Japaneses red maple BloodGood price?

hello a friend of mine is selling a 10foot japanese red maple bloodgood he told me he wants 900 dollars canadian! is this a good deal?

 

No offense, but I'm not sure if I'd call that a friend.

Bloodgood is a fairly vigorous grower (ours is, anyways) so I think I would invest in a younger one and show a bit of patience and love to it.

 

well they paid 1200 for the tree

 

really ? that's seems quite a high price, but maybe it's different in the East.

You could get a decent 6'-0" for around $200-$300 here.

 

There are a lot of over-priced japanese maples out there. As has been mentioned, Bloodgood is a vigorous grower and is prolifically cultivated by many nurseries. There is nothing rare or difficult or unique about the tree that would make ANY Bloodgood worth $1200. I can get 7-8' field-grown Bloodgoods from a local nursery of substantial caliper, well branched and expertly pruned delivered to my door for $129 a piece.

 

thanks for the input guys.

 

You should get a few good pictures and post them if you are really considering it (pictures showing the overall form and a close up picture to show the trunk size with a ruler or something in the picture so we can better judge the caliper, and a picture in between showing the branching). That way we can give supported feedback.

A lot goes into the value of a tree. Bloodgood is very common and fast growing (fast for a Japanese maple), so the rare factor is not driving the price up. But the tree may have some great characteristics that may help support a retail value. Also, the market area and supply drives prices, so what may not be justified in my area, maybe justified in yours or vice versa. Also, the down economy has allowed for some great values out there in the market today.

Do some research to find some nurseries or growers in your area to see what you can get for $900.00 (do not limit yourself to a garden center when looking for a large specimen), otherwise you will overpay in my area. Many specimens that use to support a value of 1200 before 2008 may only sell for a third of that price today in my market. Your friend may feel like he is giving you a deal based on what the market supported at the time he bought it, but the deal price may or may not be supported in today’s market.