Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Why do people post pics of a snake they are trying to sell when it is in shed? Then they always say "snake in shed so doesn't look great right now". Are these people trying to hide something? You know, wait a few days until the shed is complete and then shock us! Sorry for the rant, but this just makes me suspicious of buying from them.

Most are not trying to hide anything. Some will list the snakes pic several times To show you what it is doing. Ive bought plenty of snakes offline and I have never had a problem but always buy from a breeder whom people know about.

Remember if its burning dont call the fire department... Go to the clinic!

There paying to advertise here ,so time is money,can't help when the snake is in shed and mine take more then 3 days to shed...

ALWAYS WITH REPTILES ONLINE!

Great deals can be had, but many scumbags exist. Libel laws and their complications make it impossible to say anything negative about anyone here. Great people are here, but many, many scumbags as well. Do your due-diligence. If you are looking for a specific animal, be patient!

Ask for another picture to be emailed, keep an email correspondence of the conditions of the sale and the picture of the animal that is being sent to you to make sure it is the same one.

Research the species beforehand. Don't be impulsive! Have your questions ready. Correspond in email. Save it. If you have a bad experience there are other areas where you can report your good or bad dealings and research others as well.

Read between the lines when people defend a direct question with. That being said you can use this network to find great people and great animals, but you have to be alert and proactive.

Matt

Do you know how many years it has taken me to finally get to post ANY pics here?? I have sold most of my snakes far lower than most simply because of this.When I now post a pic(OK,maybe not the BEST pic,but much better than NONE)I use it for a while.I have been sending out about 20 pics/day for a LONG time now and I assure you that its not because 20 people want to BUY what I have for sale.....there are ALOT of people that know I have good stuff and just want pics.After a while you can kinda tell because you havent heard of them before or even the WAY they ask for a "better pic"you know they arent serious to begin with.It is sad for the good newby that I dont have the patience that I used to,but simple economics demands that the proper questions are asked to begin with.Without them potential customers are summarily lumped into a "pic collector"catagory.Here are the correct questions to ask.....How big is it?What is it eating?Will it eat f/t?Has it bred before?Locale?THESE are questions from a buyer,not a tire-kicker."Send me a better pic"just doesnt get my attention anymore,and may even fuel a little wrath,lol.Jeff

I am a 32 year old professional salesman. I am also nearly complete with an MBA in Marketing.

People who post fuzzy pics of their snakes for sale - or pics of their snakes in the blue are doing two things:
1. Lowering the amount of time that someone will spend viewing their animals in the classified ad's.
2. Lowering the value of the snake vis-a-vis the price listed. If a Cali King is worth $25.00 (a normal variant) - then the market price for a cali king is $25.00 for a pretty, chunky, cal king. Why should someone shell out $25.00 for something that is suspect? You have basically just lowered the market value of that animal by advertising it in a bad light.
It's like two guys going to the car dealership with the same exact car, mileage, paint scheme, etc to trade the car in. One guy washes, waxes, and vacuums out his car and the other guy just pulls his car up to the lot - brake dust on the wheels, trash on the floor. Who is going to get more money?

Think about it - for every ad with a crappy pic of an Okeetee Corn snake or California Kingsnake at $25.00 there is a very professional ad for the same type animal and for the same price.
So, you are doing all of this hard work to raise your animals and get them to breed. Then you anxiously await the eggs to hatch. Next you spend the time and money to get them to eat ft pinks. Finally, you go to the time and trouble of posting the ad on Kingsnake.com ~ why would you not spend an extra 5 minutes and take a better, brighter, clearer picture?

just my 2 cents.

Peter Jolles

That is what I think. You just stated it much better. Why not wait five days for the snake to shed and show it at its best. I won't buy from someone that makes the "snake is in shed" excuse. Sellers may want to think about that.