Okay, so I sell passion flowers on Ebay on occasion, and have earned a good rep doing so. The bulk of my sales are of the native incarnata, or "maypops." These are notorious for not rooting from cuttings, so the best ways to propagate is via seed or root cuttings--essentially digging up sucker plants that spring up from the aggressive root network. The plants I ship are normally attached to 6"-8" long root sections roughly the thickness of a pencil. I place these in a 3.5" starter pot with the roots wrapped around the perimeter, fill with soil, water, then wrap and ship. As long as the plants aren't overheated (which can cause wilting) they start growing very quickly after transplant. I've successfully shipped and traded dozens and dozens of plants this way, with no complaints and much praise.
So why then, does this one particular moron open the box--breaking off the vine at the root in the process--and instead of realizing he's done something wrong, automatically assume I ripped him off by sending him a rootless stem? And instead of contacting me with the issue ("Hey dude! What's up with the unrooted stem?"), or--heaven forbid--look in the pot for the roots like a normal human being, he goes and leaves me negative feedback. Dumbass.
This is the second negative I've gotten in as many weeks, and the FIRST TWO negs I've suffered in 10 years on the auction site. The first negative came from a buyer who's plant was crushed by the post office, refused to believe it would regrow from the roots, but at the same time refused to return those roots to me in exchange for a replacement.
It's enough to make me throw in the towel and walk away. I mean, I've got people on Ebay who are fans--one woman bought a half-dozen plants from me this year because she loved the single plant I'd sold her last year so much. I've gotten fan mail for crying out loud. I should be able to brush it off, but damn it, I have a low tolerance for stupidity, especially when it accuses me of dishonesty.
What really sucks is that this guy's passion flower will regrow from the supposedly absent roots, but the stain to my rep will persist...
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Aww, there will be morons and retards everywhere. Don't let them affect you, think of the happy ones you had with your other satisfied buyers.
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