license fees and insurance.  Yes, you might get that plant for 3 dollars cheaper with another seller, but is it worth it to get something that might have a problem and kill everything in your yard?  Or a fine from the state you live because the plant was not from a licensed nursery?  Only you can decide that.

6. Guarantee.  Almost every seller has some sort of guarantee.  Postal mail is not treated delicately.  They throw them around and something can possibly happen.  How the seller handles this is the difference between having a successful sale or a sale that leaves a bad taste in the buyer.  Most problems are not the fault of the seller.  Unless you purchase additional insurance when you pay for your plant the seller must eat those costs or loose a customer.

7. Follow-up.  Find a seller that has a website and a newsletter.  Subscribe fsto that newsletter, you can always remove yourself from that list.  Take a few weeks and read the newsletters the seller sends out.  Are they only sales? Are they content?  The purpose of these newsletter from the sellers point of view is to get sales, but a newsletter to the buyer must be more then a sales pitch.  Find a seller that has lots of information in their newsletter and website.  Information is critical, the more educated you are the better your buying experience will be.  Our newsletter is always full of information and very little sales pitch.  I believe that if you get a good value out of our newsletter you will be more inclined to buy when you are ready.  I value my customers, I don’t want them for a one time sale, I want them for life, not just to buy but for any need they might have such as questions, opinions, etc.  A seller must always remember the buyer is a person not just a paypal account.  You can see our About Me Page for our newsletter.

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