| Author | Content |
pfllh
Prattville, AL
November 20, 2008
12:49 AM Post #5811165
| I'll probably get shot down but here I go.
I have been very interested in some of the plants and other items but just about choked when I saw the price.
I know what goes into growing plants and preparing them for shipment. When I look at the price plus shipping, I could buy 2 locally for that price. I want to support the Marketplace and have bought from different sellers.
Why such high prices? Seems like it defeats the purpose of selling. Then too, is it that the item is not common or easily accessible in some areas.
Thanks
Lynn |
1AnjL
(AnjL) Fremont, CA
(Zone 9b)
November 20, 2008
01:35 AM Post #5811242
| I completely agree with you. I have bought items on the market place when it first opened, seems things were much cheaper then. I have gone back several times since then and was appalled at the prices. I no longer even lurk there anymore :( |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
November 20, 2008
10:52 AM Post #5812020
| If you look at most mail order nurseries, you can frequently get the same plant locally for less. To me the advantage of mail order nurseries (or the marketplace) is that you can get plants that may not be available locally. But don't expect the marketplace or mail order to save you money on something that you could get at a local nursery (if you are saving money with marketplace/mail order, it's probably because the plant is MUCH smaller than what you'd get locally). That being said, I don't know which items you're upset at the price on so it's very possible that sellers are charging more than it's worth. However, it's up to all of us individually to decide how much we want to spend for a plant, and if these plants truly are overpriced then people won't buy them and the seller will eventually figure out that they're asking too much.
I don't see how DG could regulate what prices people are allowed to charge for their plants--it's a free market so if you don't like the price, don't buy it, and if everyone else agrees with you that it's overpriced and also doesn't buy it then eventually the seller will catch on. Or you could look at it as a business opportunity--if people in another area of the country where they can't get that plant locally are really willing to pay that price for it, then maybe you could consider growing it and selling it yourself too.
I also suspect there were some very low prices at the beginning because there were some casual sellers who hadn't really done this before and didn't really know what to charge or the amount of effort that goes into having a mail order business, then as they discovered that they were not making any money (or potentially even losing some), they either bumped their prices up or decided it was more trouble than it's worth to sell and stopped putting much stuff on the marketplace. I know many of the sellers there have mail order businesses as well and as far as I can tell their prices are the same or better on the marketplace as they are on their websites. |
gone2seed
Milton, FL
(Zone 8a)
November 20, 2008
11:38 AM Post #5812173
| A couple of other points to consider.Most vendors have a wide range of price.This varies due to rarity and difficulty in propagating the plant.Common plants are,or should be,cheap.
Second,our nursery can grow,and sell,the same plant locally for about half the price
we charge for online sales.You would be amazed at the added cost packing and shipping add to the price of a plant.Without half trying I can think of more than ten things that add to the cost,from packing labor all the way down to the tape and ink.
And finally,postage really runs the price up but that doesn't go in the sellers pocket.
In fact,in most cases the seller fronts the postage money while checks,money orders and Paypal clear the sellers bank. |
pfllh
Prattville, AL
November 20, 2008
03:27 PM Post #5812921
| I was not even suggesting any type of regulation on prices. I know postage and the cost of mailing supplies have gone up.
I just noticed that some of the prices are higher than other sellers for the same plant. I do consider if the plant is exotic or rare. The ones I looked at were not. Our season is winding down with the freezes so I was looking at the Marketplace for some more buys to keep in my greenhouse till spring.
And yes, I do pass by the ones I consider overpriced. I was just asking why priced as they are as I don't see them selling. It would appear that selling at a reasonable price would be more profitable than not selling at all and having to care for that plant for a longer period of time and continue to try to sell it.
Thank you for your input.
Lynn |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
November 20, 2008
04:37 PM Post #5813077
| Sorry, guess I misinterpreted the intention of your first post. Only the people who are selling stuff for those prices can answer why they're doing that, the rest of us can only speculate. There are any number of possible reasons--maybe it's a plant that they bought from somewhere and decided they don't want, and they want to make back what they paid for it. Or maybe they didn't do their homework on what prices other people were charging for similar things. Or maybe they figured they'd try for a little more profit and if nobody bites then they'll drop the price. Or if they're someone who does own a nursery business, maybe they for whatever reason have higher overhead than some of the other places selling it. Lots of possibilities! But the real answer is eventually if nobody buys it, they should get the hint that the price is probably too high and they'll either sell it for less or they'll decide not to sell it at all. |
podster
Deep East Texas, TX
(Zone 8a)
November 21, 2008
08:09 AM Post #5815216
| The seller would probably pull the item or lower the price if it was costing them to leave it posted. Right now, they have no overhead and should they accidentally snag a victim... so much the better for them! |
gardener2005
Baton Rouge area, LA
(Zone 8b)
November 21, 2008
12:01 PM Post #5815887
| Check if they guarantee the plant for a whole year for refund or replacement. That would explain a bit higher price than a vendor who only guarantees for two weeks after the sale. If there is no guarantee making the price for a particular plant seem worthwhile then I`d pass in favor of a lower price.
Some people may have started out with cheap prices and got burned out from the low profit and seeing people reselling them on ebay. hee haw :) |
buggycrazy
Lebanon, OR
(Zone 7b)
November 23, 2008
11:14 AM Post #5822358
| Listing here is an added cost due to having to rewrite the description and manually figure invoices and shipping cost, something my web store does automatically. So my website is ALWAYS going to be less. |
gessiegail
Taft, TX
(Zone 9a)
December 25, 2008
11:21 PM Post #5928386
| Have you shopped ebay lately. DG Markeplace is half the price for gesneriads (african violets and all relatives) |
susan727
Culpeper, VA
December 27, 2008
01:14 PM Post #5932872
| I agree with the original poster. The prices are outrageous and since I feel that way, I don't even bother to look anymore.
Susan |
gessiegail
Taft, TX
(Zone 9a)
December 27, 2008
01:52 PM Post #5932991
| This is the reason so many dGers are having to sell on ebay. The prices paid are much higher than on DG and many more interested buyers. |
gone2seed
Milton, FL
(Zone 8a)
December 27, 2008
06:44 PM Post #5933917
| I agree that the prices on DG are lower than Ebay and most online nurseries.If you compare apples to apples the prices are almost always lower.Now,that said,there are always a few who don't really want to sell their plants.Don't let those few poison the whole group. |
gessiegail
Taft, TX
(Zone 9a)
December 27, 2008
07:16 PM Post #5934008
| I love to sell plants. I have to because my favorite thing to do is to propagate more plants (lol).
Maybe I just haven't noticed those people who really don't want to sell their plants as I am always on the lookout for something I really want to buy. |
