Unrelated but I have heard good things about the maples from eastforknursery, I just haven't had the pleasure of buying any yet. Who I buy from just varies on who may offering the cultivar I am looking for that day. Do you really have that many problems with buyers? Its interesting to hear from the "other side" for a change.
Sam, dumb question, but what exactly is a liner? Really too bad that a few bad apples on both the buyer and seller side have to muck things up. I fear though that if you limit bidders to previous good buyers than any amount that you would save by avoiding fraud will be offset by a decreased size of the bidding pool. From a buyers perspective I can tell you that if an auction requires prequalification, unless I really want the item I may not bother. I know that it really isn't much of a bother, but I think you would miss out on some good honest impulse buys. I wish there was a good "all nursery" bidding site. I believe that we will be seeing more and more specialty bidding sites with all of ebays problems. For example me and the wife have had such good experiences on www.etsy.com - catering to all things handmade. matt, what you've heard about eastfork is correct.
Sam What is the story with giving refunds on items that are confirmed delivered? I've never had that happen. The new policy is as aggravating as most of ebays initiatives but if you clearly state a return policy and have tracking docs what can go wrong? Please explain. Gil
Well, I'll be interested to see what Sam says, but I think the problem is that she could be 100% correct, and even be able to easily prove it... but if she doesn't "return" the money the buyer can leave feed back like "BEWARE OF FRAUD WITH THIS NURSERY" and Sam has really no recourse (while she can complain to ebay, I imagine their customer service is so spotty, the damage will be well done before ebay responds). I say this as a 100% buyer: Giving the buyer sole feedback ability puts the seller at a huge and potentially untenable disadvantage.
I am an avid Internet/e-Bay JM buyer (that's putting it mildly :) ) and the ONLY seller I have ever been completely 100% happy with is Eastfork Nursery. On e-Bay Sam shows you the EXACT tree you are bidding on and is VERY prompt to respond to any questions or comments. Service is just as prompt and courteous on e-Bay as through her personal website. She is the only seller (e-bay or otherwise) that ships her trees in their pots - with ultimate care taken when packing for shipping. They don't even loose any soil! This is a major bonus considering her babies come all the way across the country to me - Oregon to Eastern Shore VA. (No I am not getting any special favors for this post - its just true. Unfortunately, I have been slammed by other JM sellers and dealing with Sam always restores my faith in people.) I have purchased maybe 45 trees on e-Bay and have been deflated by all EXCEPT Eastfork. In my opinion - stay away from CalMaples - I had to file a dispute about them because they took my money and never sent the trees - or at least they never got to me - I finally started fighting back about 8 weeks after the original order was placed. PAIN! Also, the trees I have purchased from Herter nursery have been VERY disappointing - not at all as described - and ALL the trees I lost this spring were from this seller. Acer1987 has been satisfactory, but all trees are small and cultivars are limited. It's too bad they can't all be like Eastfork. I think her trees are the nicest I have gotten through the scrillion web orders I have placed since Internet time began. I have been happer with her trees than with my Mountain Maples purchases (wich I formerly regarded as the gold standard). Better value too. U GO SAM! Thank you for doing what you do. I appreciate it more than I can express in an online forum! :) A quick thought about the so called 'self-promo' of Eastfork - I just don't see it. I love to hear about nursery practices and care - especially from someone with such a sincere passion for their craft. I admire that she takes such pride in her work. I love knowing that the person I like to buy maples from is REALLY genuinely invested in and inspired by their product - not just churning out 4" pots en masse for maximum profit. I love that Sam refers to her trees as her 'babies' - because that's how I see my maples too. For the beauty and calm they lavish on us - they deserve the very best care and appreciation. I hope Sam takes comfort in knowing that her babies go on to buyers with a similar passion.
I can confirm every word that Katie (Spokiejenkins) are saying from Sam (Eastfork Nursery). Until now I got from her about 20 JMs (and the list for sure will continue to grow soon). Every time that I received a delivery from her, it's arrived in excellent condition. Packing, shipping, quality, identification, among her personal treatment with each maple is simply 1st class. I feel very confortable with Sam, and sometimes she goes beyond my expectations with nice pics of the cultivars that i'm buying from her... As me she is a "Maple nut" and she really deserves be called the "Maple Lady". Nelran
No question that Sam sells good stuff. Bonsai bob again is excellent in my experience and so is Pagesrun which is in S. NJ. My only casualties were from herter as well I expect 2 plants from HouseofMaples any day. I'll post again. Gil
Hi guys and gal. Any comments from this forum -good or bad are accepted. Improvement in quality and shipping is something I continually strive for. One buyer said that wrapping my maples too tightly caused a little mold so I opened up the bubble wrap to let the maple breathe more. As to eBay, I only sell there to add some cash to survive the summer and winter months when nursery orders and plant sales are down. I have had two bad experiences on eBay. First a woman ordered three maples I was selling in the winter bare root - not really, but without the pot. Anyway, she said the maples were not what she ordered. She wanted a full refund and PayPal agreed with the buyer. I asked her to return the maples which she did. It is amazing, but all three are doing well after being shipped back and forth across the country. When I got the maples back it was obvious that they hadn't leafed out enough to show what they were. I call this a disgrunted buyer. My second problem buyer bid and bid and bid on my maples and never got around to paying any invoice, but one. I don't understand that mentality unless they get a kick out of seeing a message that says you won! What I know is that it cost me over $1000 from real buyers who wanted my maples. On eBay you can't afford any negative feedback and you never can tell with people. So that is why I was thinking of only allowing previous buyers to bid. Maybe I am being over paranoid, but I am a one woman operation and my reputation is critical. Besides I love maple lovers and want everyone to enjoy them the way I do. LOL. Too much of a reply, but God Bless Spookie [love that name] Sam
I had my first ebay maple die today. It was from houseofmaples. I was suspicious of it from day one. It had been grafted with only one set of internodes and the leaves were wilty when I got it and never recovered. Anyway, that is the only bad ebay experience I have had so far. I am not going to bother asking for a exchange. It was only 10 bucks or so and was early this spring when I got it.
Hi Matt, I have had a lot of poor plants from that site, definetly small, and a few just died. I can't recommend them despite pricing. I think JHerter sells some good solid root stock sizes for a liner and have not lost a plant from him yet. They are priced almost the same, and probably as good of a variety. Sam sells great stuff, but the larger stuff limits what I can buy. I have visited her nursery and it is small but impressive, very clean and organized. I think she should compete with the rest of the liner crowd if she wants, but stick with the wierd hard to find stuff. I can buy a Virdis at Wal-Mart and a Orangeola even at HD. Any JM hobbyist should know (but maybe they all should say) that these smaller maples do need more care or at least of greater risk of dying than than a 3G well established plant.
So I saw that someone posted a great review for laceleafmaples... So I just wanted to follow up with my own experience with them. I just purchased a Beni Schichihenge from them, and well, the tree was REALLY big. It was so big that the 3 foot box it was in was about a foot and a half too small for the longest branch, so they had to fold that branch to fit it in... nonetheless, that branch is a little bit wacky right now, but definitely fixable. A few leaves on that branch have fallen off, but the tree is so well developed that it doesn't make a difference. But yeah, aside from the branch issue, I'm really happy with the tree that I got for 24.99... definitely a good product.. and nice thick trunk, etc. Johnny
Re: eBay seller...and RARE maples One funny thing I noticed about ebay is that almost every jm on there is described as "rare" in the heading. even things like 'crimson queen', or 'fireglow'. They're nice and all, but not rare in any meaningful sense...... Theyre are probably very few that deserve to be called rare, maybe very dwarf or difficult to propagate plants. Maybe one that originated in another country, necessitating smuggling in a stock plant or scions. maybe an obscure species not common in the trade.... something very new. just sounding off......
Hi Todd, As a passionate JM person myself - I too dislike some of the incorrect terminology and misspelling found on eBay. One seller names every cultivar a lace leaf maple. I asked them why were they misleading customers and they response was "what's the harm". Often cultivar names are misspelled and descriptions are totally wrong. Again because I believe in correct names - I don't like it when the entire name is in capital letters or the seller doesn't follow the rules and capitalizes each word Acer Palmatum Benishien or Beni Shi En. Correct labeling is Acer palmatum Beni shi en. Well, I'll get off my soapbox for now. I too am just sounding off. LOL Sam
I just want to jump in and say that I've also purchased from Sam and have also been 1000% completely satisfied. The acclaim she receives is well deserved! And recently I saw a "4 ft Beni Kawa" on ebay listed for $14.99 from plantspluspines. I figured "what the heck" and bid and won it for $14.99. A few days later in the mail I received a tall, well-branched and healthy tree with a nice looking root system. The top was bent so it would fit into the box -- I appreciate that they didn't cut it. Needless to say I was very pleasantly surprised!
Prairie, Is your 'Beni Kawa' a grafted plant? My experience with Plantspluspines was abysmal. They don't seem to make a distinction between seedlings and grafts. Also communicating with them was futile.
Hmm, you make an excellent point, Poetry. I did some looking and I can't seem to find a graft line... indicating that it is most likely a seedling (most likely) or was grafted at a very very young age (less likely). I'm still pleased at the size of the tree for the price, but I won't be calling it a Beni kawa... :-) Just a Beni kawa seedling! My experience with them overall was still positive, packing- and shipping-wise, though I understand the issue of mislabeling trees is rightly frowned upon.
Hi all, A year ago I saw Sango kaku maples that were propagated in a test tube- cloned. They were like whips - long and thin and the bark was a watered out red color. It scared me to think that this could be the future for our special JMs. Sam
Here are some of the vendors i have had good success with. The following ebay vendors i have been very satisfied with. In general when i am on ebay i am looking for the following conbination. Price and Cultivar. Usually not the biggest, but a good way to add to my collection. I just give them some extra care in pots over the first couple of years. Nursery #Trees Desc Herter Nurseries >40 Good East Coast Source, very happy with trees i have had for 4plus years. Acer1987 >20 Good selection, auction proces, and excellent service The following internet vendors i have used to search for rarer cultivars and other species. Nursery #Trees Desc Whitmans Farms >60 Absolute best prices on the internet, good selection. Topairy Gardens >120 Great selection, service and prices. Eastwoods Nursery >30 Great selection, service, and sizes. Medicino Maples >30 Great selection
I have never bought any trees from ebay. But I have bought some trees from Sam, and she is great. She gets my highest recommendation. Krautz
Don't worry SAM! I haven't weighed in yet! Nursery #Trees Desc East Fork Nursery >30 IT DOESN"T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS!!! :-D
Sam, believe me i have seen your trees posted here by others and i have been very jealous. I started collecting 4-5 years ago, so i started a little before i started seeing your trees. Also i started collecting smaller trees, so i could get more and learn about them before i got to many specimen trees. Yours tend to be nicer larger specimens. With my collection pretty full, I have now started to look for specimen plants and have been eyeing yours. I have had an extreme drought for the last 24 months, basically a total watering ban since June 07. SO i have been just trying to keep my pots healthy waiting for weather to get a little better before i start putting more specimen level trees out. WHen it does i will be ordering! Mike
