Crackpots

Well this is my first year breeding and selling, and I'm discovering that there are some real strange people you have to deal with. Some of these people try all kinds of ways to get you to come off of prices and lead you on for ever like they want to buy but don't ever buy. Then you have the ones that agree to a price then when they don't have the money ask would you trade for something you don't want. Then after several weeks of getting g you to hold the snake they see that you post a sale and they expect you to sell for that price instead. I love this hobby but selling the babies is the worst part.

1.1 pastels, 1.0 lesser, 0.1 spider, 1.3 norm. 1.0 fire 0.1 RTB 0.0 sav. Mon.

Agreed. I wish I could sell a bunch of babies 'wholesale' - I'd take much less cash but it would be over and done with in one transaction.

When I start breeding I'm not looking forward to dealing with some of the bs, but bs is everywhere you go.

You'll find the more questions someone asks, the less likely they are to make a purchase.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by coreydelong

You'll find the more questions someone asks, the less likely they are to make a purchase.

---

Hey now, I asked you a lot of questions didn't I?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ironpython

Well this is my first year breeding and selling, and I'm discovering that there are some real strange people you have to deal with. Some of these people try all kinds of ways to get you to come off of prices and lead you on for ever like they want to buy but don't ever buy. Then you have the ones that agree to a price then when they don't have the money ask would you trade for something you don't want. Then after several weeks of getting g you to hold the snake they see that you post a sale and they expect you to sell for that price instead. I love this hobby but selling the babies is the worst part.

---

LOL welcome to sales! And it's not just snakes either.

Low-ballers abound everywhere. If you have a price in mind and you're not in a hurry to sell, then thank the buyer for his/her inquiry and state that the price is firm. If the offer is insultingly low just delete it and move on. After a few of these from the same person I might send a snarky response back. Example: snake is priced at $500, you get an offer of $100, you respond "Only if you pay in silver dollars."

If you don't want trades say so in the ad, usually something like "will trade only for pieces of paper with pictures of dead presidents on them, the power company doesn't want your ancient XBox" works.

Do not put a hold on anything without getting a nonrefundable deposit and a deadline for final payment. Example: 10% nonrefundable deposit, remainder due in 30 days, on day 31 the animal is back on the market.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

This - always get a non-refundable deposit before holding anything.

If they can't afford $20 to hold it they probably don't want it.

Just wait till you get people who offer you an old bottle of scotch or a generation 1 ipod or ask if they can trade a adult normal bp as a credit towards a killer clown.... :frustrate

Yeah I can find it very frustrating too. I drove 435 minutes to deliver 1.1 pastels 66% het. axanthics and I got there the guy tried to haggle with me. I didn't ask for money for delivery and was already selling them at $140 for the pair. It's frustrating, that's for sure!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by decensored

Yeah I can find it very frustrating too. I drove 435 minutes to deliver 1.1 pastels 66% het. axanthics and I got there the guy tried to haggle with me. I didn't ask for money for delivery and was already selling them at $140 for the pair. It's frustrating, that's for sure!

---

You drove 7 hours to deliver 140.00 worth of snakes?!?!?! :O

I will be getting into breeding and selling next year. I am already fearing the butt heads I will run into. I like the non refundable deposits, it protects the seller and the buyer, which is something I will be doing. ANy other experienced seasoned sellers out there that can give helpful hints to the trade?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rickys_Reptiles

You drove 7 hours to deliver 140.00 worth of snakes?!?!?! :O

---

I'm guessing one of those numbers isn't intentional. Maybe started as 45, spaced once, deleted twice, typed 35. :P

There are also folks who will buy clutches wholesale and flip them, if you're into that sort of thing.

I had someone once ask me to drive 2 hours to deliver a $20 used rat cage and didnt offer to pay for anything but the cage. I politely declined.

It can be frustrating, but being clear as possible and firm in your ad will prevent some of this.

I've seen some people get so jaded by low ball offers and time wasters that they now won't provide additional pictures until a commitment is made. I'm just like, wat.

Not to say anything like "you brought it on yourself" or something, that definitely isn't the case. But you can't punish a dog for getting in the trash hours after happens, you just have to make sure the trash isn't there to be gotten into next time, you know? People with 3/4th of a novel for a sale ad have all the things they want posted. Any questions that are covered there get a "reread the ad please".

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rickys_Reptiles

Just wait till you get people who offer you an old bottle of scotch or a generation 1 ipod or ask if they can trade a adult normal bp as a credit towards a killer clown.... :frustrate

---

Now that depends entirely on which scotch and how old. :cool:

I always provide pictures though - in the ad thread for preference. Every snake I have bought online I have fallen for because of the picture. :oops:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rickys_Reptiles

You drove 7 hours to deliver 140.00 worth of snakes?!?!?! :O

---

LMAO!!! 45 minuites

Here are a few things that can help when you are selling
1. Make sure you take really good pictures to post in your ad
2. Keep some extra pics in your back pocket just in case they want a different angle you can quickly forward them versus making the potential buyer wait for you to take more pics
3. Your ad has to be very detailed
a. Should contain hatch date
b. Current approx weight
c. What they are eating currently
d. Your terms
e. Days you ship

and any other pertinent details to avoid fielding a million questions. After a season or two of selling you will be able to immediately tell who the buyers are from the non buyers. Don't get caught up following up with people over and over that seemed interested but disappeared all of a sudden. If they are interested they will get back to you.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the posts I love all the advice.

1.1 pastels, 1.0 lesser, 0.1 spider, 1.3 norm. 1.0 fire 0.1 RTB 0.0 sav. Mon.

One other tip i would add is regarding delivery. If you are willing to deliver, make a certain mileage cutoff. Or, charge a delivery fee. Lets face it, gas aint exactly .99/gallon anymore. Its more than fair to charge at least a small delivery fee.

sent from my incubator

I could post stories all day of folks that wasted my time no matter how great of a deal was offered. With any type of sales it's a numbers game, lots of inquiries leads to a couple of sales, that's just the way it is. The reality is most folks who contact you really want a snake but they don't have the money so they want pics and ask questions. The ones who really have the money and want it are the bang bang sales, "you still have the reptile, yes, here is the $" done. I have had local folks tell me I'll meet you Tuesday at some location I definitely want it and come Tuesday the won't answer your confirmation calls.

I recently had a guy contact me several times on a Thurs and Friday and wanted to by a large group of adult snakes to ship Monday so I had to buy an insulated box big enough to fit them all in figuring he would paypal the $ over the weekend. Come Monday he wouldn't return my calls emails and texts and then I check his Facebook page and he has made several posts with some trying to sell my animals before he even got them to raise the $, lol. Then when I finally told him I sold a few to other folks that wanted them and sent payment he finally responded and was angry because I sold snakes from his order! I politely told him it's not an order until it's paid for.

Until the cash is in your hand it's just another inquiry, nothing more, nothing less. Welcome to sales:)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by West Coast Jungle

I could post stories all day of folks that wasted my time no matter how great of a deal was offered. With any type of sales it's a numbers game, lots of inquiries leads to a couple of sales, that's just the way it is. The reality is most folks who contact you really want a snake but they don't have the money so they want pics and ask questions. The ones who really have the money and want it are the bang bang sales, "you still have the reptile, yes, here is the $" done. I have had local folks tell me I'll meet you Tuesday at some location I definitely want it and come Tuesday the won't answer your confirmation calls.

I recently had a guy contact me several times on a Thurs and Friday and wanted to by a large group of adult snakes to ship Monday so I had to buy an insulated box big enough to fit them all in figuring he would paypal the $ over the weekend. Come Monday he wouldn't return my calls emails and texts and then I check his Facebook page and he has made several posts with some trying to sell my animals before he even got them to raise the $, lol. Then when I finally told him I sold a few to other folks that wanted them and sent payment he finally responded and was angry because I sold snakes from his order! I politely told him it's not an order until it's paid for.

Until the cash is in your hand it's just another inquiry, nothing more, nothing less. Welcome to sales:)

---

HO LY CRAP!! That's Sooo freaking insane! I can't believe he actually got mad at you! Some people are crazy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

One other tip i would add is regarding delivery. If you are willing to deliver, make a certain mileage cutoff. Or, charge a delivery fee. Lets face it, gas aint exactly .99/gallon anymore. Its more than fair to charge at least a small delivery fee.

---

Actually I would drive a fair distance on the weekend without charging any additional fee to avoid having to ship, but that's because if I shipped I'd have to factor in time off of work as well, and I'm quite tight with my vacation hours.

My ball python babies aren't even BORN yet and somehow, I'm in a nice little frustrating mess with buyers. I acquired some baby corn snakes from someone who couldn't care for them. Most of the corns were in eggs when I received them. I got then shed and eating and am now trying to sell them (dirt cheap) on several venues. Facebook and Craigslist (surprisingly) have been the best for these babies. I've gotten so many inquiries. However, I've been stood up by 5 different people who have all made arrangements to meet me on X Day. I give a call/text/e-mail that day and most make up some sob story about how they have to see their uncle, they have an emergency bill to pay, etc. I understand things come up...but this is 5 different people and one has stood me up 3 different times!

From now on, I don't hold babies. I require a deposit before I will hold anything. If they aren't willing to pay a deposit, then I'm assuming they don't want the animal. A lot of time I just have to smile and nod.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BHReptiles

My ball python babies aren't even BORN yet and somehow, I'm in a nice little frustrating mess with buyers. I acquired some baby corn snakes from someone who couldn't care for them. Most of the corns were in eggs when I received them. I got then shed and eating and am now trying to sell them (dirt cheap) on several venues. Facebook and Craigslist (surprisingly) have been the best for these babies. I've gotten so many inquiries. However, I've been stood up by 5 different people who have all made arrangements to meet me on X Day. I give a call/text/e-mail that day and most make up some sob story about how they have to see their uncle, they have an emergency bill to pay, etc. I understand things come up...but this is 5 different people and one has stood me up 3 different times!

From now on, I don't hold babies. I require a deposit before I will hold anything. If they aren't willing to pay a deposit, then I'm assuming they don't want the animal. A lot of time I just have to smile and nod.

---

Why don't you just sell them as a group to a local pet store?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rickys_Reptiles

Why don't you just sell them as a group to a local pet store?

---

Most of the pet stores near me want you to be on their "wholesale" list and they already have enough suppliers. The mom and pop shops (I called three that I know of) that sell exotics aren't really giving me a straight answer. Believe me, I tried that a week ago ;) I may have a table at the next repticon so if they are still there, I'll try to sell them that way as well. Tough market around here for corns, that's for sure!

Really?? Cuz my store buys nice corns from local people all the time. I also dont hold any animals unless that person is a friend. Working in a pet store and from personal experience, i learned real quick that a "First come, First served" policy is the best one to have ;)

sent from my incubator

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rickys_Reptiles

Why don't you just sell them as a group to a local pet store?

---

Would you really sell them to pet store knowing full well they don't take care of them properly???
Sorry I would not

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Crazymonkee

Would you really sell them to pet store knowing full well they don't take care of them properly???
Sorry I would not

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4

---

I beg to differ, crazy....i work in a pet store. I personally take care of all our reptiles. Not ALL pet stores neglect their animals :( ive seen customers neglect their animals AND children far more than the pet stores ive worked in.

sent from my incubator

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

Really?? Cuz my store buys nice corns from local people all the time.

---

Aren't you close to me? PM me the name of the shop please!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Crazymonkee

Would you really sell them to pet store knowing full well they don't take care of them properly???
Sorry I would not

---

There is one shop in my area that I wouldn't sell to at all. I've not even tried to contact them. I don't even look at their table at shows. However...it's getting to the point where I would like them gone so I can make room for all the BP babies that I would rather spend my time on. So who knows? At some point, I have to put away my reservations to do what's best for my hobby.

Im in DE...so idk how close youd be...

sent from my incubator

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

Im in DE...so idk how close youd be...

---

Hm. Maybe it's someone else with a similar user name that's close to me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

I beg to differ, crazy....i work in a pet store. I personally take care of all our reptiles. Not ALL pet stores neglect their animals :( ive seen customers neglect their animals AND children far more than the pet stores ive worked in.

sent from my incubator

---

I understand that as that is great, but you have to admit it very few and far between.

I should have clarified
If it was something I trusted and saw for myself that they are taken care of that's different, but I would never sell them to just any pet store just to be rid of them.
You're very right about neglectful owners, there are many out there and it's a chance you take.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4

All good points, there are several exotic pet stores I know of that have great reputations and they try hard to make sure that buyers can take care of their purchases correctly. They try to cultivate long-term relationships with these customers.

OTOH the dude buying to flip would have ticked me off. Yes, I understand sales and once the animal is out of my hands I have no control over where it goes, but by the same token I want to do right by my babies, and IMO possibly shipipng it twice in two weeks (or less) is not doing it any favors.

Once something has gotten popular enough to appeal to the masses (morons), it's pretty much spoiled. Ball Pythons have jumped the shark. Too bad...Was bound to happen eventually though. Eventually it becomes pretty easy to spot the d-bags before they waste too much of your time. The ratio of useless d-bags to serious, knowledgeable, and literate people that are pleasant to deal with is about 20:1.

I posted an add in the FB group reptiles for sell and a woman had the nerve to comment saying that she just bought a pastel for 20.00 and that My price of 85.00 was way to high. And then went on to say that some breeders just try to rip people off.

1.1 pastels, 1.0 lesser, 0.1 spider, 1.3 norm. 1.0 fire 0.1 RTB 0.0 sav. Mon.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ironpython

I posted an add in the FB group reptiles for sell and a woman had the nerve to comment saying that she just bought a pastel for 20.00 and that My price of 85.00 was way to high. And then went on to say that some breeders just try to rip people off.

1.1 pastels, 1.0 lesser, 0.1 spider, 1.3 norm. 1.0 fire 0.1 RTB 0.0 sav. Mon.

---

Ya get that in dogs as well. Some ppl get or have seen a good deal so everyone else is a rip off. Sorry I'm not a byb!!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ironpython

I posted an add in the FB group reptiles for sell and a woman had the nerve to comment saying that she just bought a pastel for 20.00 and that My price of 85.00 was way to high. And then went on to say that some breeders just try to rip people off.

1.1 pastels, 1.0 lesser, 0.1 spider, 1.3 norm. 1.0 fire 0.1 RTB 0.0 sav. Mon.

---

That's ridiculous. Idk what kinda pastel she got for $20...but I would think it probably wasn't the prettiest. I want quality. If that means spending a bit more money, I'm totally ok with that.

I've had people want me to drive 2 hours to deliver a $5 rat for free. Umm no.

Basically I don't consider any animal sold until it's paid for and no animal gets held without a nonrefundable deposit.

Like someone else said, everything else is just an inquiry. The response to someone who says "Can you hold it until...." or "I'll have the money on...." is "The animal will be for sale until I have payment"