Galanthus on Ebay

[SusanH]

I have noticed a seller on Ebay - palepink127 - selling lots of Galanthus - no photos
Does anyone know if this is a genuine seller?
I know Ebay can be a bit of a hit or a miss if you don’t know a genuine seller
Thank you.

[Alan_b]

My advice would be not to buy unless you know the identity of the eBay seller.  At the very least there should be a picture of the actual item on sale.  If you do buy and the bulbs turn out to be wrong when they flower next year it will be too late to do anything about it and you will not get your money back.
 
palepink127

• Has been on eBay since 1999 - That's a very long time indeed
• No pictures of the snowdrops on sale - Bad
• No old feedback mentioning Galanthus - Bad

[MargaretB]

Not giving any names in case he doesn't want to be identified, but I would say that the seller is a very knowledgeable galanthophile and forumist, the clues are all there.  I wouldn't hesitate to buy, in fact I already have!

[Alan_b]

With MargaretB's prompting I have identified palepink127 and I concur that he is a highly reputable galanthophile.  Selling on eBay would seem to be a new departure which is why he only appears to have sold only one snowdrop so far - to MargaretB presumably.

[WSGR]

Alan, you made me chuckle! I bought some on ebay and it was someone from Norfolk and it was bad, bad, bad! I wouldn't buy it unless the flower is ON! Ask Monty Don. Even he said you had to be careful. People can sell you anything and you won't be able to tell till the end of the year!

[Alan_b]

Yes, I remember those words of caution from Monty Don.  eBay scams where you sell a plant out of season that can only be identified as a fake when it comes into flower are by no means confined to snowdrops.  These scams work for the fraudsters because eBay is extremely reluctant to do anything if more than 30 days have elapsed since the purchase.  There are several of the usual warning signs against palepink127, although the length of eBay membership is a positive.  However when I went back and looked through my records it turned out that I myself had sold something to palepink127 and therefore could identify exactly who they were. 

[WSGR]

Ebay would not ruin sellers' records. You can get your refund. Only chance of your record ruin is when someone posted some nagative feedback. To ebay, it's a business and they take the middleman's money.