Kingsnake Upped their price to post! Actually doubled it!

[Adam Block]

The ROOOOF..... The ROOOOOOF......... The ROOOOOOOOOOOF is Onnnnnn Firrrrrrrrree!!!

I wish I could tell you how much I love this! I talk greed, people say I'm nuts! I talk this people say that! All that I can say is without one reply from Jeff to me or my posts, an increase in price and blah blah blah. I keep saying it's all about the money, grean backs, dead presidents, ducketts, dollars, funds, cash, dough to Jeff.

Now, to side with him. When you got a tight grip on peoples onions you can ask what you want of them. After all, it's his site right? I would have done the same thing just to laugh all the way to the bank at the fools with no other choice.

When I would need money in the past, I'd post an add on kingsnake.com and within oh an hour I'd always have the snakes sold, ALWAYS!!!! Jeff has traffic, with traffic comes power, with power comes control! I won't even lie, not being able to post on kingsnake is hurting me right now and there are people that are going to be taking payments from me until I can find another option.

Jeff, I will only say good for you my friend. If you've gotten people into a spot where you can pull $100 plus a year from them to post ads on your site, you did a damn good job! You saw something and while what you've given up in life wouldn't have been worth it to me you went for it and now are calling the shots.

I don't honestly think $100 a year is too much. Thinking about that from a % of what I sell in a year it's cheap to be honest. I've never had an issue with Jeff's prices, it the lack of customer service that I've gotten that I had issue with. I can't wait to laugh when it doubles again. So far it's been what, a rate hike ever two years?

On the flip side, he's not going to grow the other sites at those rates as the traffic isn't there. He's going to loose the people who only produce 20-100 animals a year. Or at best they'll just sell everything in one month. He's also going to show his true colors here as only being worried about the money and turn many off. So I think other sites will be able to use this to grow if they plan right, keep the classifieds free and expand the sites to contain the info and forums that bring the traffic that brings the banners that bring the hosting and money.

Muhhhhaaaaaaahahahaaa,
Adam Block

 

[Roger Jolly]

Walking the plank voluntarily, eh what??

What a bunch of putzes!!!!!

One thing about greed is that it justifies more greed. I've been lurking here off and on and only post under duress. THIS is duress, let me tell you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lots of people moaning about Jeffie slapping them around whenever it suits his temper or mood and everyone clucking silently to themselves in the chicken coop hoping to not attract the attention of Farmer Jeff around suppertime. Sure am glad it was the other hen that got picked to the table today!!!

SO today Jeffie tells you that you need to lay more eggs and cut back on the feed. Cluck, cluck, cluck..... Yah there's a hole in the back wall where you could all make your escape, but is sure is scary out there in the dark and where will our feed come from??? Much better to keep on grunting out those eggs there where it is safe and warm and maybe I wont be the one that is dinner tomorrow.

Keep on feeding the beast, gents. You are all doing real good at this. Ya know Jeffie is reading this, rubbing his puggie little fingers together snorting in glee. Yeah the chickens can't fly away, not because they don't have wings, but because they are afraid they won't be able to make it without farmer Jeff's help.

Here is webslave actually arguing against charging for the services here, against the grain, it appears, and you jokers rather than help are whining and sniffling the whole while pulling your wallets out of your pants. Yeah we hate to do it, but we can't help it. Jeff is a greedy SOB, but we like money too!!!

What're you all going to do when Jeff gets really bold and actively tries to shut down the competition??? Bet you'll all cry real hard then won't you?? Stamp your feet and whine for at least 10 minutes before whiping out the wallet again, this time for twice what you paid last year. But guess what???? YOU DON'T HAVE ANY CHOICE, NOW DO YOU???

IT AIN'T GOING TO GET ANY BETTER, CHUMPS. Either pitch in here or some other site to give yourselves more options, or just keep your tails tucked over your behinds and try not to make Jeffie mad at you. Maybe you should all buy him presents, eh?? Ya know, to keep on his good side? Take him out to dinner at the shows. Get the nose good and brown and maybe he'll overlook your TOS violations as well.

Gawd, this has got to be the funniest thread yet on this site! Bunch of dammed whiffle balls if you ask me. Stupid whiffle balls at that because ya all don't even realize you deserve what you are getting.

puke......

 

[Uffern]

You know, Mr. Jolly (assuming your name is actually Roger Jolly, yeah right), That might have been stirring, it might have motivated someone, it might have been taken seriously, if you weren't trying to be condescending when you wrote it. Let me ask you this, what have you done to help this site, or others?

you jokers rather than help are whining and sniffling the whole while pulling your wallets out of your pants.

That's right. We did pull our wallets out of our pants. Allow me to direct you to the proof.
Proof

My name is up there. Is yours?

 

[Uffern]

Another thing, I may not have pulled much out of my wallet, as I don't have that much to give, but I am G damn proud to be on that list with the others who support this site. Until I see your name up there, you are nothing but a hypocrite, and your words mean nothing.

 

[Adam Block]

Let me just say this. I have turned over a new leaf 100%! The other day all of you made good points! What the hell, don't I have anything better to do in my life then worry about Jeff? While I've done a lot of growing and I don't really care what who does to or about what as long as my kids are healthy.

The whole point to that is only to say, it's Jeff's site right? When you break it down and put things into perspective it's going to cost you $0.0000006 a hit to have your ads looked at. In all honesty, that's a great price for advertising. If you break it down to say this site, it would be like Rich charging you $6.48[/] a year to post here.

There are other options and I'm willing to support any and all of them with time or money. If anybody needs anything let me know. Rich, I would be more then happy to give you time, money, ideas or whatever to help you out.

Why don't we get a ring of supporters? Get a mutual link and all advertise this site? Maybe a banner exchange of sorts? COme on, this is a good chance to pick up traffic so let's put our heads together.

Adam Block

 

[Neil Gubitz]

Ritchie (and some others).... you said it yourselves.... "It's strictly BUSINESS!".... Each site (KS and Fauna) has their own unique shining stars.... KS for sales, and Fauna for the "Three I's".... Inquiring, Investigating, Inclusive!
Look.... we're ALL in this to TRY and make a profit.... you've got to go where the MONEY VOLUME is???.... KS gets MILLIONS of hits a month?.... I can't tell you how many high-dollar animals I have sold from that site in less than ONE DAY!!.... It just boggles my mind!
The reason Jeff decided to double his fees, is very easy to figure out.... BECAUSE HE CAN!.... If he wanted to start charging $500 a year, I would pay it GLADLY!.... As everybody says, if these sites were a "magazine".... we'd be spending in the THOUSANDS of dollars for advertising.... and here he is having the "nerve" to charge a LOUSY $110 A YEAR for the ability to post about 50 ADS PER DAY!!????.... Am I missing something here???.... If you guys really can't see how INEXPENSIVE that is.... you need glasses!.... I can fully appreciate loyalty.... and I would never be disloyal to THIS group, but business is business.... Pure and simple!

....Neil

 

[herphobbyist]

No one likes change... but the reality is it happens. Not only haven't I ever sold anything on Fauna, its usually a week long process to buy on here. While we'd all like to keep that 100% increase in our own pockets its still a great deal!! There are 6 snake catagories on KS. They allow 3 ads per catagory per day, thats 18 ads in you have multiple species to sell. So 18 ads times 7 days is 126 ads per week for less than $2.08!!!! Not to mention if you deal in lizards, venomous, cages, etc... Even if you only sell ball pythons thats still 21 ads a week for less than $2.08, thats less than a dime per ad. So what used to cost a nickel now cost a dime.. yeah I can live with that. The trick is to utilize what KS offers to the fullest. JMHO.. Ron Radloff

 

[q-bert]

NEIL, people like you are the reason that monopolies like Kingsnake.com thrive in this society and megalomaniacs like Jeff B are created!

Every time a negative post pertaining to Kingsnake appears on this forum you and your cohorts immediately start singing the praises of Jeff B and Kingsnake. This is the very reason pompous despots like Jeff B think they can get away with anything! Doubling the rates for a basic classified account and quintupling the rate for a "enhanced" account is absolutely outrageous and hits the small home-based breeder the hardest. Neil, for a big time wheeler-dealer like you the new rates may not mean more than a drop in the bucket but for the majority of us small timers out there, who comprise the majority of the people in this business, this is a hard pill to swallow!

Hey Neil, everyone, including you, will agree that electric power is essential for our way of life. In most areas electric power is supplied by one company which is essentially a monopoly. If your company decided to double or triple your rates over night would you support such a move with as much fanfare as you support the Kingsnake rate increase?

While we all know that capitalism is the American way, we should never forget that the foundation of the reptile business is the small, home-based and rurally located reptile breeder. The income generated from breeding reptiles is essential in supplementing the income from our day jobs and the never-ending quest to make ends meet.

In the imortal words of Forest Gump " and that's all I have to say about that"

Josh Goldstein

 

[Adam Block]

we're ALL in this to TRY and make a profit

What the hell are you talking about!! You're either at the wrong site or in the wrong business!

I'm in real estate for the profit, I'm into reptiles for the same reason I'm into guns, kites, kids and cars. Because I love them! Money or no money I'll be keeping snakes for the next 23 years just as I have the last 23.

Fact of it is, Jeff is cheap!

$0.0000006 per hit to his site is what he's charging a year.

Find me another place (that charges) with prices that low and I'll cross the tracks.

I don't honestly care one way or the other as I woke up last week to find I'd misplaced my priorities in a major way.

If the people on here wanna bitch about the price increase support somebody else. Like everybody was telling me, we have options!

As for the electric company. When my local company pushed me too far I bought, money saving bulbs (15 for a savings of 6kw a day or $18 a month) instant hot water heater for a savings of, well, nothing because I never run out of hot water and end up using 60% more water making up for the 60% savings it is to run. Anyway, you all get the point, I support them less and if you're unhappy with something you should do the same.

Adam Block

 

[Neil Gubitz]

The problem is that you guys are looking at this through "angry eyes".... Josh.... your analogy was apples and oranges.... I don't "sell" electricity, I "sell" animals, I USE electricity....
There is no way the KS is a monopoly??? There are MANY other sites around.... and a lot of them are FREE!.... But, it's the TRAFFIC that KS gets.... and every one of those people are looking for what you're selling???.... How do I get that through to you?.... If Fauna had that much traffic, with that many BUYERS.... I wouldn't go anywhere else!, But, for right now, it doesn't!
And, even though I might not agree with what Jeff did to Rich and this site.... I don't blame him one damn bit for kicking ANYBODY off his site that gets him pissed off??? It's HIS site??.... If you FOLLOW THE RULES, you won't have a problem???.... and if he wants to give someone "special treatment" for letting an "unlawful" post stay up.... BIG DEAL??.... It's HIS SITE???.... What business is it of yours??.... If you keep your nose where it belongs, you wouldn't have a problem, now would you?.... Right in the TOS of KS, he tells you point blank.... If you argue with him, you're out!.... If you want to "discuss" that with him.... why don't you just start playing with a gator's tail for a while, and see if you end up with all your fingers when it's all said and done.... play with fire, and you'll get burned....
When you're driving down the road, and you see a cop in your rearview mirror.... are you gonna tell me you DON'T slow down??.... Why do you???.... They only have some stupid "TOS"....

....Neil

 

[ScottsReptiles]

NEIL, people like you are the reason that monopolies like Kingsnake.com thrive in this society and megalomaniacs like Jeff B are created!

Every time a negative post pertaining to Kingsnake appears on this forum you and your cohorts immediately start singing the praises of Jeff B and Kingsnake. This is the very reason pompous despots like Jeff B think they can get away with anything! Doubling the rates for a basic classified account and quintupling the rate for a "enhanced" account is absolutely outrageous and hits the small home-based breeder the hardest. Neil, for a big time wheeler-dealer like you the new rates may not mean more than a drop in the bucket but for the majority of us small timers out there, who comprise the majority of the people in this business, this is a hard pill to swallow!

Hey Neil, everyone, including you, will agree that electric power is essential for our way of life. In most areas electric power is supplied by one company which is essentially a monopoly. If your company decided to double or triple your rates over night would you support such a move with as much fanfare as you support the Kingsnake rate increase?

While we all know that capitalism is the American way, we should never forget that the foundation of the reptile business is the small, home-based and rurally located reptile breeder. The income generated from breeding reptiles is essential in supplementing the income from our day jobs and the never-ending quest to make ends meet.

In the imortal words of Forest Gump " and that's all I have to say about that"

Josh Goldstein

Its hard to read all of the posts about kingsnake.com on here when you just joined...

and.... electric power is government regulated and its not a monopoly with most areas now offering various choices for your power needs.. but.. thats not really relevant is it?

 

[Cheryl Marchek AKA JM]

As a buyer

Just as a buyer, not ever having sold a single thing on either KS or Fauna, I'd like to add my .02 for what it is worth. Would I pay the $50 some odd bucks to post here? Yes, I did, with no intention of selling anything ever on this site, but I really like Rich Z and follow him around like some deranged puppy since he was nice to me a year ago. (Joking, Rich WAS extra nice to me, but I donated cash because I think this site is worth it) Would I expect others might?

Nope. I REALLY SERIOUSLY doubt there are many of us that would. And most won't pay to post in the forums at KS either. The reason KS does so well, in my humble buyer only opinion is becuase it absolutley cators to the BUYER. We go there, enjoy the forums, avoid using foul language and never have a hassle with the moderators, and puruse the many, varied classifieds without ever paying a single dime unless we PURCHASE an item. Which we purchase MANY as we feel so comfortable in what FEELS like a reptile community rather than a reptile swap meet. The format here may be easier on the moderators and discourage abuse, but the format on KS is more user friendly. I used Cornsnake.com exclusively until the format changed, the format at KS is just easier for me to use as it is for most rank amateurs.

Y'all may get angry, you may beleive this Jeff person is a meglomaniac, and he sounds like he just might be, but the truth is he recognises what appeals to the masses, and right now his show is the only show in town. Compete with him, I'm all for that, but don't forget, the reason his site does well is because he has figured out how to appeal to the masses.

 

[q-bert]

Neil, I know you do not sell electricty. In simpleton terms what I was saying is that if your elctric bill was raised from $100 a month to $200-$300 a month for using the same electricity would you support the rate hike? One thing you are right about Neil is that Kingsnake is not a true monopoly. I guess you wouldn't consider Microsoft a monoply either.

Adam, I am glad that you are doing well in the real estate industry! Unfortunately, not everyone makes as much money as you do to the point that they don't need a second income.
I like the idea of the energy saving bulbs and hot water heater! So 15 bulbs at $9.00 each plus a $300 hot water heater = $435. Since you are saving $18 per month those new bulbs and hot water heater will pay for its self in 24 months! Maybe you should consider cutting down on the time you have your computer turned on? That would save you more money!

Mr. Axel, I have been a follower of the BOI since the original! I have seen many changes including when it became Faunaclassifieds and numerous formats. Just because I registered today doesn't mean I couldn't read the threads in the past! Until now I have had no reason to post. It must be you who is relatively new here! And sorry to burst your bubble but I don't believe that MOST areas have a choice of power supply companies. Maybe your area does but not most.

Josh Goldstein

 

[Adam Block]

Josh Buddy let's break this down.

Adam, I am glad that you are doing well in the real estate industry! Unfortunately, not everyone makes as much money as you do

Well, I wouldn't go that far. Right now I'm broke and have been for the past 6 months. What I'm saying is for a second income go to another site. Jeff's sending a clear signal in my eyes that he doesn't want to deal with the reptiles as a second income people. For me, I needed kingsnake.com to sell corns, I work with pieds and albino balls now and don't really think kingsnake's going to be the hot spot for selling those.

So 15 bulbs at $9.00 each plus a $300 hot water heater = $435.

eBay my friend, eBay!! Bought 20 bulbs for $90 and spent $130 on the hot water heater = $220 so it'll take just a year. Not to mention the $40 a month I'm saving on hot water. Oh and plus! I was running a 400 watt metal halide on my saltwater tank at $15 a month and I swapped that out for Power compacts, didn't cost me anything to do as I sold the halide and it saved me another $10. So I'm just not giving the money to the electric company anymore even though it's spent elsewhere.

I love you all,
Adam Block

 

[Neil Gubitz]

Josh.... two things.... one, if you're paying $435 for a "Hot Water Heater".... you're being RIPPED OFF!!.... There's NO SUCH THING as a Hot Water Heater!!.... HOT WATER DOESN'T HAVE TO BE HEATED!!.... I think you're being scammed!.... lmao

Secondly.... the electric thing.... I'm PAYING for electricity, and basically, I haven't SEEN IT all month??.... lol

Seriously, I'm Paying for electric, but, I'm NOT making any money OFF of electric.... OF COURSE I'd be PO'd if they raised my rate.... but, if I was making a decent living by BUYING electric, and they wanted to raise my rates, by all means, go for it, doesn't mean I'd be esctatic to hear the news that the rates are going up, but.... oh well, so I make $54 LESS profit this YEAR!.... BIG DEAL???....
But, it also means that there will be fewer SELLERS on the site now, too!!.... You've GOT TO be able to see the advantage of THAT???

....Neil

 

[Adam Block]

GREAT POINTS NEIL!!! We don't much like eachother but I'll pat your back all the same. However, you are making money off your electric as I'm sure your customers would buy less without being able to see it. Of course you may make up for it with them giving you the wrong bills and over paying.

Plus, electric is a great value at any price! It's like salt, I would pay any amount for it and smile doing it. The electric needs the promise that they won't have competition as I doubt they would spend 50 million to run lines and polls to all the houses and then have to deal with competition! Jeff started his site off our backs so you're free to roam.

If Jeff's customer service ever reaches the point where he's got me smiling while I'm holding my ankles I'll take my hat off to him. Those are the companies that do well, the ones who keep a smile on the faces of the people paying them.

Jeff will learn I'm sure, either the hard way or the easy way it'll happen.

Neil is first on the list of those I love,
Adam Block

 

[Suncoast Herpetological]

I find myself in the unusual position of agreeing wholeheartedly with Adam and Neil. I admit that i was somewhat surprised when I read my Email from Kingsnake this afternoon. After all...a 100% rate hike IS a bit unusual. But then, I ran through my records and estimated both the number and dollar amount of my sales that came directly from Kingsnake Classifieds and came to a conclusion. It has been the best $54 I spend every year and will undoubtedly be the best $107 I spend going forward.

Let's face it folks. Jeff is NOT the only game in town but he is, most assuredly, the best when it comes to traffic and sales. Bottom line, it comes to one question. Is the service he is selling worth the price? You're Damn right it is! I guarantee that no one who sells any quantity of animals can answer that with an honest no.

I remember a few years ago when Herpauction was actually a pretty good site to sell on. None of us minded ponying up $5 per ad plus 5% when the sale price exceeded $75. Why?... Because it was worth it. We priced our animals accordingly and never gave the rate structure a second thought.

One other issue that has been prevalent lately is a general bashing of Kingsnake's customer service. I have been dealing with them for the past two years and have been forced to contact them several times to inquire about topics ranging from billing to problems with posting ads. Every single question has been broached in a civil and professional manner and every question has been answered in an extremely timely and professionally courteous manner. They go out of their way to be helpful. Courtesy and professionalism is generally answered with the same.

Every single poster I have seen on here in the past several months bitching about Jeff and his staff has been booted for direct violation of their TOS...PERIOD. Generally, those banned precipitated the action with some sort of abusive or snotty Email. If you want to exercise your right to shoot your mouth off be prepared for the consequences. You have no one to blame but yourself.

 

[Neil Gubitz]

Adam.... where did I ever say that I didn't like you???.... I just said you were an idiot and not to call me about that thread??.... MOST of my friends are COMPLETE morons!.... That's WHY I like them!.... I know EXACTLY where they're coming from!!.... lol

It's like Yogi Berra said.... "MONEY!.... It's as good as cash!".... I love that guy!.... lmao

....Neil

 

[Adam Block]

Didn't he also say "A nickel isn't worth a dime anymore"?

You know, kingsnake is like eBay, you have options but do you really? In all honesty, because of my name and how long I've been breeding I was able to sell corns for $30 that other breeders were selling for $15-$20.

If I have a rummage I can get $1 for an old pair of shoes. If I post them on eBay I'll get $11, I don't complain about their fees as I'm still ahead.

Jeff is doing some weeding out and I would too if I were him!

Adam Block

Oh yeah, Neil, come on I would have a lot more fun if we didn't like eachother. I can't not like you if you like me I mean, I would love to add another goof like myself as a friend but you don't really start enough trouble to be in my tribe!

 

[jbuncc]

a little history on me: i just got into snakes last august. checked out the popular species (colubrids, pythons, and boas) and narrowed my current interests to boas. so, slowly i sold everything but a few of my bcc and one of my bci. and, my take is...

i used faunaclassifieds exclusively for the first few animals i sold. it worked VERY well. within a short period of time, all animals were sold. i was in no rush and tried to make the ad as accomodating as possible for the potential buyers.

then, the time came to move the animals quickly, so, i purchased a classifieds account from kingsnake. i was moving most animals in a day or two and this suited me because i needed the money quickly.

in the future, if i only need to move a few animals, i'll use fauna (after my kingsnake account expires). if and when the time comes to move several animals, i'll start up an account on kingsnake.

in essence, the price hike was high enough to discourage me from renewing my account, but not high enough to completely alienate me if the right conditions are present.

and as for what everyone else is saying. quit complaining!!!! it's friggin cheap! even to someone like myself (just graduated college a week ago and i have no job and a PILE of debt). it gets results (as long as you're not a complete moron who posts a one sentence ad). and a question, and i honestly would like someone to answer this:

if the rate hike wasn't appropriate now, when would a rate hike have been appropriate? at what time could he have done this and not received any flack for it?

and what amount would have been appropriate for you snivelers? $.30? $1? 5 years from now!! pull your wallet out of your puckered up butt and quit complaining. if you need to justify it, do it on a per animal basis. say you're like me in that you sold about 8 animals this year. you spent $107 on those 8 animals for advertising. on a per animal basis, that's less than $14 per animal. and the animal is sold in less than a week!!!
now, say the average price was about $200 for those animals (which if i remember correctly, was about right for me, probably a little lower). now seriously, are you going to complain about 7% of the sale price with those kind of results?? (the results being the speed of sale). even if you take paypal, add another 3% that you miss out on and that's 10%. if you take the time to write up a nice looking ad, take some nice pictures, and don't budge on your asking price, you can absorb that $20 easily!

so to sum up and repeat myself, quit complaining. it's still the best way to move animals quickly when necessary, on almost any budget. i'll use it again when the time comes.

jb