Badazz Boa's Inquiry/price caution

I was looking at their new ad here on Fauna, Just so everyone knows, Honduran Boa Constrictors are not $2500. I have two I paid less than 10% each of what they are selling for. I am unsure if Hondurans are true Hypos as they are claiming. At the moment mine are not ready to breed and I have found no proof to back up that claim, so I do not believe that. If someone here knows it would be nice for them to let me know I am wrong. Here is a link to their ad:

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/pp_c...p?product=8041

Are you here to tell us that you think that the ad you are reporting on is untrue, or a fraud? Have they done something bad to you or someone else? I'm not sure I understand the meaning of your post. Could you elaberate please? Are they claiming the boas are hypo, and they are not? Thanks

I beleive his post is talking about the fact that they are severely over pricing this snake and inflating its potential and availability. In this case, I can't say one way or the other but I think thats where Junkyard is coming from.

We have discussed on countless occasions if the buyer has the right to ask whatever he wants for his animal. There has been general consensus that you as a seller determine how much you want for your item before you are willing to part with it. The buyer has the option to walk away if he feels that it’s way too much.

This is just a personal opinion. As a seller you want to get as much as possible for your item, and as a buyer you want exactly the opposite. But a business transaction has to be a win-win situation, where at the end both parties need to feel satisfied with the deal. Selling a boa to someone “that did not do his homework” for an outrageous price is plainly unethical (although some brag on their business skills). Similarly if there is an individual that has something unusual and someone offer a ridiculously low price and is accepted (because the seller “didn’t know better”) the buyer is also ripping that person off. Again, business transactions are supposed to be win-win situations where both parties end satisfied with the outcome. Just my opinion.

Regards.

Ok, to clear up the hypo controversy... The term, hypomelanism, refers to an animal that displays reduced amounts of melanin, possessing smaller amounts than would the norm for that population, be it species, subspecies, or local. So, when determining whether a certain specimen is hypomelanistic one must compare it to a sample population, and the size or type of that sample population can often be the factor that determines if that specimen is going to be considered a hypo or not. For example, a Hogg Island Boa Constrictor is often considered a naturally occurring hypo, and this is true, only if you are looking at Boa Constrictors in general as a species. However, it is not true if you are just looking at the island(s) where they occur, as that is their “normal” coloration for these Boas in that area. Hypomelanism is a very broad, and often confusing, term covering everything from animals with simple recessive genetic mutations such as leucism, albinism, and amelanism to animals that are on the lighter end of the spectrum of what is considered to be normal for them. However, when most people think of a “hypo” they are usually thinking of something that falls somewhere in between these two extremes. Most people in the hobby consider a “hypo” to have reduced amounts of melanin to a lesser extreme than that of the amelanistics and albinos, but to more of an extreme than that of a light specimen that still falls within the range of what is expected for that species, local, or population. In addition, many people do not consider something to be a “true hypo” unless there is some reproducible genetic marker that is responsible for causing the melanin reduction. Weather that genetic marker is co-dominant or a simple recessive trait, usually depends on the species being discussed.

Michael, as irritating as it might be, Chris is well within his right to advertise his Boa for whatever price he wants (even if it is totally unrealistic). Proving false advertising on the hypo thing is not ever going to happen just because of the broadness of the term and its many interpretations... This probably is not a very good reason to bring this here, but I think maybe his veiled threat that he made to you in the discussion might be. I could be wrong though. Any other thoughts.

"Don't post here again, you've been warned. Chris."

Chris this bothers me. These kind of threats are not appropriate here. The fact is Michael can post a comment if he wants to (even if you find it to be irritating).

"Mr. Michael Shelton,
Well, first off, unless you are bidding on my snake, it really isn't any of your business now is it. I don't come to your Web site, if you have one, posting negative crap about you and yours. So, why do you feel in necessary to crap in my backyard? "

Ahh Chris, this is not your website now is it, and it is not your backyard either.

"He was warned NOT to contact me again or to be slanderous to me or mine. I will deal with Mr. Shelton in the Legal System. He is being flaggrantly slanderous."

Chris, you are just sounding ignorant now. The term is Libel, not slander. And good luck proving either.

I think the point I was trying to get to and get an answer to was just that: the seller has the right to ask anything he pleases for his product, and the shopper has every right to walk past the product. However, I don't see any reason that this issue should have been brought to the BOI at all. This is not what this forum is supposed to be about.

I guess I should not have brought this here. I was wrong in the fact that yes he does have the right to advertise his snake for as much as he wants, I honestly do not want someone to pay so much for a similar snake I only paid $200 for.

I did PM Chris, I decided it would be best to keep any talk off the public forum. Posting the comment I did upset him and I figured best to keep between us. As of this morning I have received another message from him saying he is going to take me to court. I do not see how I have been slanderous, I think his snake is beautiful, I told him that and I never said anything in regards to his company or him as he has stated to me in private message. I was just adding my opinion, from this mess I probably will just start keeping them to myself.

To Chris I do apologise.

To the BOI I also apologise for bringing this here.

Michael, Like I said earlier, I think your initial reasons for bring this here may have been weak, but I still think his threat that he made to you in the discussion changed things and gave you a ligit reason to bring this up here.

As for worrying about him going after you for slander... Well slander is making reference to the spoken word. The term when discussing the written word is Lible, and he has to prove that you wrote lies with the intent to hurt his business, and he will have to show those losses and prove them in a court. It is not going to happen. He is just spinning his wheeles, and he is making me laugh more and more with with his lame court threats.

I did not intentionally do this to be libel, slanderous, or malicious. I again admit that I was wrong in all of this. If I am going to be threatened with legal actions when I post my opinions and thoughts then I really do not see a reason to stay on Faunaclassifieds. I have come to love this website for the reason of learning about potential people I would be buying from. I also have a lot of fun reading the stories and seeing the pictures of everyones animals, cages, and other things that they find fascinating and enjoyable to them. I have added to the pictures and had many questions answered, those who frequent often have been very helpful.

I have priced animals too high before, after learning of their actual worth I have lowered the prices. I have thanked those who set me right. Yes I have not been in the business as long as some here, but I have been in the herp hobby for many years, I remember when I was little catching lizards in the backyard. I was trying to look out for others here, I have lost money paying too high for a snake that costs much less else where. I should not have brought this up. I will not make the mistake of trying to help again, it upsets people.

Chris and Fauna...I again apologise, I am sorry for all of this.