A Guide from Raintree Nursery 

As online shopping becomes increasingly common, gardeners are turning to the internet to purchase fruit trees, berries, and specialty plants. Unfortunately, this growth has also attracted scammers who create fraudulent nursery websites designed to deceive customers. These sites often copy photos, product descriptions, and even parts of our branding in an attempt to appear legitimate.

At Raintree Nursery, we take this issue seriously. Protecting our customers means helping them recognize the warning signs of a scam before they lose money or personal information. This article outlines how these fraudulent sites operate and how you can identify them quickly and confidently.

🚨 Examples of Known Scam Websites

In recent months, we’ve seen a surge in websites impersonating reputable nurseries, including ours. These sites often use stolen images and product descriptions, list unrealistic prices, and disappear once they’ve collected payment.

Some known examples include:

raintreenurseryplants.com

saleraintreenursery.com

raintreenurserys-us.shop

raintreenurserystore.com

us-raintreenursery.com

These websites are not affiliated with Raintree Nursery in any way. If you encounter them, avoid making purchases and report them to our customer service.

🔍 How to Spot a Scam Website

🕵️‍♂️ 1. Suspiciously Low Prices

If the prices seem too good to be true, they usually are. Scam sites often list trees or bundles at 50–80% below market value to lure buyers.

Red flag: “Everything 70% off!” or “$10 fruit trees!”

🌐 2. Strange or Imitation Website Addresses

Scammers often use URLs that look similar to real nursery names but with extra words or odd spellings.

Examples of red flags:

• Extra words like sale, shop, plants, store, us, home
• Misspellings or swapped letters
• Domains ending in unfamiliar extensions
• Use of hyphens

Our only official website is: 👉 raintreenursery.com.  When browsing our page, it will always have RN as the thumbnail picture - see below.

✅Correct:

• www.raintreenursery.com
• https://raintreenursery.com
• help.raintreenursery.com

🚫Incorrect (scam indicators):

• raintreenurseryplants.com
• saleraintreenursery.com
• raintreenursery‑shop.com
• raintreenurseryusa.com

Even a small variation means it’s not us.

📸 3. Stolen Photos and Product Descriptions

Fraudulent sites frequently copy images and text directly from legitimate nurseries — including ours. If you see our photos or product names on a site that isn’t Raintree Nursery, it’s likely a scam.

💳 4. Limited or Suspicious Payment Options

Scam sites often only accept:

• Zelle
• Cash App
• Venmo
• Wire transfers
• Cryptocurrency

These payment methods offer no buyer protection.

Legitimate nurseries typically accept:

• Credit cards
• PayPal
• Secure checkout systems

📞 5. The Footer Contains Our Official Contact Information

Fake sites often list:

• No phone number
• A disconnected or fake phone number
• Generic email addresses (Gmail, Outlook, admin, etc.)
• No physical address or in the wrong state

If you can’t reach a real person, that’s a major warning sign.  At the bottom of every page on the real site, you’ll find:

✅Our physical address in Washington State

✅Customer service email

✅Links to policies (track my order, shipping, refunds, wish list)

✅Social media links that lead to verified accounts

Fraudulent sites often have:

🚫No physical address or outside of Washington state

🚫Fake addresses

🚫Broken or missing social media links

🚫No policy pages

Our customer service contact information is always located at the bottom of our webpages - see below.

📝 6. Poor Grammar, Typos, and Broken English

Many scam sites are quickly thrown together and contain:

• Awkward phrasing
• Misspelled plant names
• Inconsistent formatting
• Broken links
• The 'about us' section isn't about the nursery

🚚 7. Unrealistic Shipping Promises

Be cautious of claims like:

• “Free overnight shipping on all fruit trees!”
• “Guaranteed delivery in 48 hours!”

Shipping live plants requires careful timing and logistics — legitimate nurseries do not offer instant delivery.

🛡️ How Customers Can Protect Themselves

✅ Verify the URL

Always double‑check that you are on Raintreenursery.com.

✅ Look for HTTPS

A secure site will show a lock icon in the browser bar.

✅Search for real reviews

Check Google, Facebook, Reddit, or gardening forums.

✅ Contact us if unsure

Our customer service is happy to confirm whether a website is ours.

📣 What to Do If You Encounter a Scam Site

If you find a suspicious website using our photos or name:

1. Do not purchase anything
2. Take a screenshot or copy the URL
3. Send it to our customer service
4. Report the site to your browser or search engine

Your reports help us protect other gardeners from being scammed.

🌿 We’re Here to Help

Raintree Nursery is committed to protecting our customers and our community. If you ever feel unsure about a website, product listing, or online offer, reach out to us — we’ll gladly take a look.