I have a couple that fall under the "might be a sign of shadiness" category.
1. Not answering all questions asked. I realize most breeders are busy people, whether their business is a full-time thing or they have another job and breeding is just a hobby. However, it still makes me wonder if they even read the whole e-mail...or even care about reading the whole e-mail...or if they're refusing to answer the question(s) for more sinister reasons. At the very least, not answering questions asked makes the seller seem like they don't have time for you.
2. All pictures of the animals are out of focus, in extremely poor lighting, etc. Seems shallow, I know (and it might be), but if someone never has good pictures, it could mean a couple things: (1) they don't know how to take an in-focus picture, (2) they don't care about the quality of their pictures, and/or (3) they're trying to hide something about their animal by only taking photos in terrible lighting or only posting out-of-focus pictures. The first two reasons make me wonder if the person knows other basics, such as how to properly package a reptile, what shipping companies allow reptiles and/or snakes to be shipped, if the person is even old enough to be selling stuff on the Internet, etc.
2.5 Same goes for horrendous grammar, websites that are impossible to read/understand or could induce epileptic fits, or any other thing that might make me question the seller's age, education level, maturity level, etc.
I definitely have problems with sellers who won't provide additional pictures. I bought a snake from a guy who has a good reputation here, but when I asked for additional pictures of a snake I was interested in, he pointed to the picture on his website. Yes, I saw the picture, but it was one picture. How do I know this person actually has the snake shown in the picture? I need at least two different pictures to beat down the suspicion vibe. When I explained the reason for wanting extra pictures, he immediately obliged, and I bought the snake with no further problems.
As for talking on the phone, I detest it too. However, if someone doesn't like using e-mail but you'd like some proof of the agreement, then here's what ya do: make the seller/buyer send a "contract" via e-mail that both parties must agree (and reply) to via e-mail. Include the price, shipping date, payment plan, etc. (and maybe even a description of the animal). For the couple art commissions I've done, even after we've agreed on everything, the information is usually scattered across many e-mails, so when everything is settled, I send out a more formal e-mail outlining all the points we'd agreed on, and the commissioner has to agree to my little contract before we can continue.
Cheryl, good point about phone numbers. I usually use my cell phone, and it's still an Indiana number. Same goes for e-mail addresses, actually. I have several of them, and though I try to keep them all straight (each one is used for something specific, like work, personal, business), but sometimes I mess up. Also, when I'm buying stuff, I use a different PayPal e-mail address than the one I'll be using to sell snakes. I'm glad the people I bought from didn't refuse on the grounds that I seemed shady! As for phone numbers, I'm thinking about using Google Voice instead of my cell phone. For one, I'll know when someone is calling about a snake (otherwise, if the number isn't in my address book, I usually ignore the call), and second, I don't have to give out my cell number!
But yes, I realize that not one or two of these things on their own are necessarily evidence of a scammer; I'm just putting some more info out there as to possible reasons why good people might have a red flag or two.
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Glad I'm not the only one who avoids phones... I have a bad schedule for phone-talking, I like having everything in writing, and on top of that phones just make me nervous. Really nervous. I will give my number but I also point out I'm pretty much impossible to reach and email is the best option due to my phone-hating nature.
