Hello :)
I used to sell on ebay and was very active from 1999 to 2006 but used to sell on a small personal scale until a few years ago when the cost of fees jumped up too much for me. I've never sold hoyas or plants so I can't help you with that but I can give you a hint.

You can basically figure out if a profit is possible now for you. Check out ebay seller section help for information about selling and find out what the cost is for all the seller fees. Also, check out paypal to find out what the cost is when people use that to pay you. I remember as of a few years ago Paypal used to be free as long as you didn't sell very much. When I started to sell enough regularly to make it all profitable for a small scale person, I incurred their fees too (could be totally different now?) Also check the "usual" seller charge for shipping the plants. Then take a plant of your own, wrap it properly for shipping, and see what it will cost YOU to actually ship it (supplies needed-you may be surprised how much all the little stuff costs if you don't reliably have it laying around the house each and every day, cost of gas and actual postage) Since you are mailing plants you should know, legally, what states you can and can't mail them to. Also overseas information if you want to deal with that. I've found most of the people at the post office incredibly helpful answering questions even though I might not be mailing anything right then. Just don't show up with only questions at a really busy time :)

Honestly, this is a true pain, but it's really worth the time to find out (..basically..) what this will cost to do so you don't end up actually losing money in the end. Ebay is definately not always a win situation.

Either way, I used to figure out what the listing fee would be for the item which is paid even if it doesn't sell (research what other people are selling it for in auction, store and buy it now), what the fee would be if I sold it at that average price, and what the paypal fee would be when I was paid, then add what I needed for how many HOURS, sometimes it took DAYS, a week it would take to do everything correctly, with no errors, and promptly (I had over a 1000 positive rating at 100%, being very prompt and polite is important), then figure in what the item cost you (cost of original plant plus cost of grow lights/electric, pots, soil, time...). Then I could determine what I would have to sell it for in order to make any money. I'd then compare this to other peoples items to find out what they charge. On a small scale it really is hard to compete with large scale sellers and make a profit.

I'd think you should be able to recoup your plant purchasing money by selling enough started plants or cuttings. Not sure if you could make much of a profit if adding in cost of electric, pots, soil, time etc (you're buying all this stuff at small scale prices) and still be able to sell it at a competitive price. One of the things I used to sell was pieces of unusual very pricey fabric that I bought in order to cover the cost of my buying it. I always did that, no problem. I also sold some of my own hand dyed fabric - with what it cost me to make it on a small scale there was never a profit there, I just ended up with my own "extra" fabric. Ebay is really easy to do once you figure it out. My problem was I wasn't also covering the cost for all my TIME trying to sell it on ebay (listing, you'd be surprised how many emails including buyers that don't pay - you still pay the fees so you have to take the time to fight it through ebay, and mailing) in order to be competitive to reliably sell it. I covered my basic costs and made a profit as long as my time was free. At one point in my life my time no longer was free. Hence, I quit donating my time selling.

It can be done, or not. Hopefully someone here has small seller plant experience and can help. Good luck :)

Hoyas do differ in how fast they grow and this can be one of the factors influencing the value of a cutting or rooted plant. Other factors that play into it are how difficult the species is to propagate, how sensitive it is, what conditions it flourishes under, and how new it is to the market. For example, recently many of us were excited about the opportunity to purchase publicalyx 'Black Dragon' and 'White Dragon' because they were new to us. But, as you would expect from a publicalyx, my little plant has almost doubled in size in only a month or so.

Thanks for the feedback on this issue. Between me and my dad we have sold maybe 3,000 things on ebay over the years. Your right, it isn't worth it at times, especially for small things. I would have to focus on plants that brought more money. For example I saw a Hoya lasiantha that just sold on ebay for $150. I assume this is a slower grower. I've located a domestic source for a cutting from that Hoya.

I think I would aim for Hoya that usually sell for $20 or more each plant to make it worth it.

Thanks for the info on the growth rate as well.

Thanks
Jamie

Hoya lasiantha and Hoya praetorii are good examples of species one often has to get on a wait list to buy even as cuttings. You will want to contact the supplier to find out what the wait is. I should also note that they are said to be more demanding than the average Hoya.

One other note is that if you actually embark on this venture, you'll want to avoid talking about it on here as anything that can be considered self-advertisement is outlawed.

I have sold Hoya cuttings and rooted plants at my local Orchid Society meeting and they are quite popular. I think you could easily set up a table at a plant related event and sell Hoyas but it depends on the cost of the table etc. as it can be expensive to be a vendor at shows.

Hoyas like Hoya lasiantha and praetorii are kind like the rock starts of the Hoya world. These are very attractive plants that are still hard to get and generally speaking they are still quite new to Hoya growers. Plants like Hoya playtcaulis are the perfect example of a new species available to collectors, prices are high and cuttings are in very short supply. These species are not slow growers in any sense just very attractive plants that can justify a high price tag.
There are truly slow growing Hoyas and they are also usually on the more expensive side. Hoya plachyclada is one that is becoming more common but it's not terribly fast to grow and it still usually has a higher price tag. The less expensive and easy to propitiate species are the best to try to sell. You could have an entire table full of beautiful $50 Hoyas and not sell a single one but if you have rooted cuttings for $5-$10 you will sell plenty.

Mike

lol Mike. "Rock Stars" ... I love it! I was trying to think of the right way to put it and you hit the nail on the head.

It definitely seems like there are short-lived "must haves" too: species that experience a little flurry of popularity. "Pop Idol" Hoyas? ^_~

Hi Angele eyed Cat (twice in one day, wow)

Thanks VERY much for your detailed & fascinating report on selling on EBay. I had a funny feeling there'd be lots more to it than met the eye. You wrote a really interesting & well written piece, I enjoyed it & learned a lot from it. Thanks again.

(PG) Karen

Karen,
Hello again, you're very welcome :) I was hoping it might be helpful, glad it was! Jamie, I'm also glad you've got lots of experience, and I wish you much success if you should try it.
Ann

I am getting back into my hoya addiction and would be interested in buying a few plants from you - rather on ebay or just directly. My email is janis.orlins@comcast.net - let me know if you decide to sell. Thanks.