request for help please?...

[JonNo]

A neighbour, who knows I have an interest in cacti and has a small but rather nice collection of her own, stopped me in the street the other day to tell me she is having one of those "later life" clearouts and has decided she wants to part with her collection. She is probably going to give away the smaller ones, but she has it in mind that the largest plant in her collection might be worth something, and she asked me for my advice.

Being a rank amateur I have no idea, so I said I would ask on here. The plant in question is, I think, an Echinocactus Grusonii. It appears to have been well looked after and in very good order. She says she has had it somewhere between twenty five and thirty years. So possibly approaching flowering age? It measures (very approximately) 20cm wide by 25cm tall, and is currently in a terracotta pan 25cm wide. I think she would be reluctant to try to parcel it up and commit it to the post for fear of damaging it so I guess collection from North Shropshire would be needed.

So the question is please, what might it be worth? And indeed, might anyone on here be interested in it?... Any thoughts gratefully received and I will pass them on to the owner.

Thanks in anticipation. Tennis ball included in picture for scale!

[habanerocat]

It's a bit lob-sides and as such wouldn't be of interest to a serious collector.
You might get £20 for it at a push. Only a guess mind.

[Ernie]

Its only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it. Personally I would not give £20 for that plant. That said there will always be someone who will treasure it for what it is. I recently rescued some old battered plants, not much to look at, because to see them slung out would be terrible. I am sure they will reward me with flowers next year.

[JonNo]

It's a bit lob-sides and as such wouldn't be of interest to a serious collector.
You might get £20 for it at a push. Only a guess mind.

Hi Habanerocat, noted and thanks. Don't I remember reading that that's the way they grow in the wild, they lean toward the sun and so can be used like a compass?... Perhaps I dreamt that.

Thanks too Ernie. You are of course right, a thing is only ever worth what someone will pay for it, I think what the owner is looking for is an idea of where to pitch it...

Thanks for the help.

[MatDz]

Hit local Facebbok group (there are many "buy and sell succulents" ones, maybe also local to you ones), FB marketplace and maybe eBay with collection only (which would reduce the interest massively I am afraid)?

PS: I would pay £20 for it, but have no space!

[habanerocat]

Hi Habanerocat, noted and thanks. Don't I remember reading that that's the way they grow in the wild, they lean toward the sun and so can be used like a compass?... Perhaps I dreamt that.

Perhaps a little, but not that much in my opinion.

[JonNo]

Hit local Facebbok group (there are many "buy and sell succulents" ones, maybe also local to you ones), FB marketplace and maybe eBay with collection only (which would reduce the interest massively I am afraid)?

PS: I would pay £20 for it, but have no space!

Sound advice, thanks Mat. I'm nervous of putting something on E-Bay for someone else (the owner "doesn't do" E-Bay herself) but she could try the local on-line market place. For what price though is the sticking point, she was telling me she'd seen "large plants" in local garden centres and I think that may have had something to do with her deciding to look for money for it...

[Cidermanrolls]

I fear your neighbour will be disappointed. A search of eBay shows very few sales of large grusonii and the prices were not stunning and plenty failed to sell.
Whatever you get on eBay, you lose >10% of sale price and shipping fees in charges. A plant that size is going to be expensive to pack and post so if they do go this way, reflect on the appropriate shipping fee.
I agree with others, this plant is not a brilliant specimen as it has sloped, probably due to unequal light so I suspect, based on eBay prices, that the market price is £20 max.
Facebook is probably her best option.
I think the reality is that many people have an over optimistic expectation of the market for large cacti. I’ve failed to give away large top-cuts of Oreocereus. Someone’s been trying to sell a large Echinopsis on eBay for probably a year now, they started at £350, are now down to £150, but still no buyers. I suspect when they drop to £15 they might get a bidder.
Large Arios, yes, there’s an eager market. But large specimens of the everyday garden centre cacti, I don’t think so.

[Stuart]

If it was a prize at a BCSS Branch raffle I have to admit I wouldn’t pick it.

Stuart

[jerryb23]

Putting it on Gumtree would be another option - its easy and free and could be advertised on a "collection only basis" to avoid post and packing, albeit that this would only target relatively local buyers.

I agree that the plant would be of no real interest to established collectors but it would make a great first statement plant for a novice or junior and at £15 - £20 far cheaper than any garden centre. The plant itself looks very clean with no sign of corking or mealies and the tilt could possibly be corrected in a couple of years.