I posted this elsewhere but I think it belongs here, too. It's not directed at anyone in particular but I think we need perspective.
These cuttings don't belong to the Foundation, they belong to Jon. The fact that Jon set some aside for ebay is a smart move on his part. So I won't get Big Al this year. Jon has to have money to support his > 1,000 trees and it doesn't all come from the $2 - $6 we pay per cutting. He loses a fortune by offering them to us at a fraction of what they would go for on ebay. We're essentially taking $$ out of his pocket. (Not that that stops me :- ) It's Jon's personal desire that his fig cuttings get widely distributed to people who will maintain them. He's said that. He probably figures that the members here are more likely to be successful in growing and redistributing them than the general public. That's the only imaginable reason that he sells ANY here. These cuttings are the result of decades of his hard work. He doesn't owe us anything. And when the foundation is up and running, IT wont owe us anything.
Without Jon at the helm (about 70 years from now) the Board may decide that ebay is the best way to sell all of the cuttings. Think about it. Maybe there were 10 CdD Gris cuttings for us @ $6/cutting. On ebay they go for $50/cutting or more. $440 down the drain. Most of the cuttings Jon sells are rare and valuable, whether you're aware of the value of some of the lesser known ones or not. If you think about 1200 trees, perhaps a total of 15,000 cuttings at a loss averaging at least $15/cutting that's $225,000 he's let go to fulfill his dream. Or if it's 7000 cuttings with an average loss of $10/cutting it's still a $70,000 gift he's giving us. That's more than some of us make in 2 years! I'd like to hear more about how amazingly generous Jon is than musings on how I wont get this or that fig.