No it doesn’t look like scale to me;).

That’s what I thought, I asked if she’s sure it’s not just mechanical damage. But she feels sure it is scale. I asked if it came off with a q-tip and she said not at first but after leaving alcohol on it for a few minutes it came off. So confused!

Doesn't look like scale to me either.

Arghhh!

Do you guys have any guess what it could be? Oedema?

I don't think it's scale, either. Looks like mechanical damage/scarring, but that wouldn't come off... I don't have a clue what it could be.

Could be mechanical damage or oedema. It's on the inside of a leaf and base where you really don't see it honestly.

If superficial, mechanical damage can sometime rub off, like scab, showing the live tissue underneath, then a new scab forms within a few days.

Not scale. Everyone commenting above is correct in their assessment of mechanical damage

I am so happy everyone is in agreement. I was panicking thinking about all my plants being infested with someone I couldn’t even see. I think maybe what she was trying to rub off were scabs then, and maybe if she rubbed hard enough/let alcohol soak it, it took the scab right off. Thanks so much everyone

That is not Scale it looks like scarification from physical damage. She forgot to put her SSN, take care when taking photos and posting online. The nails look morphy too.

Doesn´t look like scale to me - and the pics look like they have been ´adjusted´.

I sell a lot of plants, mostly Lophophora williamsii - I know that they are all pest free - and once someone else has received them I have no control over what happens to them. But I never cease to be amazed by the stupid things people do to them - totally contrary to my advice. One fool sent me a pic of one of my beauties some months after - totally etiolated - I could have cried.

I sold some plants for the first time last week and my biggest nightmare, related to that anyway, is someone finding bugs on the plants when I never had them before. I can imagine how stressful this whole situation is.

I haven’t sold plants, but I’ve traded. I’m always thinking “please don’t let there be a stow away”. I go through all the plants like my life depends on it;). I’ve seen some pics where the person literally just opened the box, and the plants are covered in scale. It’s like a crust of scale. How did the seller not see that?!

Just my personal observation, but a lot of sellers don't seem to be growers anymore, just importers and resellers who aren't really even familiar with what they're selling. I've seen product photos that included mealies or other problems like rot more times than I can count. Buying plants online is really a crapshoot.

AS, I hope you're able to get either the money you're owed or your product back...

I did really feel awful (and of course hard to not be personally offended) about this because I wasn’t just reselling this. I had this plant in my collection and only sold it because I needed to make some extra money. and also would never knowingly sell someone a piece of crap, so I do feel bad that I sent a plant like this.

In a turn of events, everyone was correct! This lady ended up looking at the plant through a microscope and did confirm it’s not actually scale.

Yesterday while watering one of my haws and reaching into the leaves with a tweezers to get a piece of pumice that had lodged its way in there, I realized I do this a LOT. I hate to see pieces of pumice/ any other crap stuck in the leaves, and this is what I must have done to this plant I sold the lady, and just didnt realize when I shipped it/like eww said, since most of it would be buried anyways.

So anyways I am very happy I asked you all and can now rest assured that i don’t have an infestation going on!