Questions regarding buying from an out of state dealer (seeking advice)

Hi guys,
I found someone selling some beautiful pied ball pythons on the YOU AINT SEEN MY BALLS facebook page and I really just need some help figuring out what to ask before I purchase one. Just for clarity, the snake will be just a pet, not looking for breeding qualities.

So far I know the weights, age, & sex of the snake I'm interested in. It is a 70 gram juvenile, high white male.

I posted on the BOI with the breeders name, but have not gotten any responses, at this point I believe it is a waiting game. The guy seems genuine and nice, but I'm not one to take chances with 350+ dollars.

What can I ask to ensure the seller's validity? I don't want to send this guy the money via paypal, only to never receive the snake or have it show up in poor health.

I considered asking for references of some kind, but unfortunately don't know anyone in the industry well enough to really be sure what/who to ask about.
I know I look like a total noob here, but I would really appreciate any guidance that you guys have to offer.


also, I surfed the forum trying to find some general guidelines for buying reptiles but didn't see anything. if it exists please shoot me the link!


Thanks!

Unfortunately payment through paypal does not cover the purchase of live animals, so you really don't have any protection. I recently bought a snake from someone with no feedback either, but they seemed very genuine, sent multiple pictures, and stayed in constant contact with me throughout the process...if there were any red flags at any point I would have backed out, but everything ended up going smoothly.

Something to keep in mind though is that $350 is extremely cheap for a pied, even a baby male. That to me would be an immediate red flag. Also, the fact that it is being done through a facebook page and not a normal snake classified forum would make me slightly suspicious. Do they even have their own web page (not just a facebook page)?

I'm obviously not saying they're not legitimate as I have no idea and have never dealt with them. Just some things to keep in mind and be cautious of. If they're selling a lot of really nice snakes at really cheap prices and no one has ever heard of them, that would be a big warning sign to me.

One thing you could ask about is their shipping policies. If they have sold snakes before, they will be able to describe to you how they do the packaging, who they go through, what service they use...if it's anything out of the ordinary (they say they would send him out first thing in the morning, etc), then you know for sure they are not certified and don't know what they're doing. I would just ask for multiple pics, and it really comes down to using your best judgment. I would generally try to talk to them directly on the phone to get a feel for what type of person they are, even if it's through texts.

Originally Posted by MCMB

One thing you could ask about is their shipping policies. If they have sold snakes before, they will be able to describe to you how they do the packaging, who they go through, what service they use...if it's anything out of the ordinary (they say they would send him out first thing in the morning, etc), then you know for sure they are not certified and don't know what they're doing. I would just ask for multiple pics, and it really comes down to using your best judgment. I would generally try to talk to them directly on the phone to get a feel for what type of person they are, even if it's through texts.

Thanks for the feedback! He's sent me a bunch of pictures, of his entire clutch and then a bunch of the specific snake of interest. I asked about a webpage or site along with any references that he could provide me. Once he responds, I'll ask the packaging question and post his reply here.

Is there anything else I should ask about?

If he sent you a clutch picture that's really good, and multiple pics of the snake you want is a pretty good indicator that he actually has it :P. Did he say anything about sheds or feeding yet since they're still babies? The general rule is usually 3 meals after the first shed, but some people like to wait a little longer. You might want to ask what the parents were if you don't already know, and make sure the clutch matches what you would expect. If he has sent a lot of pictures and seems like a nice person it's probably fine, but again, it all comes down to using your best judgment.

The website isn't really a huge deal, as long as you've talked with him and feel comfortable, that's the biggest thing.

Originally Posted by MCMB

If he sent you a clutch picture that's really good, and multiple pics of the snake you want is a pretty good indicator that he actually has it :P. Did he say anything about sheds or feeding yet since they're still babies? The general rule is usually 3 meals after the first shed, but some people like to wait a little longer. You might want to ask what the parents were if you don't already know, and make sure the clutch matches what you would expect. If he has sent a lot of pictures and seems like a nice person it's probably fine, but again, it all comes down to using your best judgment.

The website isn't really a huge deal, as long as you've talked with him and feel comfortable, that's the biggest thing.

Haha, I'm not too worried, just trying to cover all my bases. I spent two hours reading bad guy posts on the BOI so I probably just freaked myself out lol. Bad juju. He said that they feed live & prekilled, that the snake I'm interested in would be ready in about a week.

Haha yea there are definitely some shady people out there. I'd like to think most people are good, but it never hurts to be cautious and protect yourself. I would be interested to see what other people on here have to say as well, but those would be my main concerns when buying from an unknown seller.

There are always gonna be new players coming in, (I'm one) and they won't really have a rep till someone gives them a chance. No one wants to get screwed but that's why you need to use your best judgment. I you feel even a bit of doubt, it's ok to decline.

Bottom line is, if you're not comfortable with it, you should look elsewhere. Find someone local for a face to face purchase or buy from a reputable seller. A local deal would save you on shipping too so the price may balance out. Pieds aren't rare, you can find one. There are no questions you can ask or pictures you can ask for that will guarantee you're not getting taken. Any scammer will be able to provide you with all that.

Originally Posted by cahrens

There are no questions you can ask or pictures you can ask for that will guarantee you're not getting taken. Any scammer will be able to provide you with all that.

That's a very good point, I just feel that it alleviates my concerns to some extent. But you're absolutely right, at the end of the day you basically have to decide whether you're comfortable with it or if something is making you hesitant. I've always felt that scams are usually easy to sniff out if you watch for the signs, but there are a lot of scammers out there who are very good at what they do.