Well I remember when I thought Jungle Growth was the only product to use for my EBs etc until I tried the coco coir. Now I see Bob has his own website www.instagarden.com. Was just on it and saw the new products and especially the watering systems. Take a ride over and see what I mean?
This message was edited Jan 30, 2009 8:28 AM
Congratulations Boca Bob To Your Brand New Website
Thats funny, altho not my business, I was going to ask Bob if he had thought about a website. Good for him. My computer wont link to anything on Daves...Ill see if I can type it in.
Isn't that great?! So glad for him. He's been busy.
♪ ♫ ♪ Hurray Bob!!!!!♪ ♫ ♪ Great website! I am so happy for you! This will make it much easier for us to order from you now! I'm excited about the new kits and products you are offering too. Wishing you the best of luck and more sales than you can handle my friend ☺
Congratulations, Boca Bob! You deserve all the success in the world. You've helped me so much with learning how to grow veggies, I'm sure I'll have a bumper crop this year, thanks to you and some other kind souls willing to put up with newbie questions on this forum.
Keep up the good work!
Linda
Wow, I just noticed that Bob is offering a free block of coconut coir for $5.95 shipping so that people can try it. Good idea Bob.. I hope alot of folks take you up on it.
I've been eying the instagarden setup. With a little yard work I can probably find a good home for one here. Tax return should should be in the bank by this weekend. Then I will inquire about shipping from Florida to SoCal. I really dig those green self watering buckets I've seen on this forum. Will they be made for retail? Or would shipping them be expensive?
Ray: Have you checked the prices at Greyhound? Don't laugh, I have sent boxes of stuff from one point to another for as cheap as $20, a whole box full, and it usually only takes 3 days, cheaper than the Post Office, more than one way to beat postal service prices ya'll.
joy112854
I like you having a website like that Bob great idea.
I think he can ship the coir from much closer for CA. Ill have to look. If all he had to send from FL, was the other stuff, it woundt be so much.
This message was edited Jan 28, 2009 1:38 PM
Quoting:
Ray: Have you checked the prices at Greyhound? Don't laugh, I have sent boxes of stuff from one point to another for as cheap as $20, a whole box full, and it usually only takes 3 days, cheaper than the Post Office, more than one way to beat postal service prices ya'll.
joy112854
I would have never thought about that! That's a great idea. I'm gonna check into it. Thanks Joy.
Quoting:
I think he can ship the coir from much closer than CA. Ill have to look. If all he had to send from FL, was the other stuff, it woundt be so much.
Ya, the coir would be the most expensive part. I thought I read in one of these threads there was a place in Cali he could ship from.
Your right he just told me he can ship from Calf.
Did't help me I'am in the middle. DARN
~Terry
There's always Nashville.
Is freight really that high for Bob's products? Afterall they weigh hardly anything until you add water? I think we pay far more for live plants shipped from nurseries? I remember when I wanted to buy dolomite lime on line cause Lowes no longer carried it. The lime was $5 but shipping for a 40lb bag was $35. Now there I would not blame anyone for not ordering but paying $20 for $80 or $100 worth of merchandise is not that unacceptable. I tip that much when eating out a restaurant plus we are guaranteeing a job for the head of the family of the delivery company. Is that asking so much. We must work togeather in todays economy. I certainly would not like my UPS man to lose his job. Just think about it for awhile? Is it such a big deal for years of great gardening??
I agree Tplant...I was desperate to get the 10-10-10 locally, and almost reduced to paying around $35.00 shipping for a really cheap bag of fertilize, until Ace was able to have it shipped to my local store. And that was a one season bag of fertilize...The coir will be usable for several years at least. I have paid high shipping PLUS handling for many live plants and other items, and I don't think Bob's prices are bad in comparison at all. I know he adds no handling charge, and personally runs back and forth himself from the UPS store carrying big boxes to hand calculate the utmost cheapest shipping he can get. I do agree with Joy that Greyhound is a good method to use, as I have done the same before on a one time basis, but for Bob it would be impractical to run hither and there from Greyhound to UPS with big boxes on every single order to see which one was a little cheaper. I know he works very hard on every individual order to make sure it is as cheap as he can get it.
Ok. While ya'll were negotiating shipping, I clicked the send button and became BocaBob's VERY FIRST CUSTOMER on his new website. Yep, I shir did! Yessirree, Bob!
I ordered the 10 bag expansion set. 1/2 for me and 1/2 for my neighbor across the street. I'm setting her up with her very own garden patch! How's that for networking?
See 'yah!
Linda
I wanted 2 blocks of coco coir that is 19.95. The shipping would have been 23$ I'am hoping he can get another shipping point up north. We'll see. I'd love to try using it in some EBs
I may have to bite the bullet cuz it is very interesting............
~Terry
Guys, if you have it shipped Greyhound, it will get to you in 3 days, and you pay tops $20. That's for a good sized box too. So; if you have a huge order then you can have it sent that way, and most of us have a Greyhound station close to us that is opened most the time. I moved from Fort Lauderdale to here, via Greyhound. LOL Back then they would allow you 2 huge suitcases and 2 carryons and unlimited boxes which ran $20 each, I got completely moved in 3 trips. Think about it. I know when I order stuff, I try to order a huge amount as the shipping and handling on a small amount of stuff can cost you a fortune; but, if you are ordering a huge amount of stuff you can save money; especially if you use Greyhound to ship it for you.
joy112854
joy112854
OK ya all, I got a quote for 10 (5KG) blocks of coco coir for Tubbytee in Nebraska from Boca Raton, FL Ready? Grehound- $57.35, UPS Ground - 32.00 Joy112854?
BocaBob
Just to let you know, there is a Greyhound terminal 2 blocks from my day job (restaurant manager), and if the shipping was cheaper, I would have been glad to bring the packages there. I have a UPS account and get 31.5% discount off the established rate and I pass it along to you guys and add nothing else. And I have 5 drop ship points for the coco coir around the country , Northern CA, southern CA, Seattle WA, Nashville, TN, Boca Raton, FL and am working on a site in Texas.
I will continue to look for the cheapest way to ship this great product.
LOL Joy.
I might get myself shipped via ups to the next vacation spot. Cheaper than the bus. Devota
Devota the "stowaway", hahaha! (might be safer than riding IN the bus, these days ☺)
Wow, has prices gone up that much in 9 years? The postal costs are continually rising and I don't see why cause gas is getting cheaper. Back to the drawing board for me I suppose right Bob?
joy112854
I just made a purchase from Bob. Turns out ups is cheaper than greydog.
Had to try it.
I should be a drop ship point in mid west (NE) HINT HINT Bob
~TUBBY
Tubby,
Not a bad idea, let's talk
BocaBob
Bob
Anytime I'm retired . 402-720-9321
~Tubby
Ahem.
Just a gentle reminder that while we want to see our DG friends do well with their businesses, we have a no self-promotion rule in our forums.
While this rule generally applies to the business owner, occasionally we've had to ask forum members to refrain from tempting those owners by asking leading questions, or letting their enthusiasm get the better of them, and opening the door to questions that the owner can't ethically address in our forums without crossing the self-promotion line.
The no-self-promotion rule is designed to keep things fair for everyone (there are a large number of DG members who have garden-related businesses). And it lets us keep our forum content non-commercial (and not littered with spammy stuff.)
We offer numerous opportunities to promote any legitimate garden-related company here, from free (!) Garden Watchdog and Go Gardening listings, to low-cost classified ads and DG Marketplace listings), so let's keep our forum posts commercial-free: who wants to ask a question and wonder if the answer they get is the truth, or a sales pitch in disguise?
Terry, I don't always catch on to things real quick. Just to be clear could you please be specific as to how this thread has strayed away from the "no self-promotion" rule.
Thanks,
Jerry
Quoting:
While this rule generally applies to the business owner, occasionally we've had to ask forum members to refrain from tempting those owners by asking leading questions, or letting their enthusiasm get the better of them, and opening the door to questions that the owner can't ethically address in our forums without crossing the self-promotion line.
This is the double-edged sword for any business owner who engages on a personal level within an independent forum (i.e., a forum they do not own or control, and therefore is not dedicated to marketing their product or service.) On one hand, they establish relationships and get to be "just a gardener" like everyone else. But they have to take off the marketing hat when they come in the door, and that can be difficult when your livelihood depends on getting your name out there.
We've never had any draconian rules that forbid people from mentioning any businesses or other websites here. But if forum friends start a thread that chats up a business owner/member's business, website, or product, that is different from someone posting an informative "Hey, I see where [XYZ Company] has a sale going" when they don't have any ties (whether that's friendship or business) to the XYZ Company.
We ask all forum participants (business owners and their friends) to abide by the spirit of the no-self-promotion rule, as well as the "letter of the law." We don't want to have to spend or time censoring and deleting posts, or closely monitoring a forum for infractions. But if we allow some self-promotion to start, it's a green light to others, and soon the self-promotional posts are rolling in.
No one wants to walk into a forum and find it littered with spammy, self-promoting ads (if you've ever been to a site that doesn't actively enforce a no-self-promotion rule, you've seen what can happen.)
So we're asking our members to help us help you keep the forum content non-commercial, and that will make it a whole lot easier for us to spot the obvious spam and keep it swept out.
Terry
Sorry no wrong doing intended !!
~Tubby
Terry: I honestly don't think anyone thought or intended for any promotion to be going on. I have bought many products from many different companies, and if I find one that I like I mention it in case others might find it appropriate for thier needs also. I have about 7 different seed starting kits, and in comparing them, I state which one I like most and why, where I get them, for others to see, that way they might save themselves some money on buying and trying all of them the way I have.
Not everyone is talking about one particular product or company here, I've mentioned Gardner's Supply, Park's, Burpees, and other companies as well, that way people know who offers things that they are looking for. Most of us on the self-watering container thread, since it's a new gardening aspect, are looking for input on experiences from others who have tried things. And if one of us is looking for something we might ask about it and another might say "well, I use this and this is where I get it from". I don't really see that as a promotion; but helping another gardener out who is asking for help or might need to know where to purchase an item.
joy112854
Please refer to this thread's title; that is what prompted this gentle reminder.
Terry: Ok, I didn't mean any harm.
joy112854
Terry knows that no one here meant any harm...he's just doing his job of trying to keep us all happy and safe in the Garden.
...'cause sometimes there're "snakes" lurking about...
Information keeps us out of trouble & keeps us informed !!
~Tubby
True. But, errrr..."he's" actually a "she" ;o)
Terry knows that no one here meant any harm...she's just doing her job of trying to keep us all happy and safe in the Garden.
...'cause sometimes there're "snakes" lurking about...
Terry is my mid name I laugh when they spell it Terri I'm sure you get that to.
They allways get my nickname right.
~Tubby
Gymgirl: Thanks for reassuring me, I hope that if someone asks about a product and I say, "I use this and that and have had success with it", that that will be ok?
joy112854
Quoting:
We've never had any draconian rules that forbid people from mentioning any businesses or other websites here. But if forum friends start a thread that chats up a business owner/member's business, website, or product, that is different from someone posting an informative "Hey, I see where [XYZ Company] has a sale going" when they don't have any ties (whether that's friendship or business) to the XYZ Company.
So yes, of course it's fine to mention products you've used. But to be clear: there's a difference between referring someone to a source you personally recommend and repeatedly "plugging" a company because you're personally friendly with (or otherwise connected to) them.
Just where is the line between a casual personal recommendation and deliberate name-dropping?
That's where following the spirit of this rule comes into play--only you know what your intent really is.
If it's truly just an off-hand referral, your conscience is clear and everything is fine.
If you know you're trying to get around the rules...please don't.
It's a waste of everyone's time to have to debate it or dredge up evidence to demonstrate a pattern. (Wouldn't you rather have our admin team busy building fun new features and enhancements you can enjoy, rather than hovering over your shoulder? I know I'd rather be doing more productive things, but if we have to monitor things, we will, for the good of the site, and to keep it tidy and spam-free.)
We hope you've rated your local nurseries in Go Gardening and your mail order sources in the Garden Watchdog--those are the best places to rave (or rant) about the sources you love or love-to-hate without worrying about whether you're getting into a gray area ;o)
Terry: I have rated my favorites, I have not really had any bad experiences though, and being a new gardener I sometimes ask the more experienced gardeners what they use. It gives me some point to start at. I have just learned about the coop part of the club and find it fasinating also. I'm happy to be a member here and have learned so much from the many experienced gardners here on this site.
joy112854
Terry thank you for the advice and suggestions. My understanding of your comments is that it is all right to mention Bob's website, or to recommend Bob's products (for those that truly use them) as having a good experience with them, but not to consistently plug his site. I just want to be clear so that the people here that use and like his products will not be afraid to ever utter a word about where they can get them....