I hate ebay because, if this buyer decides to open an INAD (item not as described) case, I have NO leg to stand on. Ebay will just tell me to refund, because I have a return policy. I won't be able to use my listing photos to prove they got what they won, won't be able to point out my refund policy exempts lost leaves, nothing! They will just have me refund. No big deal, except then I have to pray for a positive feedback (or no feedback), wait for the buyer to ship the plant back, nurse the plant back to health, if needed, re-list it (which means more seller fees, more final value fees), and then hope it doesn't happen again!

I was permanently cured by one of our own members who refused to pay for the plant he won. It turned so nasty that I decided I didn't ever want to do THAT again! Thankfully, I think in the plant community, you run into mostly kind people who understand that there are a dozen factors that go into why a plant declines after coming in the mail, and that it is unlikely that a good seller has anything to do with the problem. If you were shipping out crappy plants, you wouldn't have great reviews. So when one I get craps out, I figure it's either me, the change in environment, the stress of shipping... it happens. Too bad you ran into one of the "baddies".

Denise in Omaha

Thanks for listening. In other news, I decided to test the water and order from iyares on ebay. The result just came in the mail (registered mail...not good for shipping hoyas):

Am I going to leave a bad review? No. I will be asking for a refund, and will deduct "stars" for shipping speed and mention that registered mail is not a good way to ship hoyas, but I am not going to destroy the seller! I knew the risks when I bought it.

Did the seller leave a negative feedback?

Are you requesting they send the plant back to you? Unless you are gonna pay them back for the shipping i would just let them keep the plant and hope for a good outcome.

I would never leave a bad review for a seller especially if they have a perfect 100%.

Most will work with you.

Im curious why you will ask YOUR seller for a refund? Im sure you knew it take a while with the shipping that was offered. Not bashing, just wondering.....

Seller has yet to leave feedback. I partially refunded (something I did not have to do, nor should it be expected of me to do for a healthy plant with a yellow leaf, with photos taken 5 days after it arrived to buyer). I don't want the plant back. And if they request a FULL refund, ebay will make me pay the return shipping AND refund their shipping. I am not requesting anything from them.

I know you want me to compare what happened to me as a seller, and apply it, as a buyer, but there are key differences, which is why I am requesting a refund:

*iyares does not accept returns. I do.

*My plant arrived DEAD. NO part of it can be salvaged. If any part was still alive, I would not be asking for a refund. It is not just a yellow leaf, like cinnamomifolia.

*I took photos IMMEDIATELY after I signed for it and opened the box. I can prove the plant arrived in the condition in the photos. The buyer of cinnamomifolia waited 5 days. There is no proof that it arrived that way, therefore, no proof I sent it looking like that.

*I sent mine via Priority Mail 2 day. It arrived to the buyer in 2 days. This was sent registered mail, on the 2nd of September. It arrived today, the 19th of September. That is 17 days in the mail.

*iyares offers refunds for issues due to their shipping method, in their item description. I don't. My return policy does not cover leaves, buds, peduncles, or growth tips lost during shipping. It does, however, cover DOA plants and accidental mix ups (never had one yet, but just in case...).

I totally understand they are not the same scenario. Im surprised a seller offers refunds due to their shipping method. Anytime you have a plant coming from far away with slow shipping, i would make sure it has rather thick tough leaves.

Getting a negative rating on ebay is not the end of the world. It also really doesn't effect if other people will buy from you are not. Unless you just have tons of negative reviews...

Im not sure how it works but if someone receives a negative feedback i think it can be challenged.

Also, i noticed a seller this past saturday got their first negative. Apparently they sent the wrong plant out. I dont know what they did but the negative review is no longer on their profile and the 100% rating was restored.

I am not saying a negative rating is the end of the world. I really don't care about that. It is the fact this buyer accused me of selling a plant that is totally different than in the listing and challenging the health of my plants...that is my issue.

Oh aurorawa- that plant you received is dreadful! Looks like it had a fungal disease or something. I would demand a refund.

I have a dispute with EBay and am using shays money back guarantee because the seller has not responded to several emails and they also have not responded to eBay in over a week. The plants I received had root rot. If the two plants had cost around $25 I wouldn't make an issue over it however, they were around $100. (new vendor for me Kitcal)

I should have known better. My list of vendors is getting shorter and shorter.

Aurora, i am very familiar on that un-recogniceble plant purchase from "iyaris" on e-bay. He does offer an option of sending another or refund only plant cost (excluding shipping.) Sorry, you run in to those kind of buyer/people.

Thanks, all. Asking for a refund is new territory for me, as I have always been happy with my purchases. The unidentifiable plant is supposed to be Hoya sp. Pahang (scortechinii). It wasn't moldy when I received it, it was dry and crispy. But it sure looks like it molded somewhere along the journey to get here.

Ebay gives buyers too much power and none for the seller. Buyers lie through their teeth and demand money out of Ebay. Leave negative just because they didnt get their way. I will never bow down to extortion. So many con artists everywhere. Its so sad. Im a manager in a retail store and deal with this everyday. Only thing that gives me comfort is that their day will come...lol did i sound evil? Didnt mean to..So frustrated >:-[

I don't think you sound evil Lydia... karma is a b, unfortunately we usually don't get to watch with glee when it strikes back. ;)

This makes me really sad, as I am just a hoya hobbyist and I rely on ebay quite often for mostly anything outside of a carnosa. I have received wimpy cuttings in the past, lower leaves in bad shape, and a couple of plants that just immediately hated my growing environment. It sucks that people A.) don't take any of the accountability... It's a living freaking plant!! B.) lack the knowledge or know how to keep the plant in good condition... and C.) behave dishonestly and ruin it for the rest of us that would have chalked it up to the game and given good feedback upon receipt.

On the other hand, I ordered cuttings from iyares in August that I never received, and it's been nothing but grief trying to get anything resolved. I started with the seller, they played games, then escalated to ebay, it fell into a black hole; now is at the paypal level. If that doesn't work I'll escalate to AmEx and claim fraud. It's enough to turn a buyer off eBay! And iyares has a 100% rating! Surely I'm not the only unhappy buyer! But even after all that I haven't left negative feedback after what I've read here.

The end result is that I don't even look at anything offered outside North America. Sad. :-(

I ordered from iyares before. I also got nothing! Ebay refunded me because they entered no tracking. Then they asked me why i filed....i didn't leave them negative because i gave them the benefit of the doubt....the person that gave me negative only did it because they didnt get their way. They said that the cactus separated in 3 places. I actually stated in my auction that it may not stay intact because it was a 9 tail large monkey tail cactus. She wanted a discount outside of ebay and without showing proof of any damage. i said i couldn't do that but that she was welcomed to return it for full refund. I never heard from her again until her negative fb. She lied! I package very carefully. I cant help how the mail handlers treat packages... I could easily reroot every bit of that monkey tail and so could she. She wanted it but wanted it for nothing...i will not give into con artists ever!...Ebay is so unfair to sellers. The bad buyers have totally taken advantage of this...I've even sold to tricky garden webbers that are amungst us. They brake leaves in the weirdest places and ask for me to send another plant...pfft, yeah right! I dont think so! These people are ruining ebay!

I bought iyares of eBay auction too. Nothing good came out. Not good on shipping at all.....plants arrived crispy or rotten. They offer replacement or refund for the plant. But, I never negative feedback too them.

I haven't sold anything on eBay yet - that's the plan for next year. But as a buyer, if a plant or cutting arrives looking anywhere close to OK and then doesn't do well, I have no one to blame but myself. If I got a monkey tail in pieces I'd feel lucky that I could root them and get more plants. I don't get it. Sadness all around.

Ill just sell tiny tails from now on. Figured someone would be thrilled to get a large one.....hopefully ebay will improve on somethings soon. Like let sellers give appropriate feedback to "nightmare buyers" & "con artists".....im a buyer too and even when i have had problems i dont leave nevative. I just file with ebay. If i get my money back after i return the item i have no problem.

I too have sold and bought a fair amount on ebay, I haven't sold for a while just because of dealing with the few nightmare buyers stresses me out.

Same here on plants,If if it showed up in rough shape(really bad shape), I let the seller know to give them an idea of what happened in shipping,Not ask for a refund just maybe a replacement if it was totally not saveable

I would have loved a large monkey tail even if it showed up a little banged up