I have been looking at Carmel marble philos for awhile and came across this. It seems way too cheap for that many nodes, but the seller does have positive reviews šš
My head says scam, but Iām just curious if anyoneās ordered something like this and it was real.
by brealeigh
11 Comments
I donāt know how prevalent they are but anything too good to be true with few vendor reviews and a lengthy shipping window from out of country (I.e. Indonesia) is probably a scam.
I know because I ordered something off Etsy that checked all those boxes. Was able to get money back, but still a waste of time.
Yes, if the price is too good to be true, it is likely a scam and they do happen on Etsy. A lot of those accounts sell a bunch of cheap stuff to get a bunch of reviews and then start scamming once they have enough reviews.
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I only buy from US-based sellers with shorter shipping windows on Etsy. Luckily Etsy has buyer protection and accounts that scam will eventually be blocked by Etsy.
Yea on etsy I stay away from anything I canāt get within 7 days & anything out the US thatās just me. The intl ones look scammy
I know a guy with an Etsy shop who has some of these (not sure if theyāre quite ready to sell but I think heās got them in tissue culture at the moment). Heās incredibly knowledgeable and trustworthy. I just bought a haul of plants off him (some rare and expensive) and you wonāt find better shipped plants at better prices/quality. Iāve bought from him twice now and heās my go-to nursery owner now. Iād be happy to give you the info to talk to him on Etsy if you want!
Absolutely prevalent. I recommend not buying from outside your country, and especially avoid shops in Sri Lanka/Indonesia advertising aroids. Even if they have hundreds of sales theyāre fake. Within your country, I wouldnāt buy anything but well-rooted cuttings or tissue culture. If you arenāt sure about a seller in general it doesnāt hurt to pay with PayPal for more protection beyond what Etsy guarantees.
Yes ugh, when I first started buying tropical plants, I thought I hit the jackpot when I found an albo node for like $8 š I had to get a refund after waiting the 2 months it said it would take to get from Sri Lanka. I now only buy from sellers in my country.
Just want to read everyones experience and find out what would induce you guys to make a first purchase from a new vendor.
Yes, extremely. A while ago, I tried ordering a high-demand plant from a shop with thousands of sales. It had a long delivery time, but never received it. The day after itās ālatest expected delivery dateā, I filed a complaint to see the shop no longer existed. I disputed it to Etsy customer service, and I was refunded – but they showed me the business name of the account (internal name, or what it was incorporated – NOT the displayed shop name on Etsy)ā¦ I was refunded from an entity called āFakey LLCā
I bought from this same Etsy store for a few rare plant nodes not too long ago and I was met with a “item unavailable/store closed” after making a purchase through here! I ended up filing a claim with PayPal and they’re refunding me for the entire order, 1000% a scammer!! Be wary folks!!
Yes.
Unfortunately yes. Iāve been scammed a few times by sellers from Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. I would only by rare plants from U.S or local sellers. I was scammed out of $200 for a monstera albo once. I would be very cautious of overseas sellers and suspiciously low prices on rare plants.