Many new users looking to purchase their first tree for bonsai come to ebay.  Why?  Well, the variety for one is a major key not to mention you might end up getting a pretty decent deal.  On the other hand though, there are quite a few sellers on Ebay that mass order pre-fab bonsai from China.  These trees are commonly known among the bonsai community as 'Mall-sai" - due to their mass production and generally low quality but extremely readily available in bulk.  These trees are mass grown and given very little attention as far as proper root development, symmetry or even pest management.   Many of these stated trees will also have the stereotypical S curve.  Now, this isn't bad if you like the look (or if you are just looking for a tree to trunk chop) and generally lower price but the main concept of bonsai is to RECREATE NATURE.  Have you ever noticed a tree growing like that in the wild?  More than likely not. 

If you have a moment, check your favorite search engine for "Wholesale Bonsai" or something similar.  You will get quite a few sites selling these same tree in groups of 6-12 trees for about $8-$10 a piece.   Many of the sellers on here are ordering their stock trees from the same distro sites in China.  Probably for much less than the previous price of $8-$10 - then they get on here and put up suck headings as "Large, Really Old Elm" or "Rare Snow Rose", etc etc.  They in turn will try to sell them for up to $60 a piece plus the insane amount for shipping.  Oh and by the way, it does not cost nearly as much as practically ALL the sellers are charging for shipping.  It's getting very out of hand.  If you are curious on how much shipping should really be, check out UPS.com/FedEx.com etc.  You can get the exact shipping rates plus transit times.  Just enter the shipping info (sellers zip/your zip) weight of the package and Ta-Da.  If the sellers shipping is more than a couple bucks over, report them for violating the excessive shipping policy.  We as buyers need to really put a stop to sellers that overcharge on shipping just to make a couple extra bucks and are also violating Ebays policies.

Well, that's my rambling guide.  If you have any questions on where to get actual CHEAP trees, just send me a message.  I have the links to a few of the actual distribution sites in China and a few here in the US.  Also, be sure to check out some of the Bonsai forums for detailed info on picking a bonsai tree from the selection at a local garden store/tree nursery.   Bonsaisite.com, Bonsaitalk.com and Knowledgeofbonsai.org are a few pretty good ones.   Some of the forums even have sections for people giving away free trees to get people started. 

And if you found this rambling guide of mine interesting, click below that you liked it.  If you want me to add some info you think I missed, please let me know.  I'll update it ASAP. 

Thanks for reading.