First, I didnt know and still dont know that what your saying is right. Either way that doesnt make me a bad guy. I know a couple of importers that export and buy ambystoma legally in CA, so I think your page here is flawed or maybe you need a permit. I know several people tried to through laws at me in this very thread, but they all turned out wrong. So you will have to excuse me if Im a little sceptical of your post.
"My" page is the California Department of Fish & Game Restricted Species Laws and Regulations document:
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/pdffiles/fg1518.pdf
All ambystoma are classified as "D" animals -- "Those species listed because
they pose a threat to native wildlife, the agriculture interests of
the state or to public health or safety are termed “detrimental
animals” and are designated by the letter “D”. "
They are so classified because they pose a threat to the conservationally Vunerable California Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma californiense), through competition for resources, and hybridization. (The species as a whole is classed as 'vunerable'; two sub-populations are listed as 'endangered'.)
Technically, it
is your responsibility as a seller to make sure what you're sending is legal at its destination. You *can* get in legal trouble for sending something restricted, just as much as the recipient can for receiving it. "Well, I didn't know, therefor I'm not in the wrong!" rarely if ever stands up in a court of law.
Don't get me wrong, your buyer is EQUALLY at fault as regards moving restricted animals into the state. And I don't in any way condone his cheating you out of your end of the trade. That's absolutely criminal, of course.
But we, as hobbyists, ARE responsible for making sure we know what we're moving, where, and the legalities of it. There's enough pressure from outside the industry, we don't need to make trouble for ourselves by doing questionable things.
I'd love to see your list of wholesalers who do it "legally" in California. Most of the wholesalers I know have lost the ability to deal in any Ambystoma, even axolotls, which has caused quite a bit of unhappiness in the fish and reptile trade here.
Yes, you can get a permit, as is documented as follows, but it's quite difficult. (If major wholesalers can't get permits, the odds of a permit being issued to an individual are very slim, unless he could prove they were for conservation or research. California is very protective of its native wildlife. And even if your buyer DID have a permit, he would need to provide proof of it before making the purchase for the deal to actually be above-ground.)
(a)(1) The department, in cooperation with the Department
of Food and Agriculture, may, upon application, issue a written
permit to import into, possess, or transport within this state
any wild animal enumerated in, or designated pursuant to,
Section 671 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations,
upon a determination that the animal is not detrimental or
that no damage or detriment can be caused to agriculture,
native wildlife, the public health or safety, or the welfare of the
animal, as a result of the importation, transportation, or
possession