Avoid eBay seller grbonsaipr

I ordered a Buttonwood from this guy on 11/10/2010 and paid for it the same day through PAYPAL. I contacted the seller concerned that the weather here was getting kind of cold so he agreed that it would be sent the following Monday, 11/16/2010 in an insulator box. When I contacted him to ask if he had shipped the item, he stated that he would ship "when the payment cleared". Knowing that PAYPAL payments clear almost immediately, I sent him a copy of the transaction. He checked and found that it was a problem on his end not linking his PAYPAL account to EBAY, or some such. He then offered to include another tree free of charge for my trouble and I accepted that offer.

I don't know if this happened because his wife shipped it to someone else. He then offered to send me a "better" tree on December 2nd.

It is now, December 6th and I have not heard from him for 4 days now. The weather is too cold for shipping Buttonwoods and expect them to survive now. Keep in mind, had he sent it the Monday after ordering it would have survived just fine. Due to his deplorable customer service, I have escalated the issue to eBay for a full refund.

Just a friendly warning: Avoid eBay seller grbonsaipr located in San Juan, PR

As my previous response to Billy's chrysantimum stone,re:ebay..i had such experience with this also in other country,Sad to say that they are still many dishonest person.Plants are always at high risk,if they hapen to ship it out,it will always turns out wrong specs or ot might not survive due to improper handling.Once you recieve the goods,irregardless if it's good or not,they will NOT REFUND you anymore.
Just sharing with my past experience,books items are a bit ok,But plants & tree??NEVER unless you hand carry them

I will never buy anything from ebay as I nearly got caught out myself. Far too many dodgy dealers out there and with the rates Ebay charge for transactions, they can well afford some self policing, rather than leaving it up to the public.

I don't shop e-bay but people who do tell me that -- especially for antiques, and ESPECIALLY for Oriental antiques -- fakes are more common than authentically old pieces. 99.9 % of all the netsuke (for example) touted as old, are new, Chinese- or Korean-made ripoffs.

Honestly, most of my transactions on eBay have been good. I have received plants and pots as they were advertised. But "buyer beware" is always the rule of the day. If you have questions about the item, ask them. Most respond in an timely manner. Some don't. If they don't respond to your inquiries within their stated time frame, don't buy from them. Some dealers of tropicals, or tender temperate trees offer warm packs; I don't have experience with this and would avoid purchasing at this time of year if they have to be shipped.
Another tip is to read all of the buyer feedback.
I use to sell on eBay but the seller fees (eBay and Paypal), are expensive. I'm sorry Jim (and others) have had poor experiences.
I wish there was more policing on eBay. When I search for "bonsai specimens" and most of the items are stones and accent plants, I get frustrated.
Best,
Todd

I have some of these Netsuke's Jim. I bought them knowing they were modern copies and some of them are extremely well carved. They cost about £8.00 each.

Of course I also would be very reluctant to purchase something I have not seen, touched, poked, and prodded in person. Photographs DO lie -- especially these days.

I have some of these Netsuke's Jim. I bought them knowing they weremodern copies and some of them are extremely well carved. They costabout £8.00 each.

That's fine. If the dealer is up front about what they are, have at it. Some are nicely done, but be aware most are carved by machine these days.

I have a fairly nice collection of old netsuke but have been priced out of the market (Anything less than $1000 is a 20th century copy, and most good ones go for five figures or more these days!). My "experience" is from people on the International Netsuke Society forum (http://forums.netsuke.org/) and all of the new would-be collectors who post pictures there of crap, thinking they have an antique masterpiece.

I read with interest what you guys have said about making purchases from e-bay,as you know i have not long started bonsai as a hobby and have bought 5 trees,they have arrived in perfect condition and pretty fast,but having said this i will be very vigilant in the future,i have bought from reputable sellers and have asked questions before buying thanks for a great bonsai lnternet club its great to read items from people in the know of this new but enjoyable hobby

stephen clarke wrote:I read with interest what you guys have said about making purchases from e-bay,as you know i have not long started bonsai as a hobby and have bought 5 trees,they have arrived in perfect condition and pretty fast,but having said this i will be very vigilant in the future,i have bought from reputable sellers and have asked questions before buying thanks for a great bonsai lnternet club its great to read items from people in the know of this new but enjoyable hobby

Not all items are bad Stephen,but just be extra careful,Jim is right,better buy things in which you can see and touch in person,even yet in person you do it,they are really good in fooling you...the likes of tropical fish,etc....they will feed them color enhancement just to get good quality color.Once you tested a source just try it on a safety level point when you order,if in case you'll be rip off,it hurts a little

cheers ogie,like i said i will be very aware from now on,i have heard about tropical fish and colouring,i have seen it done with heathers here in scotland

Dont forget that an ebay sellers history and rating can easily be made up through a network or family and friends.

stephen clarke wrote:cheers ogie,like i said i will be very aware from now on,i have heard about tropical fish and colouring,i have seen it done with heathers here in scotland

you got it there my friend,take care

Thanks for the comments. This was actually the fist tree I had ordered from eBay.

I wanted to make note, however, that not all eBay-ers are like him. Erik Wigert, aka wigertsmangogrove, is very reputable. I wouldn't hesitate a bit ordering trees he has listed on eBay. I have purchased several from him via his website, and have been more than satisfied with not only the quality of his trees, but also the followup advice he provides when asked.

By the way, eBay has offered a full refund for this "transaction gone wacky". I'm thankful for that

Gandalph wrote:Thanks for the comments. This was actually the fist tree I had ordered from eBay.

I wanted to make note, however, that not all eBay-ers are like him. Erik Wigert, aka wigertsmangogrove, is very reputable. I wouldn't hesitate a bit ordering trees he has listed on eBay. I have purchased several from him via his website, and have been more than satisfied with not only the quality of his trees, but also the followup advice he provides when asked.

By the way, eBay has offered a full refund for this "transaction gone wacky". I'm thankful for that

Congratulation for the refund...i'm glad it all ends well
Cheers..Alex