Here's some information for everyone and we hope this helps ! ! Here on Southern figs we don't allow selling or soliciting to sell because of the chaos that it creates. We know that there are some scammers on eBay and there are lists and publications of those people. But I see more and more False Publications on selling fig cuttings and reputable sellers. And all this is being done to manipulate the market for a “Selected Few”. Some of the myths out there are, if you don't have a watermark photo you're not a reputable seller, or if you don't belong to a fig forum you're not a reputable seller, or if your prices are too low it's probably not the right variety and you're not a reputable seller. And all this has been done by a certain few sellers because of greed and to manipulate the market. So some of the main facts are that these people that are trying to manipulate the market have also been suspended from eBay and Figbid and other places so they have problems selling their cuttings. So folks, like Paul Harvey would say, stay tuned for the rest of the story. For years now a few people have been making their living selling fig cuttings and fig trees for very high prices being that they have a new variety or rare variety. The definition of rare is based upon supply and demand which makes the prices go higher because of limited supply. Remember the fact is these trees have been around for thousands of years. The only exception to this is if it has been pollinated and is a new hybrid. So here's the facts: almost everyone has gotten cuttings and started their trees from a third party source who are the very same ones that have been manipulating the fig tree selling market and have sold their cuttings for very high prices. So now the “Fig Community” having bought those “rare” fig trees and or cuttings are now competitors to them and some try selling the same variety they got from this “third party source” to try to recoup some of their money back. So the buzz is the “third party source people” will start rumors such as “if they are selling at a lower price that they are not reputable sellers”. Also we have been notified that the rules to selling have been changed on other forums now so if you're not the owner of the site or the “Select” few that have been grandfathered in and thus are the “Godfathers” and if you aren’t one of these people you can't list and sell. This is sad to us especially for the new fig enthusiast that you should only buy from certain people that are trying to manipulate the market. Groups or forums are free sites and the rules should apply for everyone and not be a dictatorship. There are a lot of places by very reputable sellers to buy your cuttings from at discount prices. Also why would anybody have to prepay and wait for months to get their cuttings and pay higher prices when they can pay and get it now at a lower cost? Also there is a risk that some months from now you may find that, “oh we run out and we didn't have that”, and they refund your money and used your money for all those months when you could have it purchased and already be growing it. There has been a lot of that in the last few years and this is why they no longer accept PayPal because they have been suspended by PayPal. Paypal is there to protect you, and this should be a warning sign to all of us. And one last note: the price has nothing to do with the variety that you are buying if you're paying for it now it should be shipped now, but if you're having to wait for months it should be at a lower price. We hope this helps the new fig enthusiast who is trying to make sense of it all.
