Are orchid vendors deceptive?

[StreetVariety]

It seems like most orchid vendors suggest culture tips that will definitely lead to orchids' death. Is this their business model?

 

[troy]

I get reference from known professionals, there are many on this forum!! Just ask!!

 

[PaphMadMan]

Most mass market orchids in bud or flower come with instructions that should keep them alive long enough to enjoy the flowers for a few weeks. Beyond that most people do throw them away, and yes, that is part of the business model for those flowering plants. Those big box and grocery store wholesalers and sellers want you to come back in a few weeks and buy another, not keep it alive to flower again. I'm not sure I would call the practice actively deceptive, just capitalism in action.

Legitimate orchid greenhouses and producers that sell plants for collectors as well as plants in flower usually give very good instructions, though sometimes they are still focused on greenhouse growing rather than what is best for windowsill and under-lights growers. This has actually gotten much better over the years. 40-50 years ago most instructions assumed a greenhouse, and even the suggestion that you could grow in your home was taboo for some growers.

 

[StreetVariety]

I'm referring to "legitimate" orchid greenhouses and producers.

At best, they give you half baked tips like "General thumb of rule is to water once a week" while they're growing their orchids in semi hydro conditions. :rollhappy:

 

[Ray]

I'm referring to "legitimate" orchid greenhouses and producers.

At best, they give you half baked tips like "General thumb of rule is to water once a week" while they're growing their orchids in semi hydro conditions. :rollhappy:

Under some circumstances, watering plants in S/H culture once a week might be perfectly appropriate.

 

[StreetVariety]

Under some circumstances, watering plants in S/H culture once a week might be perfectly appropriate.

Exactly... Except they don't tell you what the circumstances are.

 

[littlefrog]

That is really the problem. Vendors don't know what your circumstances are...

 

[Secundino]

What is your point really?

Before buying, you should inform yourself.
A vendor wants to sell, and knows perfectly how to do so.

 

[tnyr5]

It's a two-way street. If you ask a generic question (" How do I grow this?"), you will get a generic answer. If you ask a specific question ("How do you think I should grow this with V water quality, W ferts, under X light, Y humidity, and Z temperatures?") then you'll get an answer tailored to your use. Realistically, it's their job to provide orchids, not teach anyone how to grow them (especially if they're just asking questions & not buying) and yes, they will leave out the tricks they've developed to grow orchids faster than their rivals, as well they should. The good vendors, of course, do both, because they know that the average customer is "put off" by being referred to a book. Too many people want someone to spoon-feed them the answers nowadays. It's not completely their fault, and they don't often realize that they're doing it; society has conditioned people to be that way.

In all honesty, compared to vendors from some other hobbies *cough* reef aquariums *cough*, the orchid sellers are saints! Sorry for the rant.

 

[coronacars]

What is deceptive is the picture they take vs the orchid they send you.

 

[SlipperFan]

You are painting with a pretty broad brush. I suspect you had some bad experience with one or two vendors. My own experience with many vendors is that they give advice based on their own background and knowledge. By now, most orchid growers know that what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another. Just get on the internet and ask how to grow a Phalaenopsis, for example. You'll get dozens of different answers. Do your research and find out what works for you.

In the case of the photo -- are you talking about eBay?

 

[ehanes7612]

The whole point of having a hobby is to learn on your own...every bit of advice should be taken with a grain of salt

 

[coronacars]

Yes I see a lot of great pics on ebay and I know that is not the orchid you will get. Some post an awesome pic and say this is representative of what you will get but I will pick the actual orchid when I ship. Others however do say exact pic of the orchid you are bidding on. It for sure is buyer beware.

 

[Happypaphy7]

I agree with what Dot says and some of what others say.

You should search and know basics about where in the wild a plant or for hybrids, their ancestral species come from, then see if you could provide good enough conditions.
If you feel confident, you try and learn as you go.

Vendors grow theirs in the environment that are very different from others.
They can only give you basic guide lines.

Regarding culture, I think it is best to utilize websites like this where you can find people with similar conditions and talk and share experiences.

You are overgeneralizing things here by throwing the question and I don't think that is fair to good business people out there.

I only know one vendor who sends a piece of paper with full of crap written on it, and I know many people know who I'm talking about. lol

 

[Happypaphy7]

Coronacas-

Be specific, please.
I hate to hear this kind of general stories based on a single or very limited incidents as if eBay is a bad market place or sellers on eBay are somehow dishonest.

Dishonest people are everywhere.
I have dealt with a lot of plants and other non-living objects on eBay for many many years.
While I have a few occasions where I got things that were not up to my ideal standards, I've never received anything that was different than what was shown in the pictures on the listing.

If you have received items that are different than what was shown in the photos in the listing, there are ways to resolve the issues.
Take pictures and communicate with the seller. They usually work with you as your negative feedback will affect them badly.
You can also report to eBay.

Overall, I find eBay a great market place, especially for buying orchids.
The best part for me is to be able to see what I'm getting because I am very particular about clean plants.
If you don't like what you see, simply don't buy. Ask questions before bidding or buying, read details in the listing.
You should be fine this way.

 

[coronacars]

Here is one sellers disclaimer from Ebay:

We have several and will send best plant available on day of shipping. Plant and flower pics representational not exact.

I agree I have had great experiences from Ebay orchid sellers. I do think it is buyer beware. By communicating with them first and letting them know what you want it helps a lot. And you have to look at what you pay. I don't expect something amazing for a bargain price. I'm a firm believer in you get the quality that is reflected in the price. That doesn't mean it has to be crazy price. Some thing don't bring as much as others, but if you want quality it probably isn't $19.99.

 

[NYEric]

I have been in the hobby for way longer than I have been using eBay. I have only been burned once, maybe I have been lucky.

 

[Happypaphy7]

I have seen that desclaimer also.
I'm sure they are good, but I won't buy from such a seller because I have to see what I'm paying for and getting exactly.
It's the whole purpose of shopping on eBay for me.

Well, without mutual agreement of refund and return of something less than desiable, of course, but I don't want to go that extra burden when vast majority sellers post photos of exact things that they are selling.

 

[Happypaphy7]

I have been in the hobby for way longer than I have been using eBay. I have only been burned once, maybe I have been lucky.

I have been disappointed, but not burned.
Ebay is a popular place for many years for reasons.
I'm sure there are different amount/kind of hick ups in different categories, though, of course.

 

[StreetVariety]

What is your point really?

Before buying, you should inform yourself.
A vendor wants to sell, and knows perfectly how to do so.

Of course, one can inform themselves except that I spent A LOT of time researching only to find that brachys apparently like heavy shade and catteyla lighting. How am I supposed to know who to trust? They certainly don't tell you their success rate.

How am I supposed to know if they just import their orchids and re-sell immediately? How do I know if they spent 20 years trying to grow that damn orchid in sup-optimal conditions? How do I know how much orchids they burned through before they found that one worked for them?

A lot of information is missing.

The whole point of having a hobby is to learn on your own...every bit of advice should be taken with a grain of salt

Sounds like a great way to rationalize the amount of orchids killed by aspiring hobbyists and fuel the orchid business. oke:

It's a two-way street. If you ask a generic question (" How do I grow this?"), you will get a generic answer. If you ask a specific question ("How do you think I should grow this with V water quality, W ferts, under X light, Y humidity, and Z temperatures?") then you'll get an answer tailored to your use. Realistically, it's their job to provide orchids, not teach anyone how to grow them (especially if they're just asking questions & not buying) and yes, they will leave out the tricks they've developed to grow orchids faster than their rivals, as well they should. The good vendors, of course, do both, because they know that the average customer is "put off" by being referred to a book. Too many people want someone to spoon-feed them the answers nowadays. It's not completely their fault, and they don't often realize that they're doing it; society has conditioned people to be that way.

In all honesty, compared to vendors from some other hobbies *cough* reef aquariums *cough*, the orchid sellers are saints! Sorry for the rant.

And being spoon fed with information to keep your plants alive is bad exactly how??? They can easily say that they grow their orchids with V water quality, W ferts, under X light, Y humidity, and Z temperatures but they don't.

Sure, orchid business is not bad as reef business, but that doesn't mean orchid business is innocent... One only have to take cursory glance at posts about rungs to see the evil. Canhii situation wasn't inspiring either.

@ Other posts
No, I haven't been burned by wrong pic or whatever. But, I just think that sellers could literally tell people exactly how they grow their orchids and they chose to not... Why is that?