Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/08/05/mystery-chinese-seeds-innocu.html
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“Innocuous” in a very narrow definition of the term. These mystery seeds say a whole lot about the dysfunctional and dangerous aspects of modern commerce.
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A neighbor last week alerted the hood that he received a pack of seeds. He posted a pic of the envelope and it showed that it was delivered from Kyrgyzstan. What’s up with that?!?
My only observation of note for his situation is that he’s a pretty good gardener and has for years ordered seeds from the likes of Burpees, which were delivered via US Post.
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if you receive them, it means someone knows enough about you to mail stuff to you and use the delivery confirmation to pose you as a verified customer on some online platform or other
and that’s the big takeway… so the question is, HOW did they get the info and will there be greater consequences?? (And I don’t know the answer to either)
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For example Blackberry seeds are innocuous, and also jalapeno seeds are.
But planting them isn’t advisable if one doesn’t really want these plants in the back garden.
I like blackberries, but the plants are infestanta if they find a nice place to grow and most of the cultivar have thorns. Jalapeno lare relly hot peppers so eating them colud be unpleasant for someone.
Basically if one has a toddler roaming in the garden, these plants aren’t the best choice.
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Most likely they bought something on ebay or amazon from some Chinese seller who operates under multiple names and may no longer even use the same name. Good luck doing anything about a data protection breach in China.
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Yeah, I got bit by this scam once. Ordered a $50 lego set for my kids and 2 months later I got a 3-pack of knock-off Burberry socks. Which don’t even fit my size 15 feet. I didn’t even know it was coming from China until after the transaction went through.
I complained to the seller and they offered to send me a different lego set, but it was more expensive and I would have to pay an additional $30. Yeah, right.
This is why I don’t think companies like Amazon are so evil: they seem to vet their sellers and will refund your money if you get ripped off.
If anyone wants to buy 3 unused pairs of Burberry socks for the amazingly cheap price of $50, PM me.
EDIT: c’mon. You know you want them…
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it was fake “rubber plant” foliage for me, instead of a cookie cooling rack; only a few dollars loss to me, but big profit margin for someone
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Then I guess I got lucky. I think the socks will fit my girls, but I don’t know what the hell I would do with rubber plant foliage.
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The mystery seeds in the photo to me look like sunflower seeds, commonly sold as bird seeds, but they’re edible for humans too; I ate them multiple times in the past, and they make also a good frying oil.
That doesn’t mean these seeds in particular are innocuous, but generally speaking, they’re safe both for planting and eating.
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And as manipulated as reviews can be, they are a massive incentive for good business practices. Sometimes these take a weird turn. For instance, we got a sound machine that was taken to the office and the power supply lost. I called the company to order a replacement. They told me that they couldn’t sell the power supply only, but would be happy to send one for free if I put up a good review. I also acquired a (crappy) BT speaker this way. After leaving a bad review, they contacted me to offer a refund in exchange for a better review. When I refused to change my review, they refunded me anyway. Still a crappy speaker, though.
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The fact that someone was able to have the items sent to you as if you purchased them indicates that they probably have some of your personal information such as your name, address, and possibly, your phone number
As if they didn’t just buy a direct mail list.
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This is not that. What’s happening here is that merchants are ordering stuff from themselves using your name and address in order to boost their ratings with “verified purchases.” It’s called brushing.
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morning glories - the hardy and profusely re-seeding types - are far from innocuous! The ones taking over our yard are almost everywhere. I loathe roundup w/every fibre of my being, but I’m about ready to tug on summa those tendrils, lay 'em on the ground, & let 'em have it.
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This article contains more info.
Not a chance, I know I’ll just end up with a box of LEGO later.
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Even the hippie types in Seattle are all like use Round Up on the mother fuckers when it comes to the Himalayan Blackberries that will take over your yard if unchecked.
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So, isn’t the take-away here to check your online review history?
Wait, people are planting them? I’ve been smoking them.
Is that a bad idea?
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