Long story short My mom always loved the albino Monstera. I never even knew about them until she told me. She didn’t have a green thumb and she was too scared to try. I finally talked her into trying and her biggest want was the pink princess Philodendron. She was murdered in early 2022 and never got to have her houseplants. Since I never got a resting place for her or a goodbye, I had this i guess what seems now like a silly idea that I would get them both and grow them in memory of my mom.. maybe grow them and a put up a pic on the wall behind them. I saw a couple positive posts about buying from Etsy but didn’t see the scammed stories at the time. Honestly I was uneducated and thought I found a good deal. I stupidly didn’t research enough. Now the seller is no longer available and the “tracking number” shows it wasn’t valid. I translated the text that came up. The video shows they no longer exist on Etsy. They had so many “reviews” and I should have done a better job at really reading them. I guess I’ll get the money back from Etsy but could anyone directly to where I could buy a cutting with a node from someone reputable? I don’t know if that’s allowed but if it is I would love a link to a reputable place.
by Piggie_Piggie_Smalls
21 Comments
Check Facebook marketplace. Depending on where you are, there’s a good chance someone will have cuttings, if not whole plants.
Good luck! 🌱
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How did you pay? If im not mistaken Etsy provides buyer protection and if you paid with paypal, you could file a claim and get refunded in full
Sorry about your experience but this is known scam on Etsy, they pop up under different names, they have listings that sounds too good to be true and you see ratings and you buy but never receive anything. They buy existing shops that have good ratings, then change the name and product listings for something crazy that is too good of a price to pass up.
At the peak of plant madness I have seen people dump 100s to 1000s to these scammers.
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My bf got me a rooted albo cutting with 2 leaves on it for $100. He bought the same thing for himself from the same shop and we’re both very happy with what was delivered. DM me and I’m happy to share the shop name (not sure if it’s allowed in a public comment)
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Unfortunately Monstera albo cuttings are one of those things that are very very often scammed. If I search for one in Etsy, like you did, pretty much all of the results that come up first look questionable. If it were me, I would check Palmstreet for one, and look carefully at the seller rating and reviews, and read the shop guidelines and rules before buying. Make sure they have a 4.9 or 5 star rating, have plenty of sales (think a couple hundred at least) and have reasonable rules and things like shipping upgrades and insulation. Plus, make sure they’re shipping from the same county you’re buying from. Plants don’t like being in the mail long.
https://www.reddit.com/r/RareHouseplants/s/bCdKi39NZM
Im sorry this happened to you, but a quick google search could have saved you so much trouble. I know you’ve already mentioned that you know you should have taken more time before buying, but I feel like it bears repeating, because this sadly happens to so many people. I can’t see the shop (obviously) but if I search the name in google, it looks like their product photos were for pencils and bowls and watches, and said they’re shipping out of Sri Lanka? Correct me if I’m wrong (I’ll attach a photo).
Consider it a lesson learned. Plant sellers that are reputable will always just sell plants. They will have been selling plants for a while and probably nothing else. Sure there might be exceptions (eg I’ve bought from a seller that just started out and took a chance, and it worked out, but I was very aware that it was a chance). There’s people online that sell other goods (often small cheap items) and rack up a few good reviews, then switch to something big and expensive like rare plant cuttings. They get some sales from people that just look at the overall review rating number (ie 4.9/5 stars) and don’t actually read the reviews, and then close shop, or don’t deliver what’s promised and take their money and disappear.
Also, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. A quick google search or Etsy search would tell you that Albo cuttings go for way more than that everywhere else. Why would this person sell them so cheap and take a loss? They could just be really nice and not interested in money, sure, but it’s more likely they’re a scammer.
I explain this all not to shame you or make you feel bad, but because I feel like shopping online is inherently dangerous (for these reasons and others), and that people should be aware of the issues and how to avoid them (it usually boils down to: read reviews, read independent reviews, if available, and do your own research). Thankfully Etsy doesn’t give out your credit card information, and they’re usually pretty good about resolving scammed sales if you reach out to them. In this case it’s pretty cut and dry that it wasn’t an honest sale, and you should be able to get your money returned with a little time and effort.
Get this resolved with the bank. I believe one buyer stole my info or something because I got charged for random items right after I purchased something off there. Went to the bank and they launched a full investigation for only $40 or so that they stole
So sorry this happened to you. I have purchased through Coollectives on Etsy and Amazon before and was not disappointed. If I remember correctly, they have both the plants you want. Good luck!
Pink princess are cheap now. If you’re stateside check Walmart or Lowe’s or even a grocery store like Trader Joe’s. I’ve seen them as low as $11 ❤️
Call your bank and tell them that those are fraudulent charges and what happened.
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I wonder if I got scammed from the same place. I also need to file a PayPal claim but haven’t yet.
Thank you very much. I am in Ny. I had gone to my local Walmart and a homedepot about 1/2 an hour away. I didn’t find them. They just had a couple of the same jade and ivy that I do have. I’m in the woods. Many times when I’ve gone into my local Walmart…their indoor plants were so depressing to look at. About 2 years ago I ended up buying a spider and an aloe. They looked horrible but I couldn’t leave them. Someone needed to care. Now they are doing great but it took a lot of love. I wish the Walmart by me would at least give some love to the plants inside. It seems to me the ones outside in the summer get taken care of but the ones inside at least here look like a literal dirt nap is all it’s destined for. I’m thinking I’m going to have to do some driving. That’s ok. Maybe it’s just my store. Thanks for the help.
Coolective Plants out of Apopka, FL, have been great. They are on Etsy, so there are good vendors there.
I’m sorry you had to deal with that! 💚
I have bought from this Etsy seller, they are reputable.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1369854578/?ref=share_ios_native_control
Im sorry for your loss, so the ones I’ve gotten is from Mercari! They have tons of sellers and the good thing about them is if it isn’t what you ordered you can return. I’m sure people still try to scam it’s just harder to do. Also look at their reviews. I’ve gotten a couple of plants off of their and always happy
Oh no! I have purchased a plant from this company last week! 😭
https://preview.redd.it/2mybrw6dj3cf1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30556db9c052953a92e81600e29ffcaf805ef490
Thank you so much for the help everyone. I reached out to Etsy and because I did pay through PayPal I had to open up a case with them which I did, but it was super nice and gave me a credit for one of the plants. I truly appreciate all the help
I’m so sorry that this happened to you. I’m also so sorry for your loss ❤️