See post and thread below labeled "Della new offering"..David

Liz,
Topiary Gardens Nursery in NY has good variety and excellent reputation. Eastwood nursery in VA is a good source too. There are also a few good vendors on Ebay (eastfork, bonsaibob, etc) where the competition forces good deals once in a while.

Be circumspect on Ebay it's also the lair for predatory bottom feeders with pathetic practices like selling "bonsai seeds", named seedlings and miraculous grafts.

Most etailers will offer small trees since they have to ship them that is especially true on ebay where most offer twigs. Many won't answer emails ( although i had that problem with Topiary and refuse now to deal with them so that can happen anywhere and many ebay folks also use stock photos and refuse to give needed info)

It is also true some folks bid up those that have stuff there sometimes idiotically sometimes neafariously.

If a person has a ebay store but also an outside business best to try to contact and buy direct and NOT thru ebay first ...This usually involves a bit of work googling names but usually works (IE sam of eastfork who is excellent BTW and honest) ..although many ebatyers just do ebay and don't have their own web site many arn't even nursery folks or reliable business people often the feed back is the result of ignrant folks who don't know any better.

You will quickly find out when some idiot is willing to pay a fortune for any stick tree... auction after auction these names of buidders stand out as fools who are not worth bidding against EVER since they will pay anything for a questionable and often comon tree .

You will also find out quickly some folks like I fear Bonzai Bob are suspicious at best. They have a "bit" larger product and good quality and rarer stuff seem nice enough but you could buy the same stuff elsewhere larger and good or better quality on the net for a fraction of what their eventual cost as it always sky rockets at the last moment to rediculous levels!! It is curious WHY their stuff ALWAYS bids up so high ...curious...HUMMMMM.

I would say Herman got it wrong though ...competion on ebay forces prices up not down ...You can get "ok" deals but you likely can do better elsewhere. But if you like the vegas atomosphere and don't mind often spending too much or waisting your time with last minute shinaigans...go for it David

David,

I must disagree. I find your generalizations are as careless as your spelling. Sounds like you've been burnt and turned ornery on etail. Camellia Forest, Forest Farm, Asiatica, Gossler, Mendocino, Broken Arrow, Fairweather and many fine nurseries etail and they will ship you just about anything you're willing to pay for.

Has IL become a maple mecca? Wondering because around here Phila, South NJ, you will not find desirable cultivars at better prices than online except perhaps if you luck out at Home Depot or Lowes.

There is a cogent thread at UBC related to Ebay maple sellers.

Here is a link that might be useful: UBC forum thread re:ebay sellers

Herman ...your reading is as bad as my spelling ...I was referring almost exclusivly to Ebay ...if you like to Ebay go for it ...
I never said all etailers sell small stuff although I did say MOST ( READ THE FIRST SENTENCE AGAIN!!!) because it is hard and expensive to ship larger trees and that is a true general sentence not a gross generalization. I stand by that ...

Most all nurseries really don't like to ship large stuff ..Whitmans does so does Greers so does Sam and a few others but defined larger only to a degree..But these are only "larger" trees 5-6 years old generally 4-6 feet 1-1.5 caliper in general. Sure if you want to pay 2-300$$ to freight to ship a larger tree 10-12 ft you can find "SOME" folks that will do it just as you can buy just about anything else on the internet.
BTW I buy EXCLUSIVLY through etailers ( as there is nothing locally available) BUT I DISLIKE AND DO NOT THINK MUCH OF DOING SO ON EBAY (although I do, when bored,play around there sometimes)...and compared to the places I specified ebay trees are on the whole TINY new grafts and the "larger" stuff is "generally" overpriced ansd inferior with few exceptions and cannot compare in size quality or variety of the above etailers....

Any statement you or I make is a generalization to some degree otherwise it would not be worth writing about ...If one doubts ones words why post ... generaliztions are just that general statements ..allowing for exceptions and differnt opinions... I think if you re-read my post we are not in too much disagreement except maybe with Ebay ...and as I said if you like ebay knock yourself out ...I am just giveing MY "general" opinion!!

Oh and if I could do an easy spell check here I would ...with most email and posts spelling is "generally" NOT considered very important . David

David,

I must also disagree with you. I purchased an Acer palmatum Ukigumo and acer C. Pacific Fire from Bonzai Bob this winter. Both plant are 30"+ and lightly branched. I paid about $47 for both including shipping. His plant are as he advertised and his 2-4 yr old plants I got are nice. The key to ebay is to have a top price your willing to pay and don't go over it. You should also know what similar plant are going for from other sources.

For small plant, 1-2 year grafts, I check Forest Farm for their tubes, World Plants which has a large selection of small plants, Ebay, Whitman Farms and Greer Gardens. When I am purchasing these plant I know they are going to be small but since I sometime purchase plants I am not sure about I don't want to invest a lot in a larger plant. In addition many of these plant come from the same wholesale source anyway.

If there is a maple that I want in a large size I will then check with Della, Fairweather and some of the other mail order sources that seller large plants. Locally it is rare to see a large selection of Japanese maple because the market for them is limited. Your average customer doesn't know the difference between Red Dragon and Tamukeyama. The just want a red dissectum.
David

I would say you got lucky with BB and possibly just hit it right ..I have also recieved nice JM's from him and occasionally at a descent price ( NOT RECENTLY) but that is the exception not the rule and as i said I like BB ...As far as Ebay of course what you say is absolutly true ...never go over what you want to pay ...but what I was saying in my first post... you won't know that til the last ninute or two with BB and often the prices are totally absurd...whether it is because idiots are willing to pay much more than they should or otherwise , as i said before, I don't know.
It is alsoo true as faer as my tip on bidders... if a tree is bid to absurd levels by a certain buyer(s) then when you see his or her name it is best NOT to waist your time ...your "limit" will never be enough!!)they will pay anything to get their tree..
I also stand by my statement of what you buy DIRECT from etailers is most often better with some exceptions and priced similarly or below what is absurdly bid up on Ebaym and you can often get more info jpegs and personal attention if you buy direct.
I was never talking about tubes which I would never buy for my area ... I buy some small stuff to "practice" with and condition test but almost solely buy older larger trees established trees( I also do not share many folks opinion on FF I did not have a good experience with them and refuse to do biz with them ,,,but I am in the minority) David

I know this comes late to the discussion and I apologize for it, but I had to make a comment on this issue as I have been absent from the forum through the winter. First off, I'm surprised by the acrimony of comments posted since I was last here. I think we need realize that we each have had different experiences with ebay and generally with planting trees.

Ebay is as good or bad as it comes. I've been deceived at times but also I've been rewarded by buying trees on ebay too. There are certain rules to follow when buying stock there:
1. Don't buy according to what's written. For example, many say that they are selling 3 or 4 year old trees or a certain height like a four footer, but don't show a picture of the tree. Beware of this as I've been had here thinking that it is a good price for a well-branched four footer only to receive a smaller younger twig. I now try to always get trees with the picture of the tree being offered.
2. I have located really good dealers using ebay. That is where I first encountered Della's trees, and others too. It has been invaluable for finding new contacts. If the product being sold and bought is nice stick with that seller.
3. David's complaint about trees going for too much is not the fault of the seller it is just the psychological pressure of wanting to win the bid. It is the fault of the buyer. I also have seen trees go for far more than what they would be selling on other regular sites. This can be avoided by knowing what the worth of a three year old or equivalent tree being offered is and not going above that price.

I agree with everything Zeek has said I also found Della through ebay and have bought many trees ( smaller stuff) through ebay and own ebay stock (YIKES) but it is dicey and easy to overpay...thus my statement to try to find a way ( not kosher BTW ) of dealing with them off ebay ( googling their name etc) especially if they have a web site and do other etailing then you can have a better chance of getting the tree you want at a descent price...my point was suspicion ..it is not unheard of to have friends associates and other bid up products ...this is an OLD trick and illegal on ebay but does happen and when you see a pattern with a certain seller it should give you pause...that pattern being really absurd bid ups mostly at last minute between a couple of buyers...I can not say and no one can if this is happening with a certain sellers...but how many ignorant folks are there willing to pay more than you could buy it from any web site etailer... I agree it is likely there are that may idiots ..or just newbeees but it is "curious". David

Whitman Farms sells really nice sturdy 4'-5' trees. Exceptional.

Mendocino Maples Nursery seems really nice. I got one nice small tree, sent quickly. professional.

Fantasticplants.com has a good selection, mediocre to good plants overall