Minors......

Originally Posted by polasian

Ones maturity is not the issue here. We're talking about the fact that a minor probably has limited criminal responsibility. To put it bluntly, it would be more difficult to seek reimbursement if a minor rips you off, than if an adult does (no, I'm not claiming minors are more prone to committing fraud...I'm only stating the ones who do might get away with it with fewer problems). Although I believe that an adult can enter into a contract with a minor...a minor is allocated more protection. You'd probably have to jump through quite a few hurdles to take a 14 year old to court (they would need a guardian to oversee their defense, for example).

This is my point! Not that you must be immature if you are under 18.. I am immature and I am nearly 30. BUT.. I am legally responsible for my actions, where as a 17 year old, is not. so IF there is an issue.. it then becomes ever more complicated then it already was.

Originally Posted by lucille

There are exceptions as I said, but best practice is to avoid dealing with minors unless you know them or unless you are prepared to lose your money. Make a deal with their parents.

It's like anything else though, you see a kid with a great rep and a string of good deals, you can feel easier about your own transaction. Just use caution and common sense.

Originally Posted by Pythonbreeder99

Age is a number given to us by the government to define maturity levels based on the majority of the population, it does not by any means define actual maturity levels of individuals. I am 16, a Junior in High School and I dont have the typical etiquette, behavior, or maturity levels found in most kids my age. I have sold a few animals here and bought a rack. I have been told I behave and look like a person over the age of 20. Ultimatly I have little say in what happens on this site, but I can only hope that I have disproved the whole "immaturity in minors" thing.

I can agree with this to an extent, while you will find your immature minors trying to rip you off you will get the same and worse with some so called adults, you will also find very well mannered and mature young men and women in the hobby as well. I have dealt with a 15 yr old girl and a 14 yr old boy locally in purchasing corns and boas in the past and I have to say they both had impeccable collections that were kept in amazing naturalistic setups and kept extremely clean to boot. Just do your homework and feel out how they represent themselves just as you would an adult and then make your decision.

Here's another way to look at it, for those who wish Rich could have some sort of age verifier on the site:

If it's as difficult as it is for you (the buyer) to accurately determine the age of the person you want to buy from....how much more difficult would it be for Rich to accurately determine/confirm the age of EVERY single individual who places ads here?

I agree completely with Rich that it's the responsibility of the buyer to determine the seller's age if it is an important factor for them. Just as the buyer needs to make themselves aware of the seller's business history (good-guy/bad-guy) or the legality of the transaction (is the seller trying to sell you corn snakes in Georgia?). It's all part of the same package of making sure you're doing business with someone you can trust.

Nick already pointed it out, but I'll reiterate again because some folks just don't seem to get it. It's NOT about the maturity level of a minor (or an adult for that matter)...it's about the legal recourse a person has IF a deal goes bad with a minor.

I've met a few minors that I would trust in a business deal...but even then, I would NOT do business with them without at least touching base with their parents and having some parental involvement. And if any of my kids ever wanted to start up a business of their own....you can bet your sweet tuckus that I'd be right there beside them. NOT to "look over their shoulder" or micromanage their choices....but to be there as support and as a legal representative for all contracts they may need to enter into...including sales.

I am a minor and I wouldn't mind my name being in a different color at all. Just as long as people understand that if "I" purchase anything, it would actually be either my parents making the transaction, or my fiance who is over 18 making the transaction.
Just half a year to go and I'll be 18 anyway, so not a big deal, but I totally support the different color name thing.

Originally Posted by shelliebear

I am a minor and I wouldn't mind my name being in a different color at all. Just as long as people understand that if "I" purchase anything, it would actually be either my parents making the transaction, or my fiance who is over 18 making the transaction.
Just half a year to go and I'll be 18 anyway, so not a big deal, but I totally support the different color name thing.

Don't worry about it. It's just not going to happen anyway. It would be impossible to enforce and would just cost me more money for custom programming that would be completely wasted.

As long as you "c y a" as a buyer, there really is no difference when dealing with a minor as apposed to an adult. In fact i have seen adults act more outrageously than some of the minors i have dealt with in the past. (just look at kingsnakes boi thread)

I am 22 and have recently gotten into herps. But i am not new at all to selling things via forums. I sell/have sold many high end computer components sence i was 16 on hardforum.com I have had many sales, and bought many items and as long as you give and receive proper information it does not matter who you are buying from. If its a child simply get their home phone number and have a talk with them if you are uncomfortable. Its not like you cant keep calling back and talk to their parents as well.

I personally dont buy from anyone without doing somekind of research to find feedback, i would hope you all would too. This is the internet and scams do happen but in my experience any of the minors i have bought from were upfront about their product, extremely easy to get ahold of and always shipped properly.

Originally Posted by WebSlave

Don't worry about it. It's just not going to happen anyway. It would be impossible to enforce and would just cost me more money for custom programming that would be completely wasted.

Yes, its just not plausible to confirm anyone's real age (The other day on here I saw someone turn 102 years old ). If, however, you did want to implement such a thing, wouldn't it be possible to just disable the "hide your age" option? No usergroups nor custom programing would be needed. To view someones listed age, people would just need to check the profile of who it is that they're about to engage into a transaction with.

I'm not for or against this...I have no strong opinion on the matter (for the sake of curiosity, I'm just wondering if that "disable hide option" would be possible). I haven't taken the time to think about whether or not this site should mandate that everyone disclose their age. Although I'm leaning towards no. Regardless of what number is listed next to someones username, I'm still doing the necessary research on who I'm about to deal with.

Originally Posted by Lopann

As long as you "c y a" as a buyer, there really is no difference when dealing with a minor as apposed to an adult .

Not true. Not good advice.

Originally Posted by polasian

Yes, its just not plausible to confirm anyone's real age (The other day on here I saw someone turn 102 years old ). If, however, you did want to implement such a thing, wouldn't it be possible to just disable the "hide your age" option? No usergroups nor custom programing would be needed. To view someones listed age, people would just need to check the profile of who it is that they're about to engage into a transaction with.

I'm not for or against this...I have no strong opinion on the matter (for the sake of curiosity, I'm just wondering if that "disable hide option" would be possible). I haven't taken the time to think about whether or not this site should mandate that everyone disclose their age. Although I'm leaning towards no. Regardless of what number is listed next to someones username, I'm still doing the necessary research on who I'm about to deal with.

And it would be just like the location field... folks could lie about it. What would this solve?

Originally Posted by RidgeTop Reptiles

And it would be just like the location field... folks could lie about it. What would this solve?

Sure people lie...that could be said for anything. Why stop with specific location?...Why even require ones b-day upon registering? (any 8 year old can type 1950)...Or perhaps Rich shouldn't even require full names? Why should he, right...I mean anyone can lie about it .

Obviously there is only so much that can be done. Asking people to be honest is the first step...cross referencing the information they provide (if it ever comes to that) is the next step.

Yes, Kevin, folks lie...but what is there to do . Should all the profile fields be empty? Thats the ONLY possible way to ensure that no one is lying.