I'm no expert on the clown gene but my uneducated guess is that I like the zig zaggy back pattern in the first picture. Looks a little clownish to me.

Always find people's opinions on possible hets interesting. Most absolutely hate them. Seems like they would much rather have a 0% and would pay more if you didn't mention the chance.

I'm a nut the other way. I've proven quite a few possible hets (pied and hypos picked on appearance) and the one time I bred a pair of 100% hets it seemed like cheating.

How much more is he asking over the going price for an adult pastel female? If you trust that the chance is really there then surely the shot is worth a little something. Especially if just having a breeding size pastel without the years it takes to raise up a hatchling is a consolation prize you can live with.