Horticulture is poised at an exciting moment in history. Since the first domestic crop was cultivated, farmers, backyard enthusiasts, and horticultural hobbyists have traded plants through traditional means such as nurseries, wholesale suppliers, open auction, public markets, and hand to hand exchanges. Sometime in the 1990's agriculture arrived at a juncture called the internet and markets fractured. Every aspect of the horticultural industry followed a path, including hobbyists who found their way to online nurseries in droves. The 1990's were a heyday for any nursery with a good budget. Trading occurred at a faster pace and appealed to a wider audience than ever was possible by any single enthusiast. The days of waiting for specialty items all but disappeared due to a new marketplace; the internet auction. For the next 10 years cyber-auctions dominated. The fast-paced trading was now occurring at hyper-speed in a global market. More and better varieties coupled with resources for smarter growing equaled huge profits. And that was the beginning of the end.
Large, unregulated profits will attract any number of hosts in any industry and horticultural hobbyists are not exempt. Droves of hustlers flooded the larger marketplaces with fake and low-quality products leaving thousands of victims in their wake. The bad guys penetrated every form of the horticultural hobby and the formerly safe spaces to trade were now a minefield for everyone. And there were no penalties. The bad guys were, and still comfortably exist today without fear of intervention. The first to recognize the problem and offer a safe space for fig enthusiasts was Danny Gentile, who launched figBid.com in 2017. figBid.com quickly gained support and today stands as the largest and safest marketplace for fig material in the United States. But the success of figBid didn't stop there. Shortly after conception a new, broader idea was developed; a similar, safe marketplace encompassing virtually every legal form of plant material collected and traded in the US today. figBid had already cleared a path to success and the missing pieces consisted of a bit of expertise.
Hello BidNGrow.com.
Danny discovered the tools for servicing a larger, much broader audience in the form of a team of fig enthusiasts with additional gardening interests. The pair already understood the hobby, the market, and have an added bonus of internet auction proficiency with the development and implementation of their own niche business edcbid.com. So a months-long brainstorm began. Using figBid's framework and core-values as the foundation and building blocks, a new super-site was born, BidNGrow.com. Bidngrow.com became the collaboration that unites decades of industry-specific expertise and the knowledge gained by the success of figBid.com with horticultural hobbyists. And we knocked it out of the park!
We know it’s difficult enough for any internet auction site to police any one specific category of sales let alone hundreds or even thousands. Can any website really address personal concerns when shoes, toys, cars, antiques, real estate, clothing and thousands of other items are traded daily on its website? The answer is NO; It’s an impossible task for a huge open market. We pared it down. No advertising, no fluff, no baloney. The feeling you get when first logging into BidNGrow is safety. It's an immediate homey feel, like help is around the corner if needed. Just like figBid, Bidngrow.com is a category specific auction website built for home-grow enthusiasts and small businesses. Bidngrow.com does not follow marketplace trends or cater to large groups of buyers and sellers. There is a bottom line but Bidngrow.com is concerned with the individual and dedicated to joining quality buyers, sellers and traders of all things green, except figs. More importantly, Bidngrow.com is available to address members on a personal level, effectively police itself and keep out the dishonest people.
The bad guys will never be out of the hobby completely, but the bad guys will NEVER be allowed to operate on BidNGrow.
Meet the team.
Danny - Danny brings 21 years of professional Law Enforcement experience, 23 years of experience in the internet auction marketplace, and 2 years of lessons learned from successfully operating figBid.com. Danny's experience in fraud detection and prevention helps to keep everyone on the site safe. "Crooks stand out like a sore thumb." The bad guys don't stand a chance!
Matt - Matt's 15 years in the IT industry, managing and designing software for major corporations across the country , helps keep the machine running smoothly. "Operating an internet auction site is like running a thousand different retail sites at once, every single day of the week." It's a challenge most Product Managers will never get to experience. Matt also brings his experience with edcbid.com and servicing a 'larger ticket' audience.
Justin - Justin brings 22 years of owning and managing several successful small businesses. He's a seasoned entrepreneur and well-rounded individual with a solid background in management, manufacturing, sales, and procurement. Justins skills have earned him a reputation as disciplined businessperson and industry leader. Justin has coupled his skills with the edcbid.com and brings that additional experience over to BidNGrow.com.
Have fun and enjoy yourself. Buy, sell and trade until your heart is content. Don’t ever get discouraged. Build your collection to new heights. Please voice your concerns and opinions to us. We’re here for the community and that will never change.
CONTACT US anytime. :)