I can dropship your seeds/plants/cuttings!

[tru]

Hi everyone!

For 5% of the revenue value of a sale:

I will host and market your plants/cuttings/seeds, write detailed product descriptions, webpage SEO, and send out emails highlighting your seeds/store/brand, new drops, promotions you decide to run, or products you’d like to promote

Sellers will have their own section on the website that displays their own products and linking to any external stores they’d like. Different sellers will be cross marketed under similar products (i.e, the “You may also like…” section of a website)

Sellers will also have an individual review tabs that can boost your reputation as trusted


If you’re interested:

1) Take a picture

Choose a photo that highlights your plant. It MUST have good lighting and resolution, and it MUST be your own photography — No exceptions!

Sending a photo can be as easy as texting it to me at 214-663-4410 or emailing trumansacco@hotmail.com; I’ll move the photos and work from there

2) Decide on a price

Shopify charges 30c + 2.9% for the basic tier. If this gets off the ground and I can afford the second tier, that number would become 2.7%, or 2.4% for the highest tier

Let’s walk through an example. If someone buys $100 worth of seeds,
Shopify keeps 2.90 + .30 = $3.20,
I get .05*96.8 = $4.84
You get $91.96

3) Decide on shipping

If you’re selling seeds or cuttings, weigh a couple and write down the average weight. This will be used to automatically calculate shipping at checkout and create a label.

If you’re selling plants or trees, decide on a shipping price per item that makes sense for you. This shipping price should be decided based on the weight of the item and the box you ship it in. Account for possibly shipping it across the US.

4) Decide on stock

Choose a number that you can reliably have on hand. If you have 50 seeds, commit 20 to the store. That way if someone were to buy out the store, we won’t have to refund them for seeds you may have already sold

5) Submit!

Whether you text or email me the pictures, include steps 1-4 for each product that you submit.


While in the future I want to work toward the seeds hub idea, I’m ready to dropship your plants!

If you have any questions or concerns please ask, thanks for your time : )
- Truman

[Jaboticaba45]

Wait, so you are doing like 95% of the work and only getting 5% profit?
I feel like you would deserve more LOL.
I have some potential products that may work in the future. I'll let you know!

[tru]

Wait, so you are doing like 95% of the work and only getting 5% profit?
I feel like you would deserve more LOL.
I have some potential products that may work in the future. I'll let you know!

I'm playing the long game, such is life when you don't have the trees  . I'm thinking with a low enough take it'd be worth it for smaller sellers to not have to pay 39/month for shopify, and also have a placement that they could refer people to online, + casual browsers can be referred to their stores on etsy, ebay, etc (which, both tax way more than me!)

Instead of having to build a whole website, pay 5% and I'll build your own section in it, where likeminded shoppers can see your plants, or be recommended your plants based on other sellers

With enough people I think the workload would be worth the pay, and I want to make an honest living without people feeling like I'm taxing. Let me show you what I can do

I think it's fair when all things are said and done though, 95% is extremely generous haha talk soon!

[Jaboticaba45]

Wait, so you are doing like 95% of the work and only getting 5% profit?
I feel like you would deserve more LOL.
I have some potential products that may work in the future. I'll let you know!

I'm playing the long game, such is life when you don't have the trees  . I'm thinking with a low enough take it'd be worth it for smaller sellers to not have to pay 39/month for shopify, and also have a placement that they could refer people to online, + casual browsers can be referred to their stores on etsy, ebay, etc (which, both tax way more than me!)

Instead of having to build a whole website, pay 5% and I'll build your own section in it, where likeminded shoppers can see your plants, or be recommended your plants based on other sellers

With enough people I think the workload would be worth the pay, and I want to make an honest living without people feeling like I'm taxing. Let me show you what I can do

I think it's fair when all things are said and done though, 95% is extremely generous haha talk soon!

Cool! I will send you a text soon. Hopefully we can work something out!

[Espadin]

I might be interested in this eventually also. I'll send you a PM.

[brian]

In this scenario who is actually shipping the plants to the buyer, you or the grower?  Sorry I forget how drop-shipping works.

I always end up with a bunch of excess seedlings that aren't really worth the effort to sell, because photographing, listing, boxing each one up individually, labeling, driving to post office, etc. just isn't worth the meager profit on common seedlings where sellers are competing on price.  Even giving them away at cost is still nearly as much work.  So I throw them away, which is kind of a shame.   I expect many people are in the same situation, growing many of seeds hoping to get just one healthy plant for themselves.

If you are talking about "I send you a big box of seeds/plants and you sell them on consignment" that might be interesting, though I expect you should be taking a significantly larger portion of the profit as you'd be doing essentially all of the work except growing the plants.  It might be simpler for you to arrange to buy seeds/plant in bulk at a wholesale discount and then you can take 100% of the profit on your efforts.  As an example, I recall somebody here was selling a bunch of large Luc's Mexican Garcinia seedlings... negotiate a major discount for the entire set and arrange to have a whole crate of 'em shipped to you.  But then you'd have to store them and keep them alive and healthy until they sell

[Epiphyte]

In this scenario who is actually shipping the plants to the buyer, you or the grower?  Sorry I forget how drop-shipping works.

my friend sells plants on etsy.  most of the time she ships the plants herself, but sometimes one of her suppliers will ship a plant for her.  my friend refers to this as drop-shipping, but she's not always the best at correctly using technical terms. 

I always end up with a bunch of excess seedlings that aren't really worth the effort to sell, because photographing, listing, boxing each one up individually, labeling, driving to post office, etc. just isn't worth the meager profit on common seedlings where sellers are competing on price.  Even giving them away at cost is still nearly as much work.  So I throw them away, which is kind of a shame.   I expect many people are in the same situation, growing many of seeds hoping to get just one healthy plant for themselves.

yikes!  ever tried giving them away locally?  i used to give away plants on craigslist and i made some great local plant friends in the process.  a great local plant friend is priceless.   nowadays i can use my local plant group on facebook to give away plants. 

i appreciate it's a bit iffy to have random strangers over but in my experience most people who are interested in plants aren't serial killers.  alternatively, plant society meetings can be used to give away extra plants.

here's a funny thing though.  a society isn't going to mind if you give away a bunch of eugenia uniflora seedlings, but if you try to sell them for a dollar each then they are going to expect a cut, because of operation costs.  as if those costs aren't fixed.  as if their revenue doesn't depend on member happiness. 

[Jaboticaba45]

Ok so it seems like the seller would cover shipping too then? I’m a bit confused also lol.
But if you’re shipping and only wanting 5% of profit…

[tru]

Hi,

No the 5% model for you would be:

- send me pictures and quantity/price
- I put them on the website
- I market them
- I send the order label and cut to you (Shopify can calculate shipping and print the label automatically, I’d be sending you the pdf of it)
- you ship

The 15% model (which I want to work toward in the future) for you would be:

- you send me seeds (I pay shipping)
- I take pictures
- I put them on the website/market
- I store them/water them if seedlings or trees
- I send you your cut
- I ship

sorry for the confusion; If there’s anything that seems unfair or any questions please let me know!

[Jordan321]

At risk of speaking for him, if I understand right, then think about what he's offering more as organizing your posts in the buy/sell/trade section onto a traditional-type online store front in hopes of widening your customer base to people who wouldn't otherwise consider such an unconventional online sale.
Instead of accidentally finding this forum while searching for "Katuk near me" (literally how I got here... Still haven't found that Katuk by the way, lol), then PMing a stranger, venmo-ing $45 and waiting to hear...
They see what they are shopping for laid out how they're used to, put it in a cart, as usual, calculate shipping and purchase. You get the order and ship it.
He builds, updates, and maintains the site which hosts your sale "post" for a 5% cut. A good deal considering he's got a load of work both in initial build and in constant update + it's his site's neck on the line for missed shipping dates, dead plants, bad seeds, etc. (Although I've read this site enough to know that a good many of you would go out of your way to make it right).
He knows 5% is low, but it is to attract the sellers, who have not yet been able to see the benefit of it.

In my eyes, it's not a bad business plan. This forum provides a unique connection between, literally, some of the best seed collectors/growers out there. Between the zone pushers, the scientists and the explorers of Mayan temples, there is a product here that is unmatched, and totally unknown by the world at large.

[tru]

Hi Jordan,
I don't think I could've said it better myself!

thanks for the kind words, it's much appreciated <3

And I completely agree! I stumbled on this site after seeing luc's garcinia for the first time on tradewinds while looking for pollinator flower seeds... but what drew me in was THE guy, LUC, was commenting on posts and giving his opinion on things. I was hooked immediately. I lurked for quite a long time before even making an account, I think my first ever post was me just listing my collection wanting peoples thoughts on what I should get next... I was such a newbie 😂

I think it'd be great to have new people stumble on the site from one of the active sellers, interact with them, see who they are... I think that's why this community works so well, because of how amicable and excited everyone is to learn more about plants, fruit or not

[brian]

In this scenario who is actually shipping the plants to the buyer, you or the grower?  Sorry I forget how drop-shipping works.

my friend sells plants on etsy.  most of the time she ships the plants herself, but sometimes one of her suppliers will ship a plant for her.  my friend refers to this as drop-shipping, but she's not always the best at correctly using technical terms. 

I always end up with a bunch of excess seedlings that aren't really worth the effort to sell, because photographing, listing, boxing each one up individually, labeling, driving to post office, etc. just isn't worth the meager profit on common seedlings where sellers are competing on price.  Even giving them away at cost is still nearly as much work.  So I throw them away, which is kind of a shame.   I expect many people are in the same situation, growing many of seeds hoping to get just one healthy plant for themselves.

yikes!  ever tried giving them away locally?  i used to give away plants on craigslist and i made some great local plant friends in the process.  a great local plant friend is priceless.   nowadays i can use my local plant group on facebook to give away plants. 

i appreciate it's a bit iffy to have random strangers over but in my experience most people who are interested in plants aren't serial killers.  alternatively, plant society meetings can be used to give away extra plants.

here's a funny thing though.  a society isn't going to mind if you give away a bunch of eugenia uniflora seedlings, but if you try to sell them for a dollar each then they are going to expect a cut, because of operation costs.  as if those costs aren't fixed.  as if their revenue doesn't depend on member happiness.

I sold a few larger cirtus trees on craigslist some years back and there were a lot of sketchy people.  I think most people now are using Facebook Marketplace, but I don't have Facebook.  Also, I'm growing tropical stuff in a greenhouse out of their hardiness zone, so the local market is limited to other people with greenhouses basically.

[brian]

Hi,
...
The 15% model (which I want to work toward in the future) for you would be:

- you send me seeds
- I take pictures
- I put them on the website/market
- I store them/water them if seedlings or trees
- I send you your cut
- I ship

sorry for the confusion; If there’s anything that seems unfair or any questions please let me know!

This model sounds like it would solve the excess seeds/seedlings issue for many people.  However, I think for simplicity it might make more sense for you to buy the inventory and own it, taking all profit. Otherwise you might end up in squabbles about payment, losses, etc.  People get cranky sometimes when any amount of money is on the line. 

[tru]

Hi,
...
The 15% model (which I want to work toward in the future) for you would be:

This model sounds like it would solve the excess seeds/seedlings issue for many people.  However, I think for simplicity it might make more sense for you to buy the inventory and own it, taking all profit. Otherwise you might end up in squabbles about payment, losses, etc.  People get cranky sometimes when any amount of money is on the line.

I agree on the simplicity part of it for sure, and if I had capital like that I'd probably consider it, but also I don't know; in a way it takes away from the 'community' part of the site I have in mind; I want yall's names there and your stores getting recognition so as you grow I grow with you, and getting the right people on the map for a larger audience

Perhaps there is a solution somewhere in there that can be solved with math?

15% example:
100 in sales -> 96.80 revenue -> 96.8*.15 = 14.52 for me -> $82.28 in profit

15% modified example:
I pay you 20% of the item -> $20 in profit -> 100 in sales -> 96.80 revenue -> 96.8*.15 + 20 = 34.52 for me -> $62.28 in profit (+$20 from the start -> $82.28 in profit)

I almost like the 5% model better because admittedly its less complicated for me and sellers would feel the sales as they come in instead of just seeing money deposited in their account tbh, but there is also some insane value in having your seedlings bought with someone elses seeds arriving in the same shipping box; we'd literally be an amazon shipping center. Open to negotiate on anything and everything, special cases, etc; I just want to contribute and show the people here that I'm worth partnering with!

As B2B said on a previous thread, customers will go to the source every time if given the option. Instead of selling to tradewinds or other bigname brand, we can compete with them ourselves  , and be the source!

I have some other grand ideas that I'd like to reveal in time, but I'm working on adding an auction section for the same dropshipping 5%. Compared to eBay's 13.25% + 30c per auction, there could be some serious advantages to being on the site. Keep in mind the shopify rate would still apply but that's ~7% more profit you'd earn per sale, plus the benefit of new eyes that would want to bid seeing your page instead of explicitly linking them

I know that's a little more down the road than just putting the products online in a shopping format, but I see so much potential in this. As Jordan said, these forums are an unmatched treasure trove of knowledge and people; like a small slice of the rainforest that dodged logging. It's just filled to the brim with life, and it's inspiring.
Crazy how active this place continues to be with some of the same members from posts that go back 11 years. Can't wait to see where it goes in 11 more!

[brian]

Ah, yes the up-front capital is a limiting factor. 

Personally, I have no interest in branding... selling plants for me is like a garage sale to make space in my greenhouse.  Maybe you could create your own house brand as a catch-all like Amazon does.

If I end up with a batch of seedlings otherwise destined for the trash I'll reach out to you.  If you're interested perhaps I will "front" the plants and you can try selling them and feel out if it is worthwhile to you.

[tru]

Ah, yes the up-front capital is a limiting factor. 

Personally, I have no interest in branding... selling plants for me is like a garage sale to make space in my greenhouse.  Maybe you could create your own house brand as a catch-all like Amazon does.

If I end up with a batch of seedlings otherwise destined for the trash I'll reach out to you.  If you're interested perhaps I will "front" the plants and you can try selling them and feel out if it is worthwhile to you.

Thank you so much Brian! I'd definitely take you up on that offer, just let me know!

[D-Grower]

I'll likely be reaching out to you here soon. Figure out if we can do business together. I would do the shipping and I'd assume you do the hosting on your site. Will be both live plants/cuttings/rhizomes and seeds. Are you ready to start up here soon?

[tru]

Hi D-Grower, yes very soon! Been setting up the store over the past couple days and plan on 2 more needed, I’ll work overtime tomorrow though!

Will PM you within the next couple days, thanks again : )

[tru]

Introducing: My Fruit Market!

edit: link died
https://p6tvi167z9n4h9vw-75884462372.shopifypreview.com/

Hey everyone -- I have a teaser for the website ready!
It's definitely not finished, but I think everyone can get a good idea of what the end product would look like. If anyone is interested in becoming a vendor PM, Thanks <3

Huge thanks to Ryan (Jaboticaba45, www.graftatree.com) for letting me use his seeds as a template for the shop! Also I filled out the "About Me" part of his store as filler so don't take it seriously, but it gives you an idea of what could be there

Note: I haven't yet paid for shopify so there are some bugs like the "Bestsellers" and "Browse Store" buttons under the Shops tab redirecting to a password page, as well as no coding access. Individual shops will have a menu similar to the main menu, but customizable to your own shop. Filters will have different names once I have access to the files.

Again I must stress: Long way from finished, but I hope this makes y'all excited! ❤️

Thanks for your time,
- Truman

p.s. any criticism is heavily appreciated!

[Epiphyte]

seems like it has the potential to be a viable alternative to selling plants/seeds on etsy (and ebay with the addition of an auction function).

[Jaboticaba45]

Website looks fire!
Many of you don’t know this, but building a website is not an easy task! It took me and my friend over a week to finally get graftatree up.
Lots of respect to what Tru has done!

[Jordan321]

Looks legit.
Thoughts on including fruit when it's in season? (Was my first thought when I saw the calendar function)

[tru]

Much love yall Jabo and Epiphyte! <3 

Looks legit.
Thoughts on including fruit when it's in season? (Was my first thought when I saw the calendar function)

Yes!!! Currently the fruit section is just kinda chilling at the bottom of the Plants tab lol, but once I have access to coding menus opening the tab should have a fruit seeds, veggie/herb seeds, cuttings, seedlings, trees, fruit, and mushrooms section that should be easily navigable like a mini main menu

Thank you!