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First time buyer advice

M

mcambec

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Hey guys,

I am looking to purchase my first snake from the site, but am hesitant about doing so as I do not want to get taken for a ride. I messaged a seller about a snake and offered an amount and she agreed; however, she just asked me to paypal her the money. She said nothing about the shipping fee, and I just don't know what to make of it. Does she send an invoice prior to my paypal pmnt? What is right to request from her? Any comments for a first time buyer would be appreciated.
 
Unfortunately, your content does not allow for accurately responding to some of the questions.
As a buyer, you should always consider shipping in price discussions. Some sellers post a shipped price, some do not. If the ad does not specify whether shipping is included, or an additional cost - ask.
Pay attention to name and location. Make a habit of getting a name and address before sending any form of payment; and, if the information does not match what shown in the seller's profile, consider that a big warning sign. (You should also report such discrepancies to the moderation team.)
Also, if you communicate via email, pay attention to the name on the account.
If the PayPal account is in another name, be extremely cautious.
Never send payment via Western Union.
Check the BOI for information on the seller. Create an inquiry, if you don't find anything.
Review the seller's Trader Ratings.
 
Payments

Also do not do the friends and family option. Pay the extra percentage. If something happens that covers you and a better chance of getting your money back if someone tries to take you for a ride.
 
JonLSmith80 said:
Also do not do the friends and family option. Pay the extra percentage. If something happens that covers you and a better chance of getting your money back if someone tries to take you for a ride.
Click to expand...
You're only half correct. The "extra percentage" is a sellers fee - the buyer doesn't cover that. It's a cost of "doing business". It is also a violation of the User Agreement for a seller to charge a fee for using PayPal.
(When calculating a price, a seller should consider all costs. How would you feel about a seller that posted something you wanted at say $200, shipped... and added the stipulation that you, the buyer, had to pay an additional $7 to help cover his internet service?)
 
While true, they will protect the buyer if the seller fails to ship anything.

Also if you use your credit card to back up your PP transaction, you can dispute the charge with your CC company if there is a problem with the animal. That said, a lot of scammers know this and will fraudulently dispute charges even when the seller shipped and the product was fine.
 
True....if the seller doesn't ship. But if you are scamming you can ship a dying animal and unless the buyer used a CC, he/she will not have the backing of PayPal
 
PayPal is less than consistent in how they address animal sales. I, and others, have received the blanket "Live animal purchases are not covered" response; while some people actually get help and compensation.
Once upon a time, I was told (by PayPal) that a "not as described" complaint was only valid for ebay transactions; and could not be used for anything else. That was before the split, of course. That would be the most applicable option for most reptile complaints, IMO; as it would cover unhealthy animal, incorrect gender, incorrect species, significantly different size, etc.
 
I understand. Just putting it out there bc many people thing there is an automatic blanket of coverage when using PayPal.
Bottom line is be careful of whom you buy from and I would only make large purchases from established dealers and breeders with a good track record.


HM
 
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