# Bastards on ebay that sell rainbow rose seeds, blue or white strawberry seeds and other fake shit **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 18, 2013, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bastards-on-ebay-that-sell-rainbow-rose-seeds-blue-or-white-strawberry-seeds-and-other-fake-shit/666547 "2013-08-18T08:03:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bastards-on-ebay-that-sell-rainbow-rose-seeds-blue-or-white-strawberry-seeds-and-other-fake-shit/666547/21 "2013-08-19T03:20:50Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > When I taught high school physics, it blew me away how many things young adults simply do not know. The problem is not just what they don’t know. It’s also what they do know that’s flat wrong. Wish I were the first to say something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bastards-on-ebay-that-sell-rainbow-rose-seeds-blue-or-white-strawberry-seeds-and-other-fake-shit/666547/22 "2013-08-20T19:30:50Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > You laugh, but my grandfather did indeed invent and patent an actual striped paint after being the butt of a practical joke in the army. I can’t find the patent, because his name was Robert Shepherd, and there’s about two zillion variants of that name in the patent database, including a Robert Shepherd who was pivotal in inventing paintball (but that wasn’t my grandfather). But I have seen the patent in the past, and the paint. It was never marketed though, 'cause it was just too weird, and you had to hold the brush really still so as not to disrupt the stripes. And besides, he only invented it to be a smartass. That’s so great. If you find more information about it, please post it, I’d love to read more about it. I love inventions that came from smartassery. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bastards-on-ebay-that-sell-rainbow-rose-seeds-blue-or-white-strawberry-seeds-and-other-fake-shit/666547/23 "2013-08-20T19:40:31Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > You laugh, but my grandfather did indeed invent and patent an actual striped paint after being the butt of a practical joke in the army. I can’t find the patent, because his name was Robert Shepherd, and there’s about two zillion variants of that name in the patent database, including a Robert Shepherd who was pivotal in inventing paintball (but that wasn’t my grandfather). But I have seen the patent in the past, and the paint. It was never marketed though, 'cause it was just too weird, and you had to hold the brush really still so as not to disrupt the stripes. And besides, he only invented it to be a smartass. include his middle initial in the name search, that will help. ---
**Author:** ![Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/77aa72/32.png) [@Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluffy_PickleSniffer)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bastards-on-ebay-that-sell-rainbow-rose-seeds-blue-or-white-strawberry-seeds-and-other-fake-shit/666547/24 "2013-08-20T23:10:11Z")
Do you mean to tell me that I can’t grow my own rainbow after all? No wonder these seeds weren’t sprouting anything but green things! ---
**Author:** ![Volauvent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@Volauvent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Volauvent)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bastards-on-ebay-that-sell-rainbow-rose-seeds-blue-or-white-strawberry-seeds-and-other-fake-shit/666547/25 "2013-08-20T23:59:31Z")
Absolutely cracking me up here. Have been in fraud prevention for yonks and e-bay has always been a fraud central for Nigerian, Romanian, Asian, and just plain everyday scammers who live down the street. You guys are so point on and funny as hell \<- popular oxymoron 60 second post delay? Not again. That was done at the game site chat I belonged to over at Big Fish (now moved to Gamezebo). It’s to keep out phony posters who will lay a whole mess of irrelevant posts down, one right after the other. It’s a PITA, but really worth it. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bastards-on-ebay-that-sell-rainbow-rose-seeds-blue-or-white-strawberry-seeds-and-other-fake-shit/666547/26 "2013-08-21T10:35:17Z")
> [@Volauvent](#): > > Absolutely cracking me up here. > > Have been in fraud prevention for yonks and e-bay has always been a fraud central for Nigerian, Romanian, Asian, and just plain everyday scammers who live down the street. > > You guys are so point on and funny as hell \<- popular oxymoron > > 60 second post delay? Not again. That was done at the game site chat I belonged to over at Big Fish (now moved to Gamezebo). It’s to keep out phony posters who will lay a whole mess of irrelevant posts down, one right after the other. It’s a PITA, but really worth it. Thanks for the info. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bastards-on-ebay-that-sell-rainbow-rose-seeds-blue-or-white-strawberry-seeds-and-other-fake-shit/666547/27 "2013-08-21T10:49:50Z")
What I don’t understand is - how do these sellers get 99% positive feedback? Do they have a mostly legitimate business but just sell a few fake things for a lark? How does that work? Have they got fake buyers sending them fake feedback? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bastards-on-ebay-that-sell-rainbow-rose-seeds-blue-or-white-strawberry-seeds-and-other-fake-shit/666547/28 "2013-08-21T12:22:55Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > What I don’t understand is - how do these sellers get 99% positive feedback? If they sell you seeds, and you receive the seeds, they get positive feedback. When the seeds don’t grow the way you expect, are you able to go back to the listing 6 months later and give them negative feedback? ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bastards-on-ebay-that-sell-rainbow-rose-seeds-blue-or-white-strawberry-seeds-and-other-fake-shit/666547/29 "2013-08-21T12:44:10Z")
:smack: Obvious, once explained… ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bastards-on-ebay-that-sell-rainbow-rose-seeds-blue-or-white-strawberry-seeds-and-other-fake-shit/666547/30 "2013-08-21T15:03:33Z")
Plant scams are surprisingly common in garden centres as well- grafted cactus that turn interesting colours because the top bit’s dying, blue dyed orchids that will just slowly turn white (if they live that long)… If you don’t know what the plant is, and the label gives no info, it’s easy to just assume you messed up when it dies or turns a funny colour. The one that really gets me though is [dyed fish](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Painted_fish)- injected with dye (or dipped in it) to look more exotic, it fades after a few months, if they live that long. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bastards-on-ebay-that-sell-rainbow-rose-seeds-blue-or-white-strawberry-seeds-and-other-fake-shit/666547.md?page=1)