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02-11-2017, 05:13 PM

As a seller -

I do not usually offer what I consider to be "introductory" animals as a matter of habit. I expect people to research the animals they are considering buying thoroughly and before contacting the seller. If a buyer asks me what the species eats or what other general care parameters are for the species, I question the commitment beyond punctuated enthusiasm. If the person asks me what my animal has been eating (and I was hit in the head with a brick and did not include it in my ad), I will happily provide that information (perhaps even with photos of the animal eating one or more items if requested or if I happen to have some handy). Also, many keepers disagree on how to keep some animals and there are cliques and politics involved that I do not want to be bothered with. If one wants to follow someone else's keeping style and it works, great, but I am not going to devote lots of my time describing mine only for it to be ignored, so I do not usually provide hand-holding levels of advice. Also, if a person follows someone else's advice and the result is not a desirable one, I may or may not offer assistance (it is a mess I did not make). Depends on my time and mood. I try to help more often than not, but I feel no obligation to repair another's damage. If a person does not know general care and wants to be spoon-fed that care instead of putting a little effort into learning under one's own power, maybe my animals simply are not the correct ones for that person. I include a lot of information in my ads in most cases. When people ask me for information already included in my ads, it sends me the message that they do not care about my time or about making the small effort to read what I provided. Questions about the specific animals in my ads beyond what information has been included in the ad are always more than welcome. Also, if a person does still ask me something that is mentioned an ad of mine, I will either restate what was in the ad, restate what was said in the ad and say it was in the ad, or refer the person to the ad (this all depends on how free I am and if I perceive some kind of entitlement-level laziness or not, but simply restating the information already provided is my default path). I specify to use email in my "for sale" ads because it means less hoops for me to jump through (no need for a browser if on a phone and no need for a second website with click-through steps if on a computer), a record of the discussion that we can both refer back to so that there is little to no misunderstanding, and I can respond when my schedule/workload allows me. Calls do not easily permit the second and third points, for example, and site-based PMs do not provide me the ease of the first point. I do not drag my feet if a person wants to pay me. If the animal is not spoken for or I do not need to hear back from someone else, I provide payment details as immediately as my availability allows.

As a buyer -

I may ask questions whose answers are implied, but not stated the same way, in an ad. Some sellers have radically different ideas of what constitutes reliable TSD, for example. I will ask questions for information that I need to make a purchasing decision if that information is not included in the ad. I dislike when sellers do not answer specific questions with specific answers to those specific questions. There are many instances where I have chosen to not buy from sellers because they answered vaguely or not at all in response to being asked a very specific question. That can be poor communication and that can be willful evasion, so it is something that may cause me concern. I understand some people want to protect sources for their animals. Sometimes that is okay and sometimes that is not. It depends on the situation. If I want a male of an unrelated bloodline for [species], then that is a showstopper if not answered to my satisfaction. I usually avoid guiding sellers into giving me tailored answers that are so tailored as to no longer be factual simply because they want to tell me what I want to read and make the sale instead of providing what I am looking for (or letting me know that I need to keep looking). I strongly dislike when a seller seems lackadaisical about getting paid. If I want your animal, I want you paid right away so that the animal is mine and the funds are yours. It is surprising to see how many sellers are apathetic about providing the means to pay them and simultaneously complain about people not paying them. Or when sellers outright say to not waste their time in their ads, but they will waste yours.

Reciprocation is important for a harmonious transaction.

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Regarding Pothos, it is safe and it is not safe. It depends on the species of animal you are working with. Some types of animals may develop a kidney ailment rapidly and others may be able to deactivate things like oxalic acid rapidly with their digestive processes. Dichotomous thinking on such things does no favors. I have species in one pen that could eat a primarily Pothos diet if I felt like providing it and do well, while another three animals of other species in the same pen would find that diet fatal in around a month. Then there is the matter of dose. If those three animals took a nibble of Pothos here and there, they would be okay (although I still would not like that), but controlling that is a pain, so I have no Pothos in the pen. Some people can also use Pothos safely as part of a biological filter in systems housing species that would find it toxic to consume. It is good and it is bad, but the application determines which category it fits into.

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For the BOI, if you find nothing, you can always start a thread (with the proper format) asking for feedback on experiences with a particular seller. You can ask specific questions, of course.

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Regarding this membership trolling thing, if a person only welcomes his/her own positions on matters, a tape recorder is maybe better suited than a discussion post. Many of us are happy to find time to engage with a person and lend our perspectives. They will not always align and there is nothing wrong with that.

02-11-2017, 05:13 PM	#12
nickolasanastasiou	As a seller - I do not usually offer what I consider to be "introductory" animals as a matter of habit. I expect people to research the animals they are considering buying thoroughly and before contacting the seller. If a buyer asks me what the species eats or what other general care parameters are for the species, I question the commitment beyond punctuated enthusiasm. If the person asks me what my animal has been eating (and I was hit in the head with a brick and did not include it in my ad), I will happily provide that information (perhaps even with photos of the animal eating one or more items if requested or if I happen to have some handy). Also, many keepers disagree on how to keep some animals and there are cliques and politics involved that I do not want to be bothered with. If one wants to follow someone else's keeping style and it works, great, but I am not going to devote lots of my time describing mine only for it to be ignored, so I do not usually provide hand-holding levels of advice. Also, if a person follows someone else's advice and the result is not a desirable one, I may or may not offer assistance (it is a mess I did not make). Depends on my time and mood. I try to help more often than not, but I feel no obligation to repair another's damage. If a person does not know general care and wants to be spoon-fed that care instead of putting a little effort into learning under one's own power, maybe my animals simply are not the correct ones for that person. I include a lot of information in my ads in most cases. When people ask me for information already included in my ads, it sends me the message that they do not care about my time or about making the small effort to read what I provided. Questions about the specific animals in my ads beyond what information has been included in the ad are always more than welcome. Also, if a person does still ask me something that is mentioned an ad of mine, I will either restate what was in the ad, restate what was said in the ad and say it was in the ad, or refer the person to the ad (this all depends on how free I am and if I perceive some kind of entitlement-level laziness or not, but simply restating the information already provided is my default path). I specify to use email in my "for sale" ads because it means less hoops for me to jump through (no need for a browser if on a phone and no need for a second website with click-through steps if on a computer), a record of the discussion that we can both refer back to so that there is little to no misunderstanding, and I can respond when my schedule/workload allows me. Calls do not easily permit the second and third points, for example, and site-based PMs do not provide me the ease of the first point. I do not drag my feet if a person wants to pay me. If the animal is not spoken for or I do not need to hear back from someone else, I provide payment details as immediately as my availability allows. As a buyer - I may ask questions whose answers are implied, but not stated the same way, in an ad. Some sellers have radically different ideas of what constitutes reliable TSD, for example. I will ask questions for information that I need to make a purchasing decision if that information is not included in the ad. I dislike when sellers do not answer specific questions with specific answers to those specific questions. There are many instances where I have chosen to not buy from sellers because they answered vaguely or not at all in response to being asked a very specific question. That can be poor communication and that can be willful evasion, so it is something that may cause me concern. I understand some people want to protect sources for their animals. Sometimes that is okay and sometimes that is not. It depends on the situation. If I want a male of an unrelated bloodline for [species], then that is a showstopper if not answered to my satisfaction. I usually avoid guiding sellers into giving me tailored answers that are so tailored as to no longer be factual simply because they want to tell me what I want to read and make the sale instead of providing what I am looking for (or letting me know that I need to keep looking). I strongly dislike when a seller seems lackadaisical about getting paid. If I want your animal, I want you paid right away so that the animal is mine and the funds are yours. It is surprising to see how many sellers are apathetic about providing the means to pay them and simultaneously complain about people not paying them. Or when sellers outright say to not waste their time in their ads, but they will waste yours. Reciprocation is important for a harmonious transaction. ------------------ Regarding Pothos, it is safe and it is not safe. It depends on the species of animal you are working with. Some types of animals may develop a kidney ailment rapidly and others may be able to deactivate things like oxalic acid rapidly with their digestive processes. Dichotomous thinking on such things does no favors. I have species in one pen that could eat a primarily Pothos diet if I felt like providing it and do well, while another three animals of other species in the same pen would find that diet fatal in around a month. Then there is the matter of dose. If those three animals took a nibble of Pothos here and there, they would be okay (although I still would not like that), but controlling that is a pain, so I have no Pothos in the pen. Some people can also use Pothos safely as part of a biological filter in systems housing species that would find it toxic to consume. It is good and it is bad, but the application determines which category it fits into. ------------------ For the BOI, if you find nothing, you can always start a thread (with the proper format) asking for feedback on experiences with a particular seller. You can ask specific questions, of course. ------------------ Regarding this membership trolling thing, if a person only welcomes his/her own positions on matters, a tape recorder is maybe better suited than a discussion post. Many of us are happy to find time to engage with a person and lend our perspectives. They will not always align and there is nothing wrong with that.