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    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

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    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

Inquiry BallBids.com?

There's nothing on those forum posts that actually links them to these guys, though. Nothing like a state or a name or anything. Whois says they've only had the domain since this year.
 
Shadera said:
There's nothing on those forum posts that actually links them to these guys, though. Nothing like a state or a name or anything. Whois says they've only had the domain since this year.
Click to expand...

Their first domain was meltingpotclub.com and meltingpotclub.com/ballbids

And that goes back to 2009. Also an auction site meant to bilk its users out of as much money as possible. Coincidence? Possible, I suppose...but it beggers the imagination to give "coincidence" that much weight in this situation.
 
deborahbroadus said:
No evidence of anyone being ripped off?

  1. Timer set back "at whim," so more money can keep coming in.
  2. No refunds given for the couple of "glitches" that the website has experienced already.
That's evidence to me. There's more, but this is enough to make me stay away.:shrug01:
Click to expand...

I agree that the timer being set back every time another bid is made is pretty sleazy seeing that they are making money off each one, but if you didn't read the terms then that is your fault for continuing to put your bids in.

I would like to point out that I tried the bidding with the "5 free bids" and all my bids were spent during it, but I did get them refunded. Has anyone that actually paid for their bids said anything about not being refunded?

I wont personally purchase bids but I figured I'd give it a shot with the free ones.

hhmoore said:
I wonder what would happen if things didn't go according to plan. Say they put up a snake for which they had paid $350, and there was only a slow trickle of bids...with no final flurry; and they only got $100 in bids. Would they honor it (including the free shipping), or find a way out...whether by deleting the auction, or using some lame version of Reserve Not Met.
Click to expand...

In a business sense you would expect them to go with their word because when they are making 3X what other snakes are worth I would think it would be smarter to take the loss on a certain snake in order to make more off the next one, however I definitely see this as a good way for them to just "disappear" with everyone's purchased bids.

The guy is definitely just trying to make money. If he is using healthy animals and honoring all the bids I wouldn't expect it to be an issue because he isn't the only one using animals to make money. If he starts screwing people over it's a completely different story.
 
Wow. I go to bed and work, and come back to this. Craziness.

I just went to their FB for the first time. I wonder who the lucky "winner" of the free snake giveaway will be.. THAT ought to be interesting.

There is also this recent post:

screenshot2.jpg


On top of banning those opinions they want to ignore, they seem to be "buying" fans. I get people do giveaways a lot, but when you are in the middle of something like this, and people are criticizing you, I see this a little differently. Granted it may not be a big deal since it's just a gift card, but I just get this sleazy used car dealership feel from it all. "Buy this car and hope it makes it home without blowing up and I'll throw in a free pencil!"

Oh, and they still haven't changed their FB picture where it's the banner showing snakes sold for outrageously low prices.
 
Shadera said:
There's nothing on those forum posts that actually links them to these guys, though. Nothing like a state or a name or anything. Whois says they've only had the domain since this year.
Click to expand...

Site could of expired, and they renewed this year which would reset the whois database.
 
I am still not taking sides but I have a funny feeling *if* they truly try to fix their obvious early problems...they could do this just fine. Unfortunately there are enough people who like to gamble. If the snakes that get won are sent out and healthy, people will gamble.

I will not be participating but I have a feeling others will.
 
most likely the first few bids will be legit now that the have something to prove with so many eyes on them.

(3 packs of bids were won, a couple for just over $1 which means they made about $60 on those)

Personally, I stopped gambling when I moved away from Vegas, but I see the allure of a 'cheap' morph, they'll make a killing, a few winners may actually get a great deal, and a lot of hopefull bidders will lose.
 
a lesson learned here i just spent $27 for nothing, not happy with them at all. i had better odds using that money and playing the power ball. :( never going back!!
 
AbsoluteApril said:
most likely the first few bids will be legit now that the have something to prove with so many eyes on them.

(3 packs of bids were won, a couple for just over $1 which means they made about $60 on those)

Personally, I stopped gambling when I moved away from Vegas, but I see the allure of a 'cheap' morph, they'll make a killing, a few winners may actually get a great deal, and a lot of hopefull bidders will lose.
Click to expand...

I must agree completely. IT IS A GAMBLE...as long as the sellers hold up their end. Every time.
I also do NOT gamble. My father taught me when I was young, "don't gamble unless you KNOW you are going to win!" :thumbsup:
 
nickyp0 said:
a lesson learned here i just spent $27 for nothing, not happy with them at all. i had better odds using that money and playing the power ball. :( never going back!!
Click to expand...

Is that because you played their game and lost? Or were you scammed out of that $27.00?

If you just played and lost...I don't feel bad for you, at all.
If you were scammed in some way, please tell us more...
 
Ace of Snakes said:
Also just found out, Zack Byers is related to who? Jeff Byers, who does Jeff work for?...Bob Clark Reptiles, who is Bob Clark best buds with almost business partners?..Mike Wilbanks, where did that Butter for auction come from?...Constrictors Unlimited, who owns them?...Mike Wilbanks. Can you follow the bread crumbs to the pile of caca? There is more to this than two kids, this is scam all the way from A to Z. I'm sure Bob and Mike will give away a few snakes to get the ball rolling, give away a snake now and then, but 99% of this site and it's actions will be a scam with likely no snake or winner in sight, other than the site owners!

They simply took Ben's concept to another level and IMO perfected the art and scam!
Click to expand...

I see you already got yourself banned, but I'll respond anyway for everyone else.

1. Bob Clark and I dissolved all of our partnerships over a year ago. We have rarely spoken since then.
2. I have no idea if Zack Byers is related to Jeff Byers. Jeff works for Bob. So if they were related why wouldn't Zack get his animals from Bob? What do your snacks tell you about that one oh oracle of the pastry?
3. I sold animals to Zack, so what. I sell animals to lots of people that resell them. Most act like they produced them and many of the ads you see around the Internet are animals that I produced. Zack chose to advertise that I produced the animals that he is auctioning. Why should I care about that? I did produce them. I guess he could have acted like he produced them, but he chose to be honest about it. I did not even know about this site until Zack told me just before the launch that he was doing an auction site. I was at the airport heading for the Hamm show in Germany and I had some emails from people asking me about this site. This was the first time I had even seen it. I called Zack and asked him to make it clear that I was not affiliated with the site. He said he would. They have not scammed anyone. He paid me when he said he would and I shipped him some nice animals. That is the extent of my involvement with them. If he calls me tomorrow and asks to buy some more animals I will be happy to sell them to him.

Bottom line, I don't know Zack that well. I am not endorsing his site. I told him today that I have worked many years to earn my reputation and he would have to earn his. I am not bidding on any ball pythons, if you think it is too big a risk, then you shouldn't either, but really, what is the big deal?
 
Focal X said:
For those that don't already know, it appears the winner of last nights auction was Natasia Cockerham, a friend of the sites owners.
Click to expand...

No one won the auction for the butter on 12/7....it was re-auctioned tonight, 12/8, along with another animal and three "bid packages". The butter went to someone by the name of Kylie Rae, and the pastel to a Mason Hall.

deborahbroadus said:
No evidence of anyone being ripped off?

  1. Timer set back "at whim," so more money can keep coming in.
  2. No refunds given for the couple of "glitches" that the website has experienced already.
That's evidence to me. There's more, but this is enough to make me stay away.:shrug01:
Click to expand...

The timer isn't set back "at whim"...if someone bids in the last 15 seconds, another 15 seconds is added to the bidding time. Which is clearly stated (and has been discussed here) in their TOS. Again, just like the other "penny auctions" that I have seen.

And refunds WERE given. :shrug01:


Look, I am still not saying that I support this whole idea...but I hate seeing people get even more worked up than necessary over incorrect information.
 
I'm of the mind of "watch and see"-- still have all of my free bids in check, on the off chance that something I can't pass up shows up and that real people win and get decent snakes from this... maybe... Not in support, but not outright condemning it, either.

I guess we'll see when "Kylie" gets the butter-- she said on FB that she plans to video the arrival of the ball python. Anyone got info on her to see if shes like the previous night's winner (friend of the site owners)?
 
Cat_72 said:
No one won the auction for the butter on 12/7....it was re-auctioned tonight, 12/8, along with another animal and three "bid packages". The butter went to someone by the name of Kylie Rae, and the pastel to a Mason Hall.



The timer isn't set back "at whim"...if someone bids in the last 15 seconds, another 15 seconds is added to the bidding time. Which is clearly stated (and has been discussed here) in their TOS. Again, just like the other "penny auctions" that I have seen.

And refunds WERE given. :shrug01:


Look, I am still not saying that I support this whole idea...but I hate seeing people get even more worked up than necessary over incorrect information.
Click to expand...

I doubt many of us are getting "worked up," I believe we are analysing information.

The first indication was the claim that no one asked for refunds, and this inconsistancy was pointed out in post 84. What they did after being proved to be incorrect does not change my opinion. It's easy enough to mop up messes that are pointed out and the floor then looks clean, but those of us that saw the original mess still have to shift though the orginal red-flags, while others come in and see the "mopped" floor, and may think that everything is fine now.:ack2:

That's one thing that I dislike about forums...people can sometimes unknowingly FEED the people under suspicion information that they need to successfully bilk customers (if that is their goal)!

I am not "one dimensional in thought" I can see many ways that the timer can be set back and it won't always be when another person bid, and unless there's something that prevents them from having "crashes," etc... or having a friend do some bidding to keep the timer rolling...I still don't see any reason to change my opinion..

But thanks for pointing out "possible flaws" in my logic.:)
 
Cat_72 said:
No one won the auction for the butter on 12/7....it was re-auctioned tonight, 12/8, along with another animal and three "bid packages". The butter went to someone by the name of Kylie Rae, and the pastel to a Mason Hall.
Click to expand...

I read this differently:

0a65cc20.jpg
 
Cat_72 said:
No one won the auction for the butter on 12/7....it was re-auctioned tonight, 12/8, along with another animal and three "bid packages". The butter went to someone by the name of Kylie Rae, and the pastel to a Mason Hall.



The timer isn't set back "at whim"...if someone bids in the last 15 seconds, another 15 seconds is added to the bidding time. Which is clearly stated (and has been discussed here) in their TOS. Again, just like the other "penny auctions" that I have seen.

And refunds WERE given. :shrug01:


Look, I am still not saying that I support this whole idea...but I hate seeing people get even more worked up than necessary over incorrect information.
Click to expand...

Again I would have to agree.
If they are getting a friend to bid for them or are automatically setting back the timer, I don't think the auctions will last. 99% of the time even the "good" scammers (good at what they do:rolleyes:) will/do slip up. OR the first time they encounter any sort of problem, they skidaddle. These people will ultimately reveal themselves.

Now if the winner does get the snake (Which they will) and in fact they are not having other's bid for them, or doing anything funny...then it is legit.
In fact, the person who won the auction depending on how many times they bid, COULD have just got a female Butter for just about, oh,.. $7.00 flat.

Considering this is the case for a second, they then receive the snake, put it into qt themselves, (because it should be anyway) and ultimately end up with a nice, healthy snake for...well, pennies on the dollar.
To all the others who joined into the auction and did not win...better luck next time. Everyone knows the rules, it appears they are indeed attempting to fix the issues they have been having, and people took a chance. That is what a gamble is. No guarantee that the whole $27.00 that YOU decide to spend will get you anything.

OR they could do a few legit auctions in the beginning, have things running smoothly, then turn around and start screwing people over:shrug01:

I would just have to believe the first option would be more appealing to everyone. If they indeed just want to make money...running these auctions legit would be the way to do that. :thumbsup:

We shall see.

Please excuse my rambling...it is definitely early.
 
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