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Is it GOOD or BAD to try to buy only from quality breeders

Is it GOOD or BAD to buy from only quality breeders

  • It is GOOD! I want to buy the best herp for my money from the best breeder(s) I can find

    Votes: 71 97.3%

  • it is BAD! I only care about saving a buck

    Votes: 2 2.7%
  • Total voters
    73
So.. Matt... admit you will stop posting negative comments about me.. and I will do the same about you.
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Then so be it I do not need to put anything in writing to you. Go ahead and keep posting you are just shooting yourself in the foot with just about every post. Yes you can say 'no' to posting.
 
dadavis said:
I have purchased animals off the web on 4 different occassions now and I have been screwed over half of the time. As far as looking in the BOI on a company, there are just too many differant ones. I searched on info regarding the sellers and found nothing. After the purchases and talking to other individuals I found out more about the two companies who got me. And if I had thier input I never in a million years would have sent these shmoes my hard earned money. The main thing the consumer needs is a place to go and find reputible breeders and companies.
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I am sorry to hear about your experiences Dustin. I know what you mean when you say you tried this site but couldn't find any info on the people you wanted to deal with, It's happened to me as well My question to you would be this. Did you post your experiences on this forum. If you did then great you are helping to weed out the bad guys, If not then I am sorry to say you are only helping them perpetuate their scams or bad business practices. I know its hard for a new member to post about bad experiences. There is always the possibility that the regulars won't see it your way and come down hard on you. It is possible that your experience was a more isolated instance (although it sounds like it wasn't) and the person who you feel screwed you over might actually have a pretty good reputation and will get more support than you will. Still, if you have a legitimate problem with a deal gone bad don't be afraid to post it. it one of the ways to get the bad guys off the streets.

As to the poll, I really couldn't vote because I feel the choices were not explained well enough. I understand what the OP was getting at but the choices were flawed as Brian said. Many people tend to equate price with quality. No one here has ever heard of Joe Blow (or at least has never posted anything about him) and he has cheaper prices than Ralph Davis. Many people assume his animals must not be as good. What happens when Joe Blow gets his stock from Ralph Davis and uses the same breeding and husbandry techniques. The animals would pretty much be the same quality.
He may feel that selling his equal quality animals a little lower may be the only way to compete. Face it if two guys have animals for sale at the same price most people are going to buy from the guy that has the good reputation as opposed to the one with no reputation. The little guy has to gain an edge somehow.

Steve
 
Yes. its good to buy for quality. Now this doesn't mean to ignore the little guy and only go for the large guys. Many confuse quantity and reputation with the guy with 50 snakes who has equal or better quality, let alone customer service skills.
 
I think you buy what you want. Most people are looking for something specific in it's morph. If you happen to see a "little guy" with something that is appealing to you then go for it. Same goes for the big name breeders. Rather than going for the name you should get the animal that contains the most characteristics you are looking for.
 
Not to jump into the arguement, but I'd have to agree with Matt on this one. My ig came from a "nobody" 16 yrs ago. He has been the healthiest, tamest, bestest (I know that's not a word) pet I have ever owned. I wanted an ig, I found an ig, and I bought that ig. I have also dished out big bucks to a top of the line breeder and got the same quality, no health problems and a great pet. But then again, I couldn't find certain animals barely anywhere and ended up with sick ones that I bought from the first place I could find them at. It's a little more difficult buying online then having it shipped from someone with any references though. And sometimes if they do have excellent references, it doesn't mean much.
 
This thread has traveled quickly through ridiculous city on its way to ludicrousville.
 
I must have missed the bus on this one? When did it start out as ridiculous or even start spiraling further down the path of insanity?
 
I prefer to buy from small local breeders with good reputations rather than national breeders that produce so many animals that they aren't all necessarily raised with individual attention to detail. I've gotten some nice animals through the mail from "big name breeders" I've also gotten some junk. I guess i just like to kick the tires a bit and look and hold an animal before i purchase it to see the disposition of the animal, can't really do that when the seller lives half way across the country, plus i am a hobby breeder with no intention to broker it into a full time career and thus i like to support other hobby breeders who breed reptiles for the love of it rather than to get rich.

Steve Quinn
 
I've bought from hobbyists and breeders alike.

Wether it is a "good" or "bad" breeder, the specimen has to be kept quarantine and monitored closely.

I prefer to buy from hobbyists that are small time breeders with specific projects producing what I want, but if what I want only can be found by the big dealers, that's where I'll go - and hope for one that is "good".

I'm not impressed by the volume dealers that "buy clutches" and the sell cheap.
The cost of the reptiles I'm interested in is dwarfed by their housing and feeding cost anyway, and those volume dealers, if they aren't careful - mites and things can spread really easily.
 
To me, if you take proper care for your animals, selectively breed for quality, are knowledgable & honest then you're a quality breeder. I became a Fauna member to help me find those folks ;)
 
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