• Posted 12/19/2024.
    =====================

    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

Bad Guy MKGReptiles

R

Reptilesrule2

New member
Joined
Jan 21, 2020
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Bremen Ohio
MKGReptiles Is a scam artist I paid for two lizards at $1300 he never shipped them I never received them he will not answer calls or text messages he just took my money and ran.
 
Do you have any more info? Screen shot or link to ad? How did you pay?
 
Richard do you have emails, pictures etc to give readers a better idea of what transpired? How did you pay?
 
I paid by card he sent me a email invoice. It’s was for 2 black throat Monitors that he said he had and he send pictures in a text and we made a deal and after I paid he would ship and than he said he didn’t have time to ship out on that Thursday so he said he would ship on Friday. I kept texting asking if he shipped and if I can get tracking number and he said he would sent me the information and he never did so I kept trying get ahold of him but he will not text back or answer phone calls But here is a picture where I paid you can see he’s phone number on it
 

Attachments

  • B8FCBC7A-CD1B-462C-935C-B78BBB3D4258.jpg
    B8FCBC7A-CD1B-462C-935C-B78BBB3D4258.jpg
    79.4 KB · Views: 382
  • 96379F44-521D-41D3-A5A4-40D526D36C08.jpg
    96379F44-521D-41D3-A5A4-40D526D36C08.jpg
    85.1 KB · Views: 372
  • CEF34EB8-6E82-4506-A30B-950A77D6C591.jpg
    CEF34EB8-6E82-4506-A30B-950A77D6C591.jpg
    106.5 KB · Views: 381
Here is he’s ad that I found him and when I started talking to him he told me about other reptiles he had
 
You paid two days ago so I'd give it a little more time. Also animals should never be shipped on Friday because FedEx doesn't deliver on Saturday or Sunday and for their safety the animals have to be shipped overnight.
 
I got what your saying. But he told me he was shipping and they will on delivery Saturday I have got stuff on Saturday before. But anyway he won’t talk to me about it or answer he’s phone or text back
 
FedEx will deliver on Saturday (it costs more). I have used that extra service a few times, but multiple factors (especially weather and recipient schedule) have to come together for me to make that kind of decision. Definitely not a standard choice and if things are not lined up especially well, I would not use it.

Richard, it is possible that his phone went out of commission (can be as simple as a dropped phone), so see if this upcoming week does not bring some news. He could also be temporarily incapacitated (it has happened a time or two for other people who seemed to drop off the face of the planet). You mentioned trying to text and call. Have you tried emailing him? If he uses a computer in addition to a phone, that might help. If you cannot make contact and things are still unresolved by the middle of next week, I would contact the card company to get that ball rolling.
 
Thanks for posting all that info, Rick. I have just a couple questions, though. What is the phone number you used to contact Mackenzie? How about his email address? If all is in order, then I would agree your scammer post may be premature.

I would ask, however, what is this (circled in red) info on your receipt?
If relevant to the seller, then many red flags. If not then I'm just a nutcase, lol
 

Attachments

  • MKGrepriles.png
    MKGrepriles.png
    225 KB · Views: 317
PS, I know what Square is ... I'm inquiring about the weird physical address, email and phone number, just to be clear.
 
I can't find a Red Roe Drive in Alexandria. Nor would I refer to my country of residence twice in my address unless I lived in, say, Nigeria.

Richard, it is possible (probable?) that a scammer texted you pretending to be the seller. Had you contacted the seller by any sort of secure, verified means such as private message?
 
That phone number is the the number he texted and call from. He told me he was in Tennessee. He was telling me about all the reptiles he was selling and sent me pictures of some of them. I don’t know. I know to be more careful next time. I reported it to my back so I will get my money back. But just sucks that there’s people out there doing that kind of stuff
 
Under monitors he has a ad that he is selling a white throat Monitor from Tennessee that’s how I got in contact with him
 
Reptilesrule2 said:
Under monitors he has a ad that he is selling a white throat Monitor from Tennessee that’s how I got in contact with him
Click to expand...

Richard, in that thread you listed your phone number for anyone to text. I'm trying to confirm that you were actually in contact with MKGreptiles, rather than someone posing as such.
 
If 503-455-4278 is the phone number that the seller used, it is likely bogus. 503 area code is Oregon, not Tennessee. And that email address, "belgian074@gmail,com" brings up nothing in a search except a now cached Fauna post from 1-3-2020.

I couldn't get a screen shot of the cached post, but here is the text I was able to copy:

This is Google's cache of http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2183906, as it appeared on Jan 3, 2020 23:15:57 GMT

"Cullindag
! ISO - Caramel Pink Albino sub adults
I am looking for caramel pink albinos 4”+ both sexes email pics and price to [email protected] thank you

Old 01-03-2020, 05:28 PM

Cullindag
Rita Belcher is a scammer they are using the phone number (206)4625956 and email [email protected] Beware"

Evidently, this Fauna "Cullindag" user was looking for particular turtles and this "Rita Belcher" person must have emailed him/her trying to sell, hence the follow-up scammer post with the same email as MKGreptiles. Note this was not an old post, but was cached nonetheless. I found it when searching the email address,"belgian074@gmail".

Just sayin'
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top