...it probably is. Beware of this seller who is clearly using Photoshop to doctor his photos. Don't be fooled. Plumeria collectors all over the country are horrified by his misrepresentation of his plumerias. His name is Anthony, and he uses the eBay name of Mantisbee: http://cgi.ebay.com/Super-Scarce-Plumeria-Silent-Night-Borneo-Hybrid_W0QQitemZ7720654489QQcategoryZ103447QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Avoid his plumeria auctions at all costs!
Clare,
He has sent nasty responses to several people simply for inquiring about the pics and their unusual appearance. Now he has posted in the titles of his auctions sleanderous remarks about MPG members! I reprted him to Ebay and blocked him from my auctions.
Look at this auction!!
I cant believe it!!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4414565171&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1
does this link work for anyone?
When I select it I am returned to this page lol!!
I figured it out ;)
This message was edited Oct 28, 2005 10:23 PM
Now it is $72.99!!!! for a super scarY hybrid and 4 days to go.
Good (Silent) night!
Thank you Clare for the info.
Patti
Brad, I saw what he did, and I'm glad you reported him to eBay. Unfortunately, they often refuse to interfere with business transactions, even if the merchant is attempting to defraud the public! It's terrible, and it is up to us to warn the community of people like him.
Speaking of which, good job, Michael. Here's the link you were trying to post: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4414565171 You did a great thing, Michael, by doing this. I am so proud that you are my friend.
Kukiat, hopefully, we can warn the final bidders when the end of the auction draws near. If someone were to bid on the auction, then retract their bid due to the fact that this plumeria does not exist, that would show up in the auction information, I think.
My pleasure, Patti!
Clare,
I am seeing red! I wish Jennifer would threaten this bone-head with legal action unless he rmoves the slanderous remarks against MPG! I reported this to Ebay yesterday ------and still nothing!
I am about ready to simply get my own website finished and going as I am getting tired of Ebay and their slack attitude with dealing with slander, theft, and fraud. They cancelled one of my istings once for using the phrase "Plant NOT Rhizome"---said I was "Keyword Spamming". This is the biggest joke I can imagine as look what this doofus is doing and getting away with it, even after a report is filed.
Brad
I wish he lived near me, id visit the SOB
I'm stupid, What's MPG? And this is horrid! People won't find out till way way too late of his actions. Thanks so much for posting this Clare.
I learned a lesson with ebayers, Thanks to Clare, and I appreciate so much her efforts to get us the information on buying plumerias from the proper and decent folks out there.
kathy
Kathy,
MPG is another forum for Plumerias.
http://www.mauiplumeriagardens.com
They are a very knowledgeable group.
So are many folks here ;)
oh yes, I know who it is now, It was late, and I was up all night, LOL Lack of sleep.
Still no sleep.!!
Brad, I don't blame you. Getting your own web site is a good idea. We need good sellers like you to buy from because there are bad ones out there, and most people who don't have the benefit of friends, like Dave's members, can be defrauded. We do have a very nice feature here called Garden Watchdog, but I don't think people who sell on eBay and who don't have a web site can be included in this listing. It would be nice if they could be included so that we could leave feedback and warn people.
One of the problems with this seller is that he has relatively good feedback on eBay so people won't be warned. What most people don't know is that he is illegally using a stolen photo from Milton Pierson of Botanic Treasures which has been altered in a photo program like PhotoShop. The people who are bidding on his items must not be aware of this and must not know that no such flower exists. They don't realize that they won't find this out until next year or when and if it blooms, and by then, they won't be able to leave negative feedback. It's a scam, and the buyer really does need to beware.
As for his insulting remarks about MPG, I take that with a grain of salt. He is only making himself look bad with such comments, and he will lose business by scaring people off, which is a good thing for the people who are scared off. They should be scared off.
Kathy, I am happy to help:-)
GUYS unless i am mistaken...don't i see him describing it as PINK AND WHITE?
FORGOT..he also has raindrops on his pic...does milton have raindrops on his?
Bob, the picture is Milton's and being used without his permission and has been altered with a photo program, and if that weren't enough, he is falsely misrepresenting his plumeria as a "A super scarce hybrid...From the deep dark forests of Borneo," which is a lie on top of that. We are simply saying "Buyer Beware." If you feel comfortable bidding on it, do so by all means and then come see me about a rare blue brugmansia that I have for sale! LOL!
dont forget to bid on my Jackalope and cabbitt too!! ;)
Bob... do you know this guy? :P
Just kidding..... He is tottally bogus man.
I have e-mailed him with many questions and he got very ugly with me.
I was polite to him at the first ...and second...... third time he got my hair up and I bit him.
Good boy, Michael. You are right that this "Anthony" is not a nice person on top of it all. People should avoid him and his auctions at all cost to their personal well-being. Michael, that was very brave of you to ask for more information, and your fake auction warning others is great!
Clare, I spoke with Milton Pierson by phone about this and he is not a happy man right now/ Not so much about his photos being used but more so qas to how they are being used by a crook for financial gain. As I spoke to him he surfed Ebay and discovered that the Pink pansy and Mango Blush are also his pics--not just the India one.
Mantisbee has a LOT of nerve.
I agree with you, Brad. Did some one file a report of fraud with eBay? I know you sent a complaint in but was it for fraud? I may see if I can do that.
he he..well i'm certainly not bidding...but i did see he said piink and white in the description....and i DO see raindrops...lol...at the beginning of all of this i did email him asking him to tell the truth..i never heard back...and since the pic is so small...looks like he got a thumbnail someplace?...quien sabe...es muy loco..yo creo que si!!
Clare, I couldn't figure out how to do it. It seems like Ebay is making it harde and harder to communicate with them these days. You can't even send a payment reminder to customers anymore without filing a dispute that seems all together pointless as they won't respond. I think the system is getting ridiculous.
Thanks, Brad. I think you start here: http://pages.ebay.com/securitycenter/index.html I'll make one now.
Okay, I went to this link: http://pages.ebay.com/help/contact_us/_base/index.html and selected "Report Problems with Other Ebay Members" in the first box, "Fraud Concerns for Buyers" in the second box, and "Report A Listing You Think Is Fraudulent (You Didn't Bid)" in the third box. This brings up another link which you click on called "Email." Click on that link and enter the Item Numbers of his listings, separated by commas. Note: you have to be signed in at this point, it takes you to a link to sign in first. After you enter the item numbers hit send. If you get a message that the server is down, hit the back button and hit send again. Keep hitting the back button and hitting send until you get an acknowledgment that the complaint was received.
clare--you can't even give them any details/ Like I said communication with Ebay is terrible! You wonder if they even read this stuff. You would think with the money the rake in theuir could affors to hire a switchboard, but NO, even the old 800 number I had for them refers you to an email address. ARRGGH!
Yes, it's unfortunate and shows that buyers really need to inform themselves before bidding on anything.
I have always said
'E-VIL-BAY'
:p
Someone in the LA area need to find this guy and smack him. I have a good feeling he is on our forums under another name. I emailed him and got a email back and he knew things about me only someone who knows me would know. He knew I had a big collection and tried to make it sound like I was mad I didn't have that one I told him I could if it was real but for now I would just laugh and feel bad for the uneducated plumie buyer who is bidding on that thing.
Roger
LOL, Roger! I agree that this guy needs to be smacked! You are probably right that he is a member of MPG or a lurker. You know "guests" even can read everything that is written over there with the exception of the Advertising/Selling Forum. People also know you from GardenWeb, which anyone can read also. This guy is not only attempting to defraud buyers, but he also has a nasty disposition.
Id love to have his addy heh...
if anyone wins an auction of his please send me the return addy. :P
Michael,
You can Email him through Ebay that's how I did it and his email came back to me through E bay kinda like our forum. He's a trip that's for sure and I think he actually believes he has this plumie the way he talks and gets all mad when you say he's a piece of work for doingf what he's doing on Ebay. I talked to Milton on Sunday don't know if he will do anything to him.
Roger
I have a real find here. But before I put it up for auction on eBay, I will offer it to the highest bidder here on Dave's. Let me tell you a little about this spectacular and rarest of all Plumerias.
It was discovered growing on a cliff in Greenland by Leif Ericson around 986. Centuries later, Linnaeus discovered the dried remains in an herbarium collection in Stockholm and described it for science. This is the Holy Grail of all Holy Grails.
About ten years ago, I came into possesion of some seed from those dried remains in Stockholm and low and behold, they were still viable. The plant has never been rediscovered in its original habitat. This is a 30" rooted cutting from my mother plant. It won't tolerate temperatures above 0 degrees F. I live in Death Valley, and you can imagine how difficult it is took keep this plant thriving in our blistering summer heat. I'm presently working on my Doctoral degree through Loma Linda University on growing alpine plants here in the Valley.
Anyway, bidding will begin at $.99.
ROFLOL, Ron! Too, too funny! Ha! Maybe someone will pay $132.50 for it like someone did for this auction when it closed yesterday or $131 for his "Himalayan Hurricane" auction. It's true what they say: a fool and his money are soon parted:-)
hmmmmmmmmmmm...
Those flowers look a lot more pink and not the same at all, but the color of the leaves doesn't look natural at all so the lighting is changing the hue of the leaves and the flowers. I wouldn't necessarily say that this photo is doctored, but I would say that the lighting isn't ideal to reveal the true color of the flowers.
This is a picture of my Lady Red. I bought it from C-Stars nursery, and I assure you that the picture is unaltered. It is a pink which fades to lavender. It was taken in shade though in late afternoon so the flower looks more lavender than it is. The problem with the very first picture -- other than the fact that it is a doctored photo and a complete fake -- is that the center is lavender, and no such plumeria exists which looks like that. The picture that you posted, junglebob, is pink with a yellow center so it is not an obvious fake anyway like the very first one is.
Here it is again with some other flowers:
Clare_CA
These blooms are so beautiful and love to have the seeds if some one have........thank you so much for sharing this with us.
Kaleem
Hi Kaleem! I've never actually gotten seeds on any of my plumerias, but I haven't been growing them very long. The natural pollinators are thrips, and thrips also carry viruses so I'm kind of glad that they are not around! Plumeria flowers can also pollinate themselves if jarred hard enough. I might have to do a little jarring next summer!
We have 43 seed pods here this year less than last year I might add my Miami Rose had 30 on them all by themselves and only 4 this year maybe it got mad because I just let the wind take them away but a few this year will get saved. Mukundun Rainbow Starbutst has 2 pods Bud Sally has 2 and Stenophylla has 3 they will be the lucky ones when its time.
Roger
Awesome, Roger, congrats! Save some Stenophylla for me, would ya?
