strange buyer request

[Chuck]

I can't remember where I saw it, but there is a member of a message board, not sure if its this one, that had a signed guarantee that he/she will get money back if their het pieds don't produce a pied.

I think that its bogus, why would a breeder guarantee that? If you buy from a reputable breeder you shouldn't need a guarantee. Maybe a genetics guarantee, incase you sell them later.

wouldn't the only way a genetics guarantee could be back up would be by producing a morph out of the Het to Het pairing isn't that the same thing as a morph guarantee either way you have to breed out the animals a few times to prove the genetics if you don't get anything on the first shot. Now if you say you will get a morph in the first clutch that isn't reasonable to guarantee

[Chuck]

so this guy acted very interested in my het pied pair asked allot of questions so on... Then emails me tonight and says I will buy your snake right now and paypal you if you guarantee he will get a pied in his first clutch
I said of course not. that it is a game of luck and he would have to pay the odds . now do you think he is trying to scam me or just has no clue. I found this to be a very weird request

I think he has no clue, I would explain it to him in the least complicated way possible and if he is willing to still paypal you the money I just wait till the money clears into my bank account before I ship anything. Tell him he would have to wait till the money clears into your account before you ship, and that is just how you do it to protect yourself and see what he says. I guess if this is a scam I don't see the angle.

[filly77]

I think he has no clue, I would explain it to him in the least complicated way possible and if he is willing to still paypal you the money I just wait till the money clears into my bank account before I ship anything. Tell him he would have to wait till the money clears into your account before you ship, and that is just how you do it to protect yourself and see what he says. I guess if this is a scam I don't see the angle.

no way.. if it were me, i'd walk away. he could always do a charge back!

[simplechamp]

Send him a link to the basic genetics primer on these forums. The person may not be a scammer. They might just not understand genetics, and are really only wanting a guarantee the genetics are actually het pied.

On the other hand, they could be a scammer. There's always that risk when dealing with people you don't know, especially online.

Based on the question he asked of you I don't think it's enough evidence to prove either way. In the end, if your gut feeling tells you something is fishy, then walk away.

[kratos]

This might just be a noob worried about it that is trying to feel reassured about his "Large"("" because im not sure what most people consider large or not) buy will pay off sooner rather than later. I cant see how they would scam you after sending you money and you shipping the snakes without it being easy to get the money back if its through paypal, though I could be wrong. This is just my thoughts about it, and you being the selling, if you do not feel comfortable selling to this guy by all means do not. Just tell what the genetics are and each egg has one and four shot of being a pied.

I second this... I remember asking too many question from one breeder onetime, not about genetics though, and guess what, I never heard from that breeder again after the first reply. In the end I end up buying to other breeders online. Still want their snake so bad till now, but how can I buy from them if they stop responding.

[simplechamp]

I second this... I remember asking too many question from one breeder onetime, not about genetics though, and guess what, I never heard from that breeder again after the first reply. In the end I end up buying to other breeders online. Still want their snake so bad till now, but how can I buy from them if they stop responding.

If you don't mind me asking, what questions did you ask to make them no longer respond to you?

[JayBP]

I second this... I remember asking too many question from one breeder onetime, not about genetics though, and guess what, I never heard from that breeder again after the first reply. In the end I end up buying to other breeders online. Still want their snake so bad till now, but how can I buy from them if they stop responding.

I had the same experiences with a few well known breeders. After about 2-3 replies they stopped answering.

To the OP, If you don't feel comfortable, don't do it. I see you're trying to get your business going and the last thing you need is someone slandering your business's name because they didn't get pieds in their first clutch.

[kratos]

If you don't mind me asking, what questions did you ask to make them no longer respond to you?

Some basic question, like is the animal eating f/t or live? Feeding response, what is the humidity you are keeping the animal, Temp, how many hides, size of the enclosure, temperament... I simply ask because I figure it would be easier to the snake. I know there are caresheets, but I feel it is different if your info came from the breeder themselves. You might also get a clue of how they care for their animals.

Back to the OP, I agree with JayBP.

[mooingtricycle]

To make a comments on the "pressure to buy right now" comment being a red flag, im going to have to disagree to a point.

I dont waste time on sellers who do not respond in a timely manner. If i want to buy something, i want to be able to send the money as soon as possible, or get a deal going within a weeks time, usually. Im patient, but i wont wait on you forever and a day to send me even a message.

Ive had several instances where i would try to get in contact with a person to buy an animal, wait a day or two, and no response, so i move on to the next person in line. Dont like it, too bad. When im looking to spend money, i want a response in a timely fashion. do i mean mere hours after i sent my message? no, thats just rude, but within 48 hours? Yes sir, i certainly do.

Now, i dont mean to say i support pressure on getting a yes out of someone selling, that something will even produce the first time its bred, let alone a morph. As its true, its still a game of chance with hets. And that kind of tactic is wrong.

[Chuck]

no way.. if it were me, i'd walk away. he could always do a charge back!

Well maybe I am wrong but if you transfer the funds into your bank account and it clears your bank into your bank account from paypal then it is between paypal or the credit company and your bank but if you leave it in your paypal account a charge back works because paypal isn't going to stop it. My understanding is they can't take that money out of your bank account once it has cleared the bank, without doing a fraud investigation.