Bad business practices on Reptibid!

I'm a bit cheezed about some of the things I've been seeing on Reptibid. Overall, I like the concept of the site but there are users there who post things that are just WRONG! and the site owner/administrator (sorry if it's Rich, I haven't located owner/admin info there) seems to either not be aware or not care due to the nature of the site.

The biggest thing there that cheezes me is seeing sellers, in the US, who blatantly post saying that buyers using PayPal to make payment, which they gladly accept, MUST add an additional 3% to cover the amount that PayPal takes from them for using their service. I saw this most recently on an ad for a 1.0 dwarf Bali retic. I tried to use the features available to contact the seller and make them aware of the ways this is wrong and got absolutely no response.

Should I, or somebody else, contact PayPal and alert them to this practice that is strictly against their TOS? I just can't stand to see sellers do this who should know how wrong this is and to see buyers, who may (or may not) be totally unaware be wronged like this. I mention this option because their "ReptileBBB" seems to be nothing more than a joke compared to this site.

The only other thing that really gets me is seeing animals posted, such as a 6 month old female snow corn that currently (at the time this is posted) has a bid of $50 on it and the "Reserve Price" has NOT been met. Now, I breed a few corns, including snows in the past, and I know that a lot of people here, including Rich, breed and sell corns. I've never seen a juvie snow priced like this that I can remember and it makes me sick. Is this just another example of how utterly stupid some people are, sellers and buyers alike?

(below is taken directly from this particular auction:
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Current bid: US $ 50.00 (Reserve not met)

Time left: 6 Days 10 Hrs+
Started: Sat Feb 21, 10:37 PM
Ends: Sat Mar 06, 10:37 PM

Bids: 1 (bid history) (Started:US $ 50.00)

High bidder: Critterswild (feedback 0 ) )



Buy it Now Price $80.00
This option disappears once the reserve price has been met.
Location: Alta Loma, CA, 91701
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Don't get me wrong...I see a lot of quality animals selling for perfectly fair prices with professional people on there doing fair, legal and professional business. It's just idiots like these above that make me madder than he!! and make me angry that the site appears to be so uncaringly administered.

David

The only other thing that really gets me is seeing animals posted, such as a 6 month old female snow corn that currently (at the time this is posted) has a bid of $50 on it and the "Reserve Price" has NOT been met. Now, I breed a few corns, including snows in the past, and I know that a lot of people here, including Rich, breed and sell corns. I've never seen a juvie snow priced like this that I can remember and it makes me sick. Is this just another example of how utterly stupid some people are, sellers and buyers alike?

David,

Regrettably it is a free market and the person can ask whatever he feels for his snake. In reality I have less of a problem with your example as with others. The ad is pretty straight forward, it's an overpriced snow corn, period. I have seen babies go for $25. Let's assume that the market value for a 6 month old is $40, but you don't want to get rid of her unless someone pays you something crazy ($80). Your are basically doubling the most likely market price. If you are upset with this, what do you think about ball pythons? They are imported for let's say maybe $10 each and are sold for $100 if they have a little more color than usual (with a hefty colorful price added). The point is that you will always find someone that wants "that" animal and is willing to pay a premium for it.

Regards.

I can't agree more about it being an "open market", but it sure does cheese me off to see it. And CH imported baby balls do tick me off as well when they are sold like that. The only 2 we've ever had that was anywhere close to examples like that was a definite high yellow we got $75 for and a granite ball that we sold, finally, right before it was a proven trait. Finally saw true CBB babies that sold for 200+ and we got a whole $55 for the female we had. That's just the nature of the beast we call free enterprise. But I hate to see this stuff, especially when it's obviously so stupid, considering how available competivive pricing is with the internet.

David

David,

Believe me...I hear you loud and clear!

Kindly.

I'm curious why pricing is such a hot button with some people. I just don't get it (I'm not being sarcastic, I honestly don't understand).

If your selling, you'd rather have your competitors priced higher than you (providing you can still make money at your prices). I'd give my left leg for that luxury.

If your buying and the animal/product is readily available just move on. I know I would (and have) clicked "Next" without even another thought to the previous ad.

The other issues (quality of sellers etc) I can agree with.

I'm curious why pricing is such a hot button with some people. I just don't get it (I'm not being sarcastic, I honestly don't understand).

Dan,

Let me give you an example, and bear with me if it's an extreme one. Do you remember the scene in the movie Dumb and Dumber when "Harry" sells a beheaded parakeet (the head held in place with tape) to a blind kid? That was not a very nice thing to do was it?

In my opinion the people that put an outrageous price tag on any merchandise they are not targeting informed individuals. In general they are not waiting for the person that wants that "unique" snow corn, but for the individual that doesn't know how much a snow corn is worth. Those are two different things. They are predators waiting to prey in the unsuspected, trustworthy person that doesn't know better.

If your buying and the animal/product is readily available just move on. I know I would (and have) clicked "Next" without even another thought to the previous ad.

That is exactly what I do, and is exactly what David did. The only problem is that I can't avoid to think of the uninformed kid that comes after me with months of allowance saved whose money will be snatched by this individual.

Maybe a little extremist, but it's the way I feel.

Kindly.

So if I bought a corn snake at fair market value (let's say $25 for the sake of argument) I could only sell it for $25? What about the time I took to house it and feed it, cost of food and such. Let alone if I was a business and had to pay overhead and try to make a living.

If I find a good deal on a product (price wise) am I then to just put a notice on my website telling everyone where to buy it (instead of selling it directly), I mean going by your rules it wouldn't be ethical to take advantage of the customers lack of knowledge (he doesn't know where to find it)?

My reason for it being bad to sell the blind kid the dead bird is that it is blatently taking advantage of his physical limitation (there is no way for him to find out the value of the bird since he can not see it's condition). Since the above listing was on repti bid I am assuming the buyer would be able to surf the internet and has the opportunity to learn of the products market value. If I go to target and buy a pair of shoes and then go to walmart and find the shoes for less, is that target's fault or mine for not researching the purchase before hand.

I am 100% for informing the buyer on all our animals and products to the best of our ability (I probably couldn't tell you the chemical make up of Herptivite other than what's on the label, but I'll gladly read the label to you over the phone) but I'll charge what I feel I can get for the product.

But maybe I like your way. I'll call Zoo Med right now. They should ethically give me the same price as PetSmart because I have a disadvantaged pocket book

BTW. Competition and a free market system (well sort of free in America) keeps most issues of price in a balanced range. While I could probably sell a snow corn for $100, I wouldn't sell very many that way and would soon be out of business thereby removing the threat to the market value.

Very interesting topic.

What about a person who buys a few fresh imports and has to put fourth the time and medications needed to bring the animal back to speed for resale. If you buy the animal at say $75 and spend another 100 in meds and feeders should you not be allowed to ask say 250 for the animal?

Importers post their adds as well on many of the classifed and are normally much lower in cost then say a breeder if you do not know the differance and the hazards involved with imports a person would certainly spend the lower cost on a import!

Now what about reverse pricing also? when a person trys to sell a realitively normal animal at its fair market value and can't then puts it for sale a few weeks later at a higher price and makes the sale because someone thinks its something special purely based on price.

I think we have all seen examples of the situations above at one time or another. We have a free market where a person is intitled to charge what they wish for their animal. Despite what anyone feels is right it is their right to ask their price.

As for the nonaware buyer if a person is not familiar with a species they probably shouldnt be buying it to begin with. Before you buy a animal you should know about it and its needs hence research and doing research you will find its fair maret value.

As for passing on the cost of the sellers use of paypal it is not the fault of the buyer you choose to use it so do not pass on the cost of it.

If I find a good deal on a product (price wise) am I then to just put a notice on my website telling everyone where to buy it (instead of selling it directly), I mean going by your rules it wouldn't be ethical to take advantage of the customers lack of knowledge (he doesn't know where to find it)?

Dan,

Here we are dealing with wholesale and retail. I will never be able to buy the $10 ball python, unless I buy 100 of them and pick and choose. That wouldn't be cost effective, right? Thus in this case I gladly pay the premium to the Siegel's and Trenor's of the world In fact I perfectly understand they have to cope with deaths, culling, and maybe even treating and establishing the animals.

Again, my problem is with the person that doesn't know what he is getting into. Real life example: the kid that was duped into trading the corn, for two candoias "on deaths door". It was only a $40 deal, but the candoias were way overpriced (even at $20 a piece) because they were only good for a formaline bath and to be used as classroom specimens.

Another example: the guy that bought the GTP at the show before the doors opened and sold it for ?? (was it three times as much?) to the kid that just came in. We might agree to disagree on that one Dan, but I dislike that practice.

One can buy pop cans for 50 cents and sell them for $5 each on a hot summer day in the middle of a traffic jam. It's legal but I still don't like it. Am I right? Of course not! It is just my opinion.

Remember, those things that both you and I might consider immoral are perfectly accepted in other cultures. Are they wrong?

Kindly