Rodney Gagne/repti_dude@msn.com...GOOD OR BAD GUY?

I wanted to see if anyone knows this guy..Rodney Gagne/repti_dude@msn.com? I saw him on reptibids with lots of good reviews so i bought from him. Now I keep getting email about how my animals haven't arrived to him yet, its getting fishy. Any feedback would be great.

Leslie, the simple answer is: don't sell what you have never owned (unless you're shorting stocks).

Mr. Gagne appears to have violated that cardinal rule. There are exceptions of course why an order could not be filled, but not *ever* having the animals is not such an exception. Commodities like flexwatt are different. They are manufactured and an anticipated lot may become back ordered. Animals are not manufactured. Either you have them or you do not.

We've heard one side of this. I wonder what the seller has to say. Baring a compelling explanation I'd give a thumbs down and a sign.

Feedback on reptibid may also be like the animals, bogus. In the future I'd suggest doing a search or inquiry here prior to any purchases.

supposedly he was getting in large lots of CH baby ball pythons. I ordered them due to the many good reviews on reptibids. Hopefully it won't come back to haunt me...i'll be sure to keep this updated.

Leslie,

Did he take, or even ask for your money without having the animals in his possession?

By itself Brokering any commodity is not unfair, nor is it illegal. That said, it implies certain things that make doing it with live animals a bit difficult. First, most brokers accept terms, meaning, they ship before they get paid. This rarely, if ever, happens with herps because of all of the scammers and our resulting distrust. If he doesn't have your money already, then its not really an unussual thing to have not gotten your "order" yet. If he does have your money however, then get on him and stay on him til you get it back, or your animals.

Shawn

Well, I tracked him down using the white pages. I got lucky, and got the right phone #. It was a presale. he was expecting several shipments of ball pythons and never got them. He offered to refund my money, or get them to me saturday and he'll pay for the extra shipping. The guy I dealt with was craig, well spoken and fair person on the phone. No problems after speaking to him.

Shawn,

I agree with everything you said. But this seller offered something on an auction site that he did not possess. That's a little different than simply brokering. Unless, of course, the listing clearly stated that fact. JMHO.

I have no problem with brokering reptiles per se, but the people doing it need to be upfront about it. Anything less casts doubt on their integrity in an "industry" full of people with less than high levels of just that.

Originally Posted by ljsreptiles

Well, I tracked him down using the white pages. I got lucky, and got the right phone #. It was a presale. he was expecting several shipments of ball pythons and never got them. He offered to refund my money, or get them to me saturday and he'll pay for the extra shipping. The guy I dealt with was craig, well spoken and fair person on the phone. No problems after speaking to him.

So he did take your money before he had the snakes to ship. Not cool IMO, even if he does eventually make good. And I am a bit concerned as to who "Craig" is and who "Rodney" is. It may mean nothing but it is a second red flag (the first being that he took your money without having possession of the "goods").

Please post a follow up and let everyone here know what happened.

So he did take your money before he had the snakes to ship. Not cool IMO, even if he does eventually make good.

Jim,

You have a point. But have you read the ball python ads lately? Most brokers are accepting orders on baby ball pythons they haven’t received yet. It’s a common practice that’s done year after year. I have no doubt they'll make good on their deals. Similarly, breeders are taking deposits on clutches they haven't yet hatched or in some cases even laid.

Regards.