Fell for a $60 'rare' venus flytrap seed scam on Etsy

I got excited about growing a rare giant venus flytrap from seeds I saw on Etsy for $60. The seller had pictures of these huge traps with red interiors and claimed they came from a special Carolina strain. I planted them in a terrarium with distilled water and peat moss, following every care guide I could find. After 4 weeks nothing sprouted, so I contacted the seller and they ghosted me. Turns out flytrap seeds are tiny black specks, and what I got were just regular grass seeds dyed dark. I lost my money and wasted a month of waiting around. Has anyone else gotten tricked by fake carnivorous plant seeds online?

2 comments

2 Comments

rileyp4914d ago

Order a jewelers loupe off Amazon for like 10 bucks, it’ll save you from getting burned again because real flytrap seeds are tiny black dots, not dark dyed grass seeds. Also, stick to known sellers like California Carnivores or FlytrapStore, they actually grow what they sell and don’t use stock photos. That $60 loss sucks but now you know, and honestly, you’re better off buying a mature plant from a legit shop for the same money.

hernandez.blake14d ago

Watch out for sellers with "mixed" or "rainbow" Venus flytrap listings too, those are always fake since the traps only turn red from proper light, not genetics. Better to learn on a ten dollar plant than a sixty dollar lesson, but at least you'll never fall for dyed seeds again.