From my experience I've noticed when I post an animal at $745 shipped versus the SAME animal posted at $700 plus $45 shipping there is a marked difference in response. Even though the actual shipped price of the animal for the buyer is the same in each case, I get a much better response when the two costs are itemized separately. Maybe it's just me but this is the trend I've seen.

What I feel is bad practice is when animals are posted at a given price with absolutely no mention anywhere in the ad that shipping is extra. IMHO to advertise an animal at $99 with no mention of shipping charge only to find out after the fact it's actually $99 PLUS a $45 shipping fee is an unfair business practice. That's a HUGE difference and much more worthy of complaining about in my mind. There is a major dealer that currently has over 125 ads running here at Kingsnake that uses this practice. There is virtually NO MENTION of shipping charges in a SINGLE ONE OF THESE ADS. It is only after going to their web site and subsequently clicking on the link to their shipping policy that one realizes the price in the ad is NOT what will actually be paid.

Do you really think the response to these ads would be the same if the true costs were posted up front? So I ask you, which do you think is worse, being up front about the cost of an animal plus shipping, or posting an animal at an artificially low price only to find out after further investigation there is an extra shipping fee added? Am I the only person that has noticed this? I personally think it's a very unfair, deliberate, and deceitful tactic. With literally thousands of ads posted each year by this business there's little doubt in my mind that this is no oversight. It is a deliberate attempt to make their prices appear more competitive, read CHEAPER than everyone else, yet nobody seems to question it.

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