If a seedbank can legally operate...

[umbra]

The seedbanks that sell the breeders seeds are no different than any retail shop. 100%+ markup is common for Macy's or Nordstrom's. Why would seeds be any different. And there are seedbanks in usa.

 

[NYC_Diesel x Jack_Herer]

Yea I have seen one seedbank operating out of US, but I didn't get enough info on it to feel comfortable trying it. Umbra you are right, but costs should be considered as well.

A seedbank buys a bunch of seeds from the breeder, then mails them to you when you send them money. Macy's has to build 5,000 square foot stores, run them with power, staff them, clean them, pay the rent and bills on them, rent billboards and pay for radio ads and TV commercials. A seedbank runs a website and sells throgh word of mouth. Operating costs and overhead are almost nothing, a 100% markup is ridiculous.

 

[SPEARCHUCKER]

Yea alot has to do with rep received. But some of them spend alot of money to keep the rep high by investing huge sums in genetics.

Give you a couple examples.
Sunglasses. Oakley had to build up their rep to be able to charge so much. But they spend a ton in design, quality, testing, advertising, marketing, to keep it there. Then on the other hand, I can run to the mall right now and get their deal of 2 Oakley knockoffs for 11 bucks. Even got the Oakley name on them and everything.

Or Golf clubs. Nike, Taylor Made, Calloway all spend millions upon millions to try and put out the best product. And it shows in the price. Yet some little knockoff company buys a set, makes exact duplicate molds of them. And can put out their own at 1/10th the cost.

Both the knockoffs and Big names are making great money. But there is a difference in the way the money is made.

And while I refuse to buy Knockoff Golf Clubs. I love me some knockoff sunglasses (mainly cause I lose bout 5 pair each summer on the boat) and I love me some Seedsmans Seeds who brings the real deal, with less effort and overhead to pay for.

 

[NYC_Diesel x Jack_Herer]

Or Golf clubs. Nike, Taylor Made, Calloway all spend millions upon millions to try and put out the best product. And it shows in the price. Yet some little knockoff company buys a set, makes exact duplicate molds of them. And can put out their own at 1/10th the cost.

I agree with you completely. But if my Nike irons have babies, their babies are Nike. Or to put it a clearer way....
Yes, Nike can charge more for their irons than some new fly by night knock-off company. And I would have to pay more for them brand new because Nike put a lot into designing them, but I am still paying for the Nike logo as well....or I can buy a used set on Ebay in brand new condition for a lot less A seed exchange would be this option. I could buy brand new Blueberry Seeds straight from DJ Short, or I can buy a hybrid or a copy for a lot cheaper from a new breeder. Or...if you have blueberry seeds from DJ Short, and I trust you to be a reputable person who is really intrerested in getting some of my Jack Herer beans, then I should be able to trade you, or even buy them right from you. Once you have purchased those genetics from DJ short, it should be your right to do whatever you want with them, including reselling them or selling their offspring.

 

[SPEARCHUCKER]

Once you have purchased those genetics from DJ short, it should be your right to do whatever you want with them,

Wouldnt that kinda be like copyright infringement?
Like I can buy me a Britney Spears CD. But that doesnt give me the right to make you and everyone else a copy. No matter how much I know you love her.
Or before a football game. Where it says "This may not be used without the expressed written consent of the National Football League"

I dont know. Seems like a fine line. Cause in return to that, I can also grow all the corn I want. And give you all the corn seeds I want without having to worry about infringing anything.


Edit in: Oh and I forgot to add. Taylor Made rules!

 

[NYC_Diesel x Jack_Herer]

Wouldnt that kinda be like copyright infringement?
Like I can buy me a Britney Spears CD. But that doesnt give me the right to make you and everyone else a copy. No matter how much I know you love her.
Or before a football game. Where it says "This may not be used without the expressed written consent of the National Football League"

I dont know. Seems like a fine line. Cause in return to that, I can also grow all the corn I want. And give you all the corn seeds I want without having to worry about infringing anything.


Edit in: Oh and I forgot to add. Taylor Made rules!

Very good point....I consider it to be like livestock. If I buy two chickens from you I shouldn't have to pay you every time one lay's an egg and I sell it. I guess trading the true genetics from the breeders might be a problem, but F-2's and crosses, anything beyond would not be protected under any laws I can think of even if the breeders true F-1's, or whatever line, were protected. I guess in theory this would cause poor growers to end up with bad beans, and even some good growers who are bad breeders to end up with bad beans cuz they cant breed. But it would HELP those who can breed be able to grow even better strains. Perhaps among a select group of breeders and traders genetic diversity and good genetics being transferred could create MORE strains and better characteristics as the available genetics for breeding increases among breeders.

 

[Organix]

I do not mean to throw the topic off course, but I just bought a 10 pack of regular Lowryder 2 from WMS. With much awaited anticipation, I sure watched em' grow fast alright. They were all males in a mere 16 days of their short life.

I just emailed them. Waiting for a response. I agree with Jack, seeds are way too expensive for what they are.

 

[umbra]

When it comes to breeders and seeds, the consensus seems to be that making F2 seeds are frowned on, because people might think the original breeder did it and the pheno expression would lead to a large variation. However, most breeders have little problems with taking various seeds and making F1 hybrids from them.

 

[mr.greengenes]

I'm not a business major so I don't speculate on issues like this because there is no empirical evidence or data from which to draw. And the other thing, selling beans is illegal in most parts of the world so your business model is different. If it were legitimate, we would be considering taxes and tariffs as a component of profit structure. I wish it were easier to buy beans for illicit means, but it isn't. I live in California where, if I get a medical marijuana card, I can purchase mmj, beans and clones from dispensaries. And they do pay state and federal taxes. I like your idea. But the bottom line is there is a huge potential to get busted once you organize an illicit business. And that's not even taking into consideration the potential personal impact of drug lords, gangs, etc. that prey on ill-equipped entrepreneurs. IMHO stick to growing for personal consumption and try to fly under the radar.

 

[NYC_Diesel x Jack_Herer]

I don't know...if seedbanks can operate then a bean trading site could. As said the legality would be EASIER because the site is selling nothing illegal, it is simply providing a place for people to share beans. Ther eis no business model, just a theory being thrown out. The site woud not be operated by a company looking to profit, just someone who lives somewhere that could get away with the legality of it. If someone living in Canada or the Netherlands can ship beans to parts of the world where it is illegal and get away with it, SURELY it would be easier to run a site that helps distribute beans, but never even touches anything illegal. As I said, if CraigsList can get away with having Hookers posting advertisements on their site by saying they are not responsible for the content, a bean trading site could do the same thing. Ad space could be given away to breeders who have proven they can produce good genetics and that are very poular seeds, and the site could generate enough money to run it by selling ad space to other companies such as pipe companies, nute companies, High Times, light manufacturer's, etc etc.....The company would be SELLING nothing but ad space. The point is to have a site that is completey unbiased in what it does as far as breeding and genetics go. Even selling the ad space would tilt the site towards certain breeders. So the "company" or "site" would not be involved at any point in taking money from seed buying customers, or from seed suppliers.

 

[NYC_Diesel x Jack_Herer]

When it comes to breeders and seeds, the consensus seems to be that making F2 seeds are frowned on, because people might think the original breeder did it and the pheno expression would lead to a large variation. However, most breeders have little problems with taking various seeds and making F1 hybrids from them.

Another excellent point. I can breed two plants from two different breeders and then market the cross, and some sites even mention they received the genetic supplying parents FROM other breeders. So if a site comes along and sells a cross of White Widow and Blueberry, even if they bought the parents from a breeder there is no problem with legality. So why should I go buy a cross from some breeder of say... DP WW and DJ's Blueberry when that cross can be traded for free and is not copyrighted in any way? Surely you and the site will say....well the cross was made by selecting the best potential mother out of hundreds and we did the same for our male......whatever. To me an F1 cross is still and F1 cross, and you are still working with the same parent's genetics.
If I grow one male DP WW and one female DJ Bueberry and cross them, their seeds are a cross of those two strains. If you grow 100 DP WW males and 100 DJ Blueberry femaes and cross the two best.....how much better are those seeds goign to really be? We are still talking about only one generation removed from the host parent's genetics.

 

[Hick]

start yourself a seed exchange.. swap shop... but not at MP... and don't use MP as a venue for promotion...
We aren't going to allow the risk involved...
being formerly a member of a few such a sites. I know what happens....and it's never a good thing.