Obviously Jen did make a mistake here, in not holding on to the shipping money. She has acknowledged that she made a mistake.
I know her and consider her to be a friend. I know that she really is going through a family/financial crisis right now, and that those aren't just excuses. She is not a scammer, and she's not stringing the buyer along. She made a bad decision, and is genuinely trying to correct it. Snakes aren't selling very quickly right now, which I'm sure many people are aware of. Jen does have most of her collection up for sale though, and I'm sure she will be either refunding the buyer or shipping the snake as soon as something sells.
I completely understand the frustration the buyer is feeling. I've been in a similar situation before, waiting for a snake to be shipped out that I had already paid for. That said, it disappoints me that the Fauna crowd is always so eager for blood and drama. Jen is a truly good person, and while she did make a bad mistake, it doesn't justify her being crucified by many of the regulars here.
I don't like the feeling that someone like Jen is being driven out of the community just because she screwed up once. She has contributed a lot in the past, and is a valuable part of the reptile hobby today. I wish people would at least give her a chance to correct things before labeling her a bad guy.
Perhaps several of her friends could band together and pay the shipping and then be reimbursed?
I value what you say, Sarah, but at the same time, until we see posts from people like you who actually know the person, all we can see is that funds were misspent. Add to that the fact that sometimes good guys change (not saying that it happened here).
I did suggest and do think that if Jen discounts the price of what she is selling, it may sell sooner, and that discount might be a way for Jen to show that she wants to take care of this right away.