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Inquiry John Oliver from UK?

M

Mpgrant

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I am in the closing stages of finalizing a deal with a person by the name of John Oliver who lives in the United Kingdom, England.

I am attempting to purchase a trio of lizards for a significant amount of money, and need confirmation that this is a legit seller and not just another Cameroon scam...

His email is [email protected] and that is the only way I have contacted him and all the information I have. We have exchanged about a dozen emails and I have received 1 picture that does show the correct species I am looking for. I live in Florida.

If anyone has experience with this seller or any ideas of how I can legitimize this deal before making a financial transaction, please let me know.

~Matthew Grant
 
Can you post emails or the 1 photo you have? The email address you have would suggest a business, DeStefano Exotics, or a person with the name DeStefano, a search of which brings up nothing.

Where has this person placed an ad for the lizards you are seeking?

Not saying John Oliver is not legitimate; just playing devil's advocate, I suppose.
 
A search of the email (which, as a gmail address, does not suggest to me a "proper" business...rather a hobbyist trying to sound/look like a business) shows the same group of ads posted over several forums; and all of the accounts were registered this year - actually, I think they were all registered in March; but the ads have been circulating since at least June.
If you proceed, I would suggest making your payment via credit card (even if that means using PayPal); just to leave yourself recourse.
 
'Serious Buyer Only' - red flag
 

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There is a John Oliver that breeds/deals in rare high end lizards, he lives in Tennessee, USA.

I would recommend him to anyone anytime. (John in TN.)

Hope this helps.

Lynn Peterson
Big Time Reptiles
 
I have just offered to do the transaction through a COD delivery service, or by using a local pet shop as a broker for the transaction... Awaiting his reply. If he replies with some nonsense about only being able to use western union, I'll know it's B.S.

Thanks for the responses and I'll keep this thread updated.
 
The problem with COD service is that you generally have to pay to receive the package...meaning if you get sent a well packaged rock, you don't know until your money is gone. The delivery person, no matter how reasonable and empathetic he might be, cannot give you your money back (wouldn't be the first time that has happened).

Why would a shop be willing to get involved in this?
Assuming it is a friend, why would you consider gambling with his/her money just to give yourself a small buffer of protection?
 
As far as the shop being a broker, I meant that the shop receives the animals and my money, and holds either until both is received, then gives both parties what was offered. Anyways, that was just me thinking outloud in an attempt to not get ripped off.

I'm still awaiting a reply to my request to use COD.
 
Why would anyone send animals internationally on a cash on delivery basis. The costs in general of shipping internationally, along with any required paperwork, vet inspections, taxes, etc, make this a very unlikely thing. If I were the seller, and assuming I was legit, I would not even consider that offer.

Have you looked into shipping costs, any required paperwork, etc?

Warren
 
Mpgrant said:
I didn't think about the rock thing... I would think that the receiving person would have the ability to inspect package before accepting
Click to expand...

Not in any COD situation I've ever done - unless you're meeting in person. Since this is being shipped, the shipping agent collects the money before turning over the package.
 
Not in depth, as I have never shipped or purchased animals through the mail. I just have a hard time believing that there is no way to commit to a transaction like this as a buyer, and not have a peace-of-mind that it is legitimate. If his information continues to be suspect, I will post the entire email thread here for opinions. I guess that's the best I can do if I still want to attempt this purchase.

~Matthew
 
hhmoore said:
Not in any COD situation I've ever done - unless you're meeting in person. Since this is being shipped, the shipping agent collects the money before turning over the package.
Click to expand...

Well, there is one other way - the honor system...typically reserved for people that have an existing business relationship; but that isn't really COD. They send the animals, you get them, look them over, then send them money. That goes badly often enough when the participants are friends; about the only time that idea flies is if it's a no name sending to a big name.
 
hhmoore said:
Well, there is one other way - the honor system...typically reserved for people that have an existing business relationship; but that isn't really COD. They send the animals, you get them, look them over, then send them money. That goes badly often enough when the participants are friends; about the only time that idea flies is if it's a no name sending to a big name.
Click to expand...

And if this guy had his adds through a shop, or atleast some people here approving him as a legit trader, I would obviously have no problem sending the money... But I've seen way to many horror stories about 'Cameroon' traders taking money and dissapearing.
 
can you ask the person for references? Or who they bought the animals from and then confirm with that seller?

I'd hesitate for many reasons. Another red flag to me is an unknown using a celebrity name (not to say it's not a real person of course... but I immediately thought of John Oliver from the UK who is on the Daily Show).
 
I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't be concerned; I'm just saying that an informal COD is quite unlikely. If he agrees to it, he'll want the guarantee of getting paid; so it will be set up accordingly (and you'll likely have to pay before the box is put in your hands). You can, however,open it on the spot, in front of the shipping agent; so they are witness to it & so you can file an immediate claim, if necessary.
 
AbsoluteApril said:
can you ask the person for references? Or who they bought the animals from and then confirm with that seller?
Click to expand...
Just another sign of how jaded I've become...references only mean as much as the name attached to them. IMO, references from a bunch of people I've never heard of are pretty useless. I could create 3-5 emails right now and send them as references. :dgrin:
 
hhmoore said:
...references only mean as much as the name attached to them.
Click to expand...

yes, I agree. A useless reference is, well, useless! Just trying to think of some more options since it seems OP wants to go forward with the deal. :)

OP, you may also want to try asking or checking for this person on some UK forums perhaps?
 
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