Scott,
Does it not strike you as odd, when you write, "The thing is.. the people asking for the most proof are not involved in the transaction at all!"???
If those not involved in the transaction should not be asking for proof, why is it any better for those who were not involved to chastise those asking for proof? It just seems ironic to me.
The fact of the matter is that people will either believe Matt, or they will not. If not, they will not buy those animals, regardless of the price being asked. If they do, they will feel as though they have gotten a great deal. Without proof, there is no way to know, one way or the other. Some will be satisfied, many others will not.
Neil,
If I were you (not that you care what I think in the slightest, I'm sure), I would hold a higher standard for advertisement than what you have set forth for yourself in this thread. Simply being told animals are cb is not enough to put your name on the line, in my opinion. In this case, I would have stated "The person from whom I purchased these animals (whom I have no reason to doubt!) says that these animals are cb." That would have put you in the clear, while attesting to your faith in Matt's representation of what you were offering.
We all need to take care not to misrepresent our offered animals (whether purposefully or otherwise) when we make our ads. Yes, it may very well be a simple mistake or a case of misplaced trust. However, ANYTIME . . . ANYONE gets ripped off, we ALL suffer from the addition of one more potentially satisfied herp hobbyist being added to the growing list of people who believe they can trust NONE of us!
By the way, Scott,
THAT'S why this sort of thing concerns us all, regardless of whether any one of us were involved in a deal for these animals or not. For good or bad, this community continues to rely on each individual to help shape the face we present to the world of potential customers.