Question and opinions

I have had rather recently several people email for large snakes(burms) and delicate snakes(chondros) and just by some of the questions they ask I could immediatley tell or am iffy as to what there age is because even if your 12 you can get a money order at the post office. As a dealer, do you think its wrong or rude to ask an age? I personally lean towards if its rude oh well..i wont have parents calling me p'''d off. But at the same time might lose a sale to someone who is of proper mental reasoning to buy a soon to get or delicate snake, and might know how to take care of, just didnt sound like it in the emails? What do you guys think?
MikeB-
M n R-Reptiles


P.s. since we are on a new board and all the good/bad(none) dealings people have had with me have been lost or temporarily gone....can those who had good dealings put something up? So when someone asks for references I can just refer them to here instead of writing up a list of people and emails. Thanks

Michael....I JUST got finished explaining this on the post about the Ball Python with the "white" mites!
ASK FOR A PHONE NUMBER AND CALL THEM!!! How easy is THAT?? You can EASILY tell if you are talking to an adult or a child....and if you can't....ASK THAM THEIR AGE! It's for your OWN protection....Neil

dude--just ask there age---we will not sell to anyone under 18 without parental permission--we learned this the hard way--a kid posed as his father and paid with his credit card---i bet his bum was sore for a week!!---Ben
Ps--sorry i was short on the phone today--we were paid a little visit from the irs when you called---did not mean to be rude-Ben

Nah, no hard feelings....I know how busy things can get....even when there is no irs. Ill be calling later today...got to ask you something...

I always at least ask "are you over 18?"  And I agree with Neil... The phone is a wonderful thing. :-)

-Morti.

I always ask for a phone # and if I'm not sure I ask the age,
We get emails from people wanting to buy, I ask for a phone number for that as well so I can call to verify to order.
I had one mother just tickled because I told her son of 15 that I would have to talk to his folks before I would sell him a 10+ nasty retic. His mother emailed me with thanks and said that she would NEVER allow her son a snake that big. To us it always pays off to do that because by doing that you will have a future customer (after they are 18) <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>
God Bless,
Heather Miller
Black Swamp Reptiles

You guys are forgetting one thing!! A MINOR can CANCEL a contract up to his age of majority (18)! Simply put...if you sell a minor ANY ANIMAL (let's say when he's 15)....he can send you the animal BACK and DEMAND a refund, even if he has had it for 2 YEARS!! THAT'S THE LAW!!! (UNLESS you get his parent's permission&#33<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''> BEEN THERE, DONE THAT!!
When you're NOT SURE of their age...ASK THE QUESTION!! ....Neil