Be grateful you are not a Paph grower in Australia

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emydura

emydura

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I do get envious sometimes at how readily available Paphs are in the US etc and how cheap the prices are. In Australia, many Paphs are hard to come by and the prices can be astronomical. Check out the price this single growth wilhelminiae went for on eBay. It left me gobsmacked.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Orchid-Paphi...?pt=AU_Plants_Seeds_Bulbs&hash=item2eb19f2bba

I actually have a plant from this cross which I paid about $20 for. It took me 4 or so years to flower but now it is a 6 growth plant currently in bud again for the third time. Clearly it is a much more vigorous clone than the one sold on eBay. What does that make my plant worth - $500 +

Here is how mine turned out earlier this year.

http://www.slippertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17128&

David
 
There are very few orchids I would pay such a price for, and this is not one of them. You paid $20 for yours and it's more beautiful.
 
We have Sam Tsui at Orchid Inn and also the Orchid Zone for paph breeding--their stuff is world class...

The only negative about the US is restriction on new CITES species that are freely available in other countries...but I'm thankful for the good stuff we do have.
 
emydura said:
I do get envious sometimes at how readily available Paphs are in the US etc and how cheap the prices are. In Australia, many Paphs are hard to come by and the prices can be astronomical. Check out the price this single growth wilhelminiae went for on eBay. It left me gobsmacked.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Orchid-Paphi...?pt=AU_Plants_Seeds_Bulbs&hash=item2eb19f2bba

I actually have a plant from this cross which I paid about $20 for. It took me 4 or so years to flower but now it is a 6 growth plant currently in bud again for the third time. Clearly it is a much more vigorous clone than the one sold on eBay. What does that make my plant worth - $500 +

Here is how mine turned out earlier this year.

http://www.slippertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17128&

David
Click to expand...

At least after you grow a Paph for 4 years it is worth $300+.
In Australia you paid $20 and maybe you can sell it for $300.
In the USA you would have paid $20 and maybe be able to sell it for $30.

Sell your plant for $300 and then buy 15 more plants and then in 4 years sell them and keep doing that and then one day all the paphs in Austrailia will be worth only $30. Then everyone can afford them but no growers can afford to produce them.
 
gonewild said:
At least after you grow a Paph for 4 years it is worth $300+.
In Australia you paid $20 and maybe you can sell it for $300.
In the USA you would have paid $20 and maybe be able to sell it for $30.

Sell your plant for $300 and then buy 15 more plants and then in 4 years sell them and keep doing that and then one day all the paphs in Austrailia will be worth only $30. Then everyone can afford them but no growers can afford to produce them.
Click to expand...

I do wonder how orchid nurseries in the US make any money selling plants so cheaply. I remember a couple of years back someone submitted a post showing a nursey selling multi-growth PEOY's in bud for $39 US. They had a dozen or more of these for sale. Given the plants would have had to have been more than 10 years old they would have been selling these at a huge loss. In Australia each plant would have sold for around $500.

David
 
Paph prices are wildly inconsistent in the US, and I wouldn't be surprised if the situation is at least somewhat similar in Australia. Years ago, Maudiae "The Queen" went for at least $200/growth. I still see it sold for $100 or more, more often than not, yet I bought a multigrowth Queen for, maybe $35? Ebay has definitely helped lower prices for many paphs...just as its also helped to raise them ridiculously for some paphs. Its just a matter of being patient and waiting until you see the paph you want at a price you can afford.
 
The problem here in Aus is supply Vs demand, ever since the old mackinneys nursery closed and robertsons sold his paph collection no nursery's have had good supply

That is why anyone who had plants for sale could demand high prices

That is starting to change with a few small nurseries starting up and ezi-grow importing from sam tsui, japan and taiwan, but it will take time for these to mature.
 
Not all of them are that expensive.. :p I get reasonably priced paphs from my society sales table once in a while. Prices are about AUD$30 for a multi cross (e.g. Billy Cardalino (Susan booth x philippinense) which I bought and Lynleigh Koopowitz)..
 
Eric Muehlbauer said:
Paph prices are wildly inconsistent in the US, and I wouldn't be surprised if the situation is at least somewhat similar in Australia. Years ago, Maudiae "The Queen" went for at least $200/growth. I still see it sold for $100 or more, more often than not, yet I bought a multigrowth Queen for, maybe $35? Ebay has definitely helped lower prices for many paphs...just as its also helped to raise them ridiculously for some paphs. Its just a matter of being patient and waiting until you see the paph you want at a price you can afford.
Click to expand...

Here the prices on eBay are far exceeding what nurseries use to charge. As a result many of the nurseries have started selling there plants on eBay.

paphioboy said:
Not all of them are that expensive.. :p I get reasonably priced paphs from my society sales table once in a while. Prices are about AUD$30 for a multi cross (e.g. Billy Cardalino (Susan booth x philippinense) which I bought and Lynleigh Koopowitz)..
Click to expand...

Yes, you can get pretty cheap prices on the sales table. Plants can be rediculously underpriced. Personally if I had anything half decent I would sell it on eBay. Very few society members are prepared to pay what the plant is worth.

David
 
Count your blessings. Here in SA we haven't seen anything like that since about 2003 and then it would have been a small seedling. You have a great variety there and many nice plants are for sale very cheaply. If we had to try import some of your common stuff it would end up costing a lot more than you pay.
 
Hi guys, just had to chime in after reading Eric's comments about plant prices and Ebay. One thing about Ebay here in the US anyway, is that if you stay vigilant, you can get some good deals. I won p. Via Luna Este "China Doll" last year for $30, two growths, its in spike now and should bloom in the next couple weeks. Now that is a good deal! D
 

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