I think that eBay is responsive to complaints - but only if you've purchased an item from the seller and are able to convince the eBay rep that you know what you're talking about when you receive the wrong plant species. The problem is that these listings are usually so cheap that people don't bother. I've seen multiple seed scamming accounts banned, though the seller tends to just create a new one (often using a family member's name.)
I've built up a list of red flags over time, having viewed many fake seed listings over the past couple years.
Red flags to watch out for on eBay:
- Suspicious keywords such as bonsai, exotic (I'd add "rare" but some legitimate sellers use that)
- Seller lists orchid seeds, especially of the genus Ophrys. These are always fake as far as I'm aware, and real ones are impossible to germinate outside of tissue culture anyway.
- Seller lists any other seeds that appear to have an altered picture. Common ones include rainbow/black roses, black/blue strawberries, blue sundews, or neon-colored Nepenthes. Rainbow eucalyptus however is actually real.
- Picture does not match the item description
- Seller is located in China. Never buy seeds from China.
- Item location does not match the seller's location. They do this to get around people filtering search results to only show items in the US (or Europe as it would be.) It is also a violation of eBay's policies to misrepresent the location of an item and can get accounts banned.
- Price is suspiciously cheap or comes in a suspiciously large quantity for the species. I think you'll be hard pressed to find a pack of any legitimate CP seeds on eBay for less than $5.