First time buyer advice
 

Hey guys,

I am looking to purchase my first snake from the site, but am hesitant about doing so as I do not want to get taken for a ride. I messaged a seller about a snake and offered an amount and she agreed; however, she just asked me to paypal her the money. She said nothing about the shipping fee, and I just don't know what to make of it. Does she send an invoice prior to my paypal pmnt? What is right to request from her? Any comments for a first time buyer would be appreciated.

Unfortunately, your content does not allow for accurately responding to some of the questions.
As a buyer, you should always consider shipping in price discussions. Some sellers post a shipped price, some do not. If the ad does not specify whether shipping is included, or an additional cost - ask.
Pay attention to name and location. Make a habit of getting a name and address before sending any form of payment; and, if the information does not match what shown in the seller's profile, consider that a big warning sign. (You should also report such discrepancies to the moderation team.)
Also, if you communicate via email, pay attention to the name on the account.
If the PayPal account is in another name, be extremely cautious.
Never send payment via Western Union.
Check the BOI for information on the seller. Create an inquiry, if you don't find anything.
Review the seller's Trader Ratings.

Thank you both, this was helpful.

Payments
 

Also do not do the friends and family option. Pay the extra percentage. If something happens that covers you and a better chance of getting your money back if someone tries to take you for a ride.

You're only half correct. The "extra percentage" is a sellers fee - the buyer doesn't cover that. It's a cost of "doing business". It is also a violation of the User Agreement for a seller to charge a fee for using PayPal.
(When calculating a price, a seller should consider all costs. How would you feel about a seller that posted something you wanted at say $200, shipped... and added the stipulation that you, the buyer, had to pay an additional $7 to help cover his internet service?)

Isn't true though that PayPal won't back you up if there is an issue with the animal? I heard they don't cover animal sales. Is this true?

HM

Not true.

I did some research. PayPal does not cover live animal sales.
Check first bullet point in link.

https://www.paypal.com/selfhelp/article/FAQ2091

While true, they will protect the buyer if the seller fails to ship anything.

Also if you use your credit card to back up your PP transaction, you can dispute the charge with your CC company if there is a problem with the animal. That said, a lot of scammers know this and will fraudulently dispute charges even when the seller shipped and the product was fine.