spunwhirllin Posted March 21, 2009 (edited) Why in the world do people place Trichocereus cuttings up on a pedestal? Some of the asking and selling prices of these cuttings is just absurd! Perhaps a shortage of Trichoereus plants? Will people just buy them regardless of cost? I'm a serious collector,but damn. It's not like I don't have the funds,but it just doesn't feel right. It just seems like people are taking advantage of peoples ignorance. Please,tell me I'm wrong,or that I'm missing the point all together,etc. Just simply supply and demand? Edited March 21, 2009 by spunwhirllin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sharxx101 Posted March 21, 2009 Hey mate I think this post is in the wrong section should be in the bitches and gripes section of this forum IMO. Also if you collect Trichocereus you know that some are more rare than others and this can command a higher price due to rarity or slow growing. I think most cacti I have bought has been reasonable. Why in the world do people place Trichocereus cuttings up on a pedestal?Some of the asking and selling prices of these cuttings is just absurd! Perhaps a shortage of Trichoereus plants? Will people just buy them regardless of cost? I'm a serious collector,but damn. It's not like I don't have the funds,but it just doesn't feel right. It just seems like people are taking advantage of peoples ignorance. Please,tell me I'm wrong,or that I'm missing the point all together,etc. Just simply supply and demand? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spunwhirllin Posted March 21, 2009 I wouldn't describe my question as a bitch or a gripe,but opinions are like....... Simply supply and demand. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Evil Genius Posted March 21, 2009 (edited) Not a Thread that belongs into Bitches and Gripes but in the general cacti Forum! But yeah, sometimes Trichs are way too expensive! Compared to real rare Cacti, Trichs are more like collector´s items! But just like you said, the rules of supply and demand settle this problem most of the time! On fairs, the Vendors that charge too much money for their plants mostly take them home again at the end of the day! And thats good! From my experience, the really rare cacti are the cheapest because they are so rare that people dont know them! bye Eg Edited March 21, 2009 by Evil Genius Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spunwhirllin Posted March 21, 2009 You've got some valid points EG. I suppose I'm just annoyed by the ridiculous prices people place on these plants,and ethnobotanicals in general.So this can now be moved to 'bitches and gripes' section. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
~shameless~ Posted March 22, 2009 ^^ Hmm...... actually all the cacti i'v bought from folk from this site have been tips and cuts and have all been reasonably priced at about the $25-30$ per foot, (cheap actually) they have been tip or mid cuts and have come from really old and mature flowering plants. maybe specify what you want better, let people know what you really want At collectors corner (retail nursery) in sth east melbourne I recently brought a blueish peruvian that wasnt quite a foot actually, it taperd off at about half a foot maybe a bit more, it was in a six inch pot with not a huge amount of root growth either and i paid $70!! It depends where you live,..... If your in melbourne the prices that people sell there stuff for on this forum are REALLY FAIR to say the least, and ussually varieties that cant be brought in nurseries, most dopey nursery staff could even tell you what a trich is let alone a J2 long spined pedro or bridget "eilleen". People that i'v brought from so far have been REALLY KIND and REALLY HELPFUL- be nice and it will come back to u in due course man. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JDanger Posted March 22, 2009 HHH Newtown were selling <20cm cuts for $50. Before I asked for the price they were telling some chick in front of me that kava should be mixed with Baileys. I should've told 'em what's what. Maybe next time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
apothecary Posted March 22, 2009 Hi spun, What is a reasonable price in your eyes? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spunwhirllin Posted March 22, 2009 (edited) Something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.Having said this,prices might just be perceived as reasonable. If I were just starting to collect Trich's I think it would be prohibitively expensive to even begin due to the cost of plants. Hell,I rarely buy plants nowadays,I mostly just trade. This is why most of my collection consists of stumps and small cuttings,because as soon as I receive something new I'm already cutting it up to send to other collectors. As an online community it feels as if we have strayed from the collective path of reciprocity,into the pit of capitalistic greed.I understand,and very much appreciate online stores such as SAB,Allies,SS and so on.I've raised many fine plants from these sources,and couldn't of without their existance,but thats a givin. In general, I am in constant awe of the generosity offered to me by many who frequent ethnobotanical forums like these.Simply blows me away. Something just seems off though,perhaps it's me while I sit here with both feet in my mouth. I'm in the process of starting a Trich farm,so this will be good for business,domestically. Edited March 22, 2009 by spunwhirllin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kenny Posted March 22, 2009 Maybe I have missed something. Most of the cuts I have seen this site and others range from $20-50 for around a 30cm cuts, which seems to be the average price where ever you look. Unless its a mature slow growing cactus like a williamsii or something which goes up and over $100. I don't imagine I would pay that much unless it was a particularly attractive specimen though. Taking the time to raise my own exotics is something I look forward to. My first cacti purchase was from a member here. $50 for 2 30cm cuts, a 10-15cm cut and a baby pach. Maybe they weren't the most exotic of specimens but they are growing well and I imagine in a couple years they will be big enough to take cuts and trade or sell to another person such as myself. Which is the ultimate goal in my opinion. If it winds up costing you $50-100 (which it has for me so far) to get your first few plants/cacti going so be it. From there on you have somewhere to start and you have more reason to become involved with communities like this. So even if some people get taken advantage of with an overpriced plant/cut here and there. If they are enthusiastic I'm sure it will balance out in the end, considering all the generosity floating around. Since I have been here there have been at least 3 give aways with people posting out all kinds of free seed/cuttings, not to mention the free seed exchange which I hope to take more part in as soon as I have the material to trade. Good luck with your Trich farm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chiral Posted March 22, 2009 Compared to prices you see them go for in nurseries I think the price they go for around here is very reasonable...50cents per cm is great around here compared to some trichs I see in nurseries that can be $80 and more for 30cm ones in pots. You can buy one cutting here for around $30 and propagate that over and over and sell a cutting back to someone else in the future therefore it hasn't cost you anything. Some of the rarer cuts also are simply not available commercially in nurseries or other plant outlets. Try locating a T.Roseii, or T Macrogonus in any K Mart or Bunnings plant section...you simply can't. For what its worth a lot of people here find they can trade something the seller is interested in therefore the cost is balanced out with bartering. Of all the Ethno's Cactus are the most amazing to grow and look fantastic...they become an obsession quite quickly for the collector...with so many hybrids and variations it's no different to people who collect model trains or stamps....just we are not as geeky as those collectors is all... The object like all collectors is to have 1 of everything and show off how well you can grow them..that in itself is a lifelong commitment and a very healthy hobby in my opinion. I have had to only buy about 1/3 of my collection..the rest has been given to me from generous SAB members and other friends. H. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlackDragon Posted March 22, 2009 Also seems a few people would like cuts for nothing. I have had a few people ask for M&D cuts, ive taken them and prepped them, only to have the askers re-neg on the sale. They only want to trade, after the price is given.. its happened a few times now. Im happy to trade if i had the space but im outa room and am not taking new cuts, Im trying to reduce my stock and trying to share around the M&D at a reasonable price. Ive offered them for $30/30cm tip cut, but that seems to much in some peoples eyes. Geez, i would have been happy to pay $50 back years ago in my furious collecting years. Having managed a nursery some years ago, and having brought heaps of my inital collection from bunnings all those years ago at their exhorborent prices, i consider $30 a foot a steal for a 'known' cut. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spunwhirllin Posted March 22, 2009 Well I've been collecting for a good ten years now and understand the in's and out's of collecting,hell I'm still a fanatic and it's a wonderful thing. I agree that in the end overpriced cuttings will pay for themselves.I've paid well over $150 for a 12'' cutting,even more once postage from Peru is accounted for,and don't regret it for a moment.Yes this cutting,and many others will also pay for themselves once released. So I really do understand the whole supply/demand concept,and what being a collector requires. The Australian clones are very desirable to a collector like myself,but what makes them so desirable is the fact that I can't aquire them, not without re-financing my house! That is the basis of the artificial inflation of prices from the perspective of an outsider.However,I just don't grasp the asking prices for you locals that easily have access. I am slow though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
strangebrew Posted March 23, 2009 Americans can't grasp the realities of prices in other countries period for anything, so don't try. It's comparing apples to oranges. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spunwhirllin Posted March 23, 2009 Can you elaborate and/or assist this Amerikan in understanding,if you have a moment? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PD. Posted March 23, 2009 well if you think about it spun, the price you would pay for lets say 2 1ft cuts of any named clone in Au at standard price (for the more common clones) $1 per cm, making a total of $60 for 2ft, now add shipping to USA, around $50, that brings it to a total of $110Au. Now lets factor in the current exchange rate......It comes to around $75US, not a far cry from the $60 the cuts would have cost here, no, it would cost around $75 here too once you add postage costs........... what exactly cant you get your head around and what "seems a bit off"????? Like many have already mentioned, the prices on most of the named clones are MORE than reasonable considering they arent really all that common in the grander scale of things. I have seen a regular pach around 2ft with a price tag of $75 at a nursery, when i went back three days later it had been sold! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
strangebrew Posted March 23, 2009 Can you elaborate and/or assist this Amerikan in understanding,if you have a moment? Basically, you live in consumer wonderland compared to other countries and trying to equate pricing just doesn't compute. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sharxx101 Posted March 23, 2009 (edited) well if you think about it spun, the price you would pay for lets say 2 1ft cuts of any named clone in Au at standard price (for the more common clones) $1 per cm, making a total of $60 for 2ft, now add shipping to USA, around $50, that brings it to a total of $110Au. Now lets factor in the current exchange rate......It comes to around $75US, not a far cry from the $60 the cuts would have cost here, no, it would cost around $75 here too once you add postage costs...........what exactly cant you get your head around and what "seems a bit off"????? Like many have already mentioned, the prices on most of the named clones are MORE than reasonable considering they arent really all that common in the grander scale of things. I have seen a regular pach around 2ft with a price tag of $75 at a nursery, when i went back three days later it had been sold! I have seen common pedro go for more of that at markets so I know what you mean PD I seen one label for $100. It depends on the person really I value the cut at what I THINK it is worth cause there is no standardised pricing for cacti! Depends on how thick the cut is it, if it has roots etc many factors for me can have an increased price. Loph are priceless to some and worth nothing to others its a matter of opinioin that is why this post is in the wrong section, except if you are trying to SELL your opinion of the prices of cacti here. Edited March 23, 2009 by sharxx101 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
incognito Posted March 23, 2009 cacti are WAY cheaper buying within this community than what u would pay in a commercial nursery. what PD said basically. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chiral Posted March 23, 2009 Consumer wonderland...ROLMAO... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spunwhirllin Posted March 23, 2009 O.K.,I get it. I agree,there is alot of defensive selling of opinions here.I didn't intend on insulting anyone or their actions,just asking a few questions.Ultimately it doesn't matter anyway,people will pay what they believe its worth or not. How many here in this thread actively sell cacti in oz? I understand the defensive stance. Appreciate the time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
incognito Posted March 23, 2009 (edited) me. not being defensive, just stating facts. could i ask what u would propose as a good price? keep in mind the cost of pots, potting mixes, ferts, time etc. i think u will find even at $1 a centimetre most growers aernt making ANY money at all, considering the amount of cacti growers here actually sell. Its not that big a market. Also take into consideration the amount of cacti (sellers here anyway) give away. in my opinion, trichs are cheap as chips compared to other cacti that I would love in my collection! seriously spun, a 30cm trich commonly goes for 50-60 buks in commercial nurserys here in australia. s\if ur after a particular cut feel free to pm me and we can sort out a price!! im also happy to trade!! Edited March 23, 2009 by incognito Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
holymountain Posted March 23, 2009 personally i have found the prices on these forums to be more than reasonable. incognito and pd in particular have sold lots of healthy, rare specimens for prices that i found more than generous. having bought really expensive cacti from nurseries in the past i can't understand what the problem is, this forum is great and apart from the odd random person who comes on here selling cacti at inflated prices (and this hardly ever happens) none of the sales reek of any capitalism. i've even bought several cacti and had postage payed for me. rather than being about making money it seems on these forums at least to be more about sharing these plants around. as for the concerns regarding exchange rates....us australians get screwed over all the time buying stuff from the US so it's only fair that it occasionally works in reverse. peace. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chiral Posted March 23, 2009 I've never seen anyone giving cactus away for free in the States..! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
t st tantra Posted March 23, 2009 when i first came here over 7 years ago,bridgessii were $1.50 a cm and pach was $1 a cm so prices have dropped a little........i consider them much cheaper than retail and quite fairly priced esp when the sender is often paying postage out of their $1 a cm and thats a few bucks to $9 for express post and some costs for packaging. t s t . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
