Rude buyers

Well said Charmer. Thank you.

Anytime!

Originally Posted by MagickalMorphs

Sometimes I just want to yank all my ads and say screw it. Dealing with people is definitely the tough part of the hobby.

Yeah, this is the part that makes me nervous. I haven't started selling yet, but I'm preparing for it (should have baby pythons next year). I love snakes, and I love taking care of them, but I am definitely not a people person. The vast majority of the general public makes me want to beat my head against a concrete wall until I go unconscious and not have to deal with it anymore!

I like hearing people's responses about the antics of potential buyers--it lets me know what I'm in for! I do have one question, though: If a person has not committed to holding an animal--say, they seem to have no intention of putting a down-payment on an animal to hold it--and you're waiting to hear back from them, how long do you wait until you consider selling the animal to someone else?

For example, Buyer A wants your only female pastel ball python and contacts you about it. You respond, but A has not responded back in a couple days. In the meantime, Buyer B is also interested in the snake.

My initial reaction is to contact A and say that I have another potential buyer for the snake, and if they are serious about purchasing said snake, then they need to contact me within a certain timeframe (maybe a couple days). Then, I contact B and tell them someone else is thinking of buying the snake, but if they don't respond within the timeframe, the snake goes to B.

I understand that all situations are different, but it seems to me that if someone is dilly-dallying and another is very serious, then the serious buyer should get the purchase. Is this being rude to the first buyer since he contacted the seller first? If so, how long do you guys recommend waiting on the first buyer to respond before giving the second person a chance?

And on an entirely different note about the "right of refusal" to a potential buyer: If someone contacted me about a snake they'd like to purchase, and his first e-mail involved swearing at and/or insulting me, I would be inclined to either (1) reply (politely) that if they want to do business with me, they need to treat me with some respect or (2) reply that I refuse to do business with someone who lacks common decency. Is this being rude to the buyer?

Originally Posted by R. Eventide

The vast majority of the general public makes me want to beat my head against a concrete wall until I go unconscious and not have to deal with it anymore!

It'll hurt a lot less if it's their head.

Originally Posted by R. Eventide

For example, Buyer A wants your only female pastel ball python and contacts you about it. You respond, but A has not responded back in a couple days. In the meantime, Buyer B is also interested in the snake.

My initial reaction is to contact A and say that I have another potential buyer for the snake, and if they are serious about purchasing said snake, then they need to contact me within a certain timeframe (maybe a couple days). Then, I contact B and tell them someone else is thinking of buying the snake, but if they don't respond within the timeframe, the snake goes to B.

This is exactly what I do. Always good to give the original buyer a chance, some people aren't online very often. I usually give them a week to respond or it's on to the next person.

Screw waiting. Part of my TOS is first come , first serve. I can understand considering the purchase but if Buyer B has the cash first, unless its agreed prior with Buyer A, then Buyer B has a new snake or gecko.

We opted for this since waiting even 3 days can loose your Buyer B since Buyer B could very well continue shopping while they are waiting. I'm easy to work with but my bills don't get paid just thinking about it.

Originally Posted by R. Eventide

If a person has not committed to holding an animal--say, they seem to have no intention of putting a down-payment on an animal to hold it--and you're waiting to hear back from them, how long do you wait until you consider selling the animal to someone else?

I boldfaced the key part of that statement...if they aren't willing to open their wallet and either pay, or make a good faith deposit, they lose out. (sure, I make exceptions for regular customers or people I trust...and I know the same has been done for me - that's the joy of having an ongoing business relationship)

Originally Posted by R. Eventide

And on an entirely different note about the "right of refusal" to a potential buyer: If someone contacted me about a snake they'd like to purchase, and his first e-mail involved swearing at and/or insulting me, I would be inclined to either (1) reply (politely) that if they want to do business with me, they need to treat me with some respect or (2) reply that I refuse to do business with someone who lacks common decency. Is this being rude to the buyer?

If someone is cursing or insulting in their first email, I'd probably be inclined to just delete it and move on. If I did respond, I wouldn't worry a whole lot about whether my refusal to deal with them was considered rude.

It doesn't surprise me that many sellers out there are dealing with these problems--I agree with the others who've said this happens in every business, unfortunately. I work as a communications consultant and have had a lot of potential clients waste my time putting together detailed proposals and they either never respond, or they have a very unrealistic idea of what should be charged. To some extent I do chalk it up to a numbers game, and over time I've also gotten better at weeding out the bargain-hunters early. As I say to all of my new clients--in many cases you get what you pay for, and it's never been part of my business strategy to chase the bottom of the market.

On a different aspect of this topic--I've been surprised by how may reptile breeders/keepers out there are trying to sell high-end animals at high-end prices ($1000/pr and up), yet are unwilling to post photos in their ads or answer reasonable questions about provenance/breeding lines. I'm not sure how anyone can do business at that end of the market without sharing such basic information, but I've had lots of inquiries go unanswered when I requested photos, length of possession of "LTC" animals, and/or info on genetics of CB animals.