Selling Trees and Tree Prices

[James H]

Being very new to this hobby I keep looking and reading everything I can. I like to look at ebay at look at all the trees for sale. I was looking at ebay auctions at the highest first and am amazed at the prices of some of the trees. I do understand why some of them are priced so high but it makes me wonder at what price level people sell most of their trees. I would imagine it to be low with beginners like me and in the $100-$500 range for real bonsai enthusiasts. What do people here usually pay for trees that are already bonsai worthy.

 

[bonsaiBlake]

I'm still waaayyy newb.

Overpaid on my first 2 junipers(75$/ea) already killed the first one(don't pinch tips, hard learned lesson). The other is doing quite well(back budding and new growth everywhere)

The rest of my trees I havent paid more than 10$/ea

That being said all of my trees are barely on the verge of pre-bonsai.

 

[James H]

I am only in for $20 for my tree. But I have seen some amazing looking trees that if I had the cash for it would be hard to walk away from.

 

[sikadelic]

There's no way to put an exact price on a tree. It all boils down to what you are willing to pay.

There are several things to consider when pricing a tree. Just a few:
-Age
-Interesting features
-Time in training/Development
-Species
-What is its history? Has it belonged to well known artists? Was it styled at a demo with a well known artist/master?
-Current pot

I have mostly stayed under $100 and I've been at it for about 2 years. I would only now consider spending $100 plus now that I am confident in the basics. Stay in the low price range until you learn to keep them alive. Save your money for nice specimens once you are confident in your abilities. We all kill trees...its easier to stomach it with a $20 tree instead of a $500.

 

[jason eider]

Just depends on how deep down the rabbit hole you want to go. most people start w/ inexpensive material and increase the amount they spend w/ how "into" bonsai they get.

j

 

[Bonsai_Bubba]

Ebay is either very poorly priced or very, very well priced. Typically I've found that popular species for bonsai (trident maple, juniper, pine, azalea, etc.) are very highly priced, while less commonly popularized species like pomegranate, wisteria, bald cypress can be more reasonable. I've often seen great deals on 'local pickup only' listings, as you're competing with a much more limited audience.

I think the commonly given advice to not spend too much money on your first couple trees is good. Since you have kept a couple alive for some time it sounds like, I'd say you're ready for some material that excites you. I don't know about you, but I am very bored of mallsai, and I didn't really feel like reading stacks of books about bonsai until I had a few trees that I really loved looking at.

Having nice material makes bonsai worthwhile, whether that's a finished tree or a future specimen.

I would just setup a penny jar and every time you have a bit of money or change, stick it in there. Join a local bonsai club and find out what grows really well in your area. For me, that's azalea and japanese maples. In Florida it might be Bougainvillea and Ficus. Where you are, well, I don't know. Often, bonsai clubs will have auctions selling off material whose owners have gotten bored of the trees. You can find very good deals at such auctions, and, as important, you'll make friends with the original owner and can always hit them up for guidance as to its care and perhaps the direction that they see the tree going in. How much the tree will be varies, but do consider how long someone has been working on a tree, their time, care and effort, not to mention costs of soil, water, fertilizer, etc.

My rule of thumb is generally if it's nice material, with some character and vigor, it'll be around $150-300. But you can start finding some really nice trees for that price.

Hey check it out: http://www.fwbonsai.com

 

[fourteener]

I have purchased a few great deals on ebay. Generally people are asking top dollar for stuff that is not top notch. I would never buy an s-curve tree. I hate a cliche.

I pay for something that is unique and peaks my interest. At this point it has to be pretty nice (translation: expensive). Usually what I want us out of my price range, but I do save some money and buy at least one nice tree a year.

My other goal is to gather three pieces of Yamadori a year. Free is even better!!

 

[RKatzin]

I would like to voice my personal opin on the subject and it is strictly my own, no one told me. I think the worse mistake a new comer can make is buying a bonsai on line. Just look through the forums at all the "What do I do now, just bought a bonsai?" posts.

I have several reasons, but I'll give you a few. I'm going from what I've read in posts on forums.
Most of the time the tree you see online is not the tree you'll recieve, unless specificly stated, what you see is a represenative tree. The trees are usually no where near bonsai, often not much more than a rooted cutting planted in low grade commercial potting soil or worse clay base cheap dirt. Price wise, take your $100 down to your local nurery and see what they'll give you for a crisp hundred dollar bill. Just about anything on the lot! Plus you get to dig through a bunch and pick a good one. You can get a really nice tree for twenty bucks and if you jump to the $50 sizes you get into alot bigger stock and you're fitty bucks ahead, go for two!

I've never bought a bonsai, can't see the sense in it unless you're just a collector, ok, but making the bonsai, that's where the fun is. Watching it develop over years, pouring your heart and soul into it, now that's bonsai! Rick

 

[Poink88]

I have lots of trees (note NOT bonsai yet)...and almost half of them are collected for free. Most are just stumps and will take some time before they become bonsai but I am having fun taking them there.

My purchased trees are mostly at the $40-$80 range with less than 10 costing me more than $100 (including s&h if bought online). I love buying (cheap) nebari and trunks then hopefully build the top and make them MY OWN.

My first bonsai is from eBay. I believe it is a good buy then and still do. There are deals there if you know how to look and what to avoid. There are some listing that are agreeably ridiculous so just ignore those.

Re: "S" mallsai, I just took several challenge trees...make something out of so-so materials. They may never be show trees but they provide me cheap fun, learning opportunities, and practice.

 

[RKatzin]

I should like to clarify if I may, I do buy alot of trees, just never bought a bonsai pre-made. I have a total aversion to buying trees sight unseen, unless it's from someone like fourteener there, then you know you're getting good stock and you can trust his judgement. Cavat emptor is the saying I think and my money comes to hard to throw it blindly at a pictured tree.

So, where does a fellow get some trees? Talking strictly of buying stock, get out there and look around at every nursery you see, big ones, little mom and pop ones, anybody got containers sitting in the yardsale. Check out those little local swap/trade/sale rags. Around here it's called the Nickel and you can find locals with trees for sale or shrubs to be removed. Geeze, don't run an ad, 'will dig your trees', unless you want to get crazy with it! You'll get all kinds of calls and mostly crap you can't use. I got a call once from someone that was moving out a whole trailer park and wanted to know if I could come and remove all the shrubbery. Fantastic forty year old stock. You can just imagine the monumental task that would be with a pick and shovel and a hori hori! LOL I had to pass on that one and a big landscaping outfit came in and got it all with cranes and flatbed trucks.

I am always on the lookout for nurseries that are closing down. Came across one that was closing their retail outlet and rather than haul all the stock back to the farm they dumped it all for pennies on the dollar. I made two trips with my trailer hauling it all home. Look for those fall sales when nurseries want to reduce stock rather than tend it all winter.

Certainly doesn't hurt to friendly up to the guy holding all the marbles. I am well known at all the places around here and they all know what I'm into and what I'm looking for and will often set something aside for when I come in. I don't know, maybe I just have the habit of going straight to the infirmery area to see what I might get cheap, but there's usually dry, sunburnt, broken trees, unpotted or something, but not infested or diseased, they go over the fence.

There are a couple of online shops I buy from, but that is only for sapling stock that I plant out and grow for future use. All said I don't think I've paid more than $80 for a tree ever, and that was a Dwarf Black Locust I just had to have and it was a $120 tree, a six footer that had been broken in a storm to just under four so he let me have it cheap. I don't get alot of stuff from that guy. Kind of a squeaker when he walks type and I'm looking for the fast and loose get that crap outta here let's make a deal guy. Ok, I'm done, Rick

 

[fourteener]

A great contact is to find nurseries who design and install gardens for people. It is where I get good leads of people digging up and renovating their landscaping. I usually get one good tree every summer fro my landscape friends

 

[Poink88]

A great contact is to find nurseries who design and install gardens for people. It is where I get good leads of people digging up and renovating their landscaping. I usually get one good tree every summer fro my landscape friends

Sharing a few six-pack should go a long way in opening the "door" when done with the crew, the foreman, and/or supervisor. Of course a "green" token of appreciation is always great after they drop off a great material...to encourage them to bring the proper tree as often as possible too.

That is my plan (having dealt with them and still do) if I ever decide to start doing it. Right now, I cannot adopt more trees.

 

[Cadillactaste]

There are also a good source of reputable bonsai nurseries listed here in that section. Going with one that others have had success helps in making a translation online a good thing. I don't live near bonsai garden nurseries...so photos and tips of ones on here of nurseries they have been at that has something I'm looking for goes a long way.

One eBay purchase...the rest online purchases from bonsai nurseries. All I had great success with. The eBay purchase I did run by here first...getting a feel for if I should take the leap and buy it. Advice from ones who have more experience on what something is worth...helps a lot for newbie buyers like us.

 

[Vance Wood]

I would like to voice my personal opin on the subject and it is strictly my own, no one told me. I think the worse mistake a new comer can make is buying a bonsai on line. Just look through the forums at all the "What do I do now, just bought a bonsai?" posts.

I have several reasons, but I'll give you a few. I'm going from what I've read in posts on forums.
Most of the time the tree you see online is not the tree you'll recieve, unless specificly stated, what you see is a represenative tree. The trees are usually no where near bonsai, often not much more than a rooted cutting planted in low grade commercial potting soil or worse clay base cheap dirt. Price wise, take your $100 down to your local nurery and see what they'll give you for a crisp hundred dollar bill. Just about anything on the lot! Plus you get to dig through a bunch and pick a good one. You can get a really nice tree for twenty bucks and if you jump to the $50 sizes you get into alot bigger stock and you're fitty bucks ahead, go for two!

I've never bought a bonsai, can't see the sense in it unless you're just a collector, ok, but making the bonsai, that's where the fun is. Watching it develop over years, pouring your heart and soul into it, now that's bonsai! Rick

A man after my own heart. I agree totally. You may run into resistance from those who hold the commercial nursery trade in low esteem. If you are new and don't really have a clue as to what you are doing it is far better to spend money on something you can see and touch and examine 360* than to buy something from some on line source where you are purchasing a hope and receiving a joke.

 

[M. Frary]

I have only 3 trees that were bought as bonsai and they were gifts. I only have 60 trees in different stages of development and over half to two thirds are collected material. The rest are nursery plants that don't grow on the area where I live. Mostly junipers and a Japanese Maple.
I'm with Rick and Vance that good if not great material can be found in nurseries for training into bonsai. You just have to look around.
The most I've spent on a tree is around $100.00. The 3 bonsai that were gifts were kind of expensive at around $600.00 total. I really like them and they are examples of how trees can be developed into bonsai.
Anymore though I spend more on gas driving around for trees to collect. Free trees really make the best bonsai in my opinion.

 

[James H]

I have only 3 trees that were bought as bonsai and they were gifts. I only have 60 trees in different stages of development and over half to two thirds are collected material. The rest are nursery plants that don't grow on the area where I live. Mostly junipers and a Japanese Maple.
I'm with Rick and Vance that good if not great material can be found in nurseries for training into bonsai. You just have to look around.
The most I've spent on a tree is around $100.00. The 3 bonsai that were gifts were kind of expensive at around $600.00 total. I really like them and they are examples of how trees can be developed into bonsai.
Anymore though I spend more on gas driving around for trees to collect. Free trees really make the best bonsai in my opinion.

I am very interested in collecting my own trees. It give me another great excuse to get outside and get my boots dirty. I have a couple of trees that I am watching in the wild but want to get some more experience before I start digging.

 

[M. Frary]

The best way to learn to collect trees from the wild is to get out there and do it. There is a learning curve but once you learn there is no turning back! My advice is to start small and work your way up to larger subjects as you gain confidence.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

My best trees have been free - either collected or given freely as gifts from other enthusiasts.

Join a club, make some friends, and you will have a high likelihood of being "gifted" some material

That said, if you are dealing with eBay, always let the buyer beware. There are good deals on occasion, but more frequently people are dramatically over-pricing their stock to get "suckers" to pay 10x what something is worth.

 

[Eric Group]

My best trees have been free - either collected or given freely as gifts from other enthusiasts.

Join a club, make some friends, and you will have a high likelihood of being "gifted" some material

That said, if you are dealing with eBay, always let the buyer beware. There are good deals on occasion, but more frequently people are dramatically over-pricing their stock to get "suckers" to pay 10x what something is worth.

Good, solid advice right there... And I too have been fortunate enough to meet some incredibly generous enthusiasts who have helped me improve my collection by gifts or by givi me incredible deals on better stock.

 

[Neli]

Lots of good advise here!
That being said for me there is nothing better that a free tree, though I have bought trees from all around the world...and if you get together the ones I bought I could have probably bought a nice brand new car from a show room. So there are all kind of crazy people where bonsai are concerned.
I love developing my trees from scratch...and that is where the fun is for me.
So my advise for you is learn to propagate. Cuttings and airlayers. Both are easy where you are.
Bougie truncheon cuttng just cut off and rooted in washed sieved river sand after 6 month in flower. Now that they are rooted I shall start styling them.
A small example for you: