• 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.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

Bad Guy Tim Koppenhofer Special K Reptiles

Not what i said or meant , what i said was how would he or any "vendor" know if it was in fact the same animal if it was a normal , I'm not implying anything against you but offering a possible reason why the snake would not be taken back by any one after that long of a period of time ...

Many breeders take pictures of their animals for identification purposes. While it's true that a bit of time had passed, it's possible that the breeder still had an identification photo that could have been used for comparision purposes.
 
When you were at a show, trying to claim your agreed upon credit, you picked a snake with a greater value. Not a big deal, in and of itself...except you balked at paying the difference, essentially saying you deserved more than you had initially paid. Sure, it was only $50 difference - as the "wronged party" I'm sure you think he should have just given it to you. I'm just as sure that many others would say the same thing (in all likelihood, I would be one of them)...BUT, I can understand why Tim might not have done so. I am not always willing to lop $50 off the price of a relatively inexpensive animal - it doesn't matter whether I am home or at a show. In fact, at a show, there are more costs to consider...especially with the way things have been recently. A poor sales day can easily make a show a losing venture for a seller - table, travel, and lodging costs must be overcome just to break even; and that doesn't even factor in the prep time (both at home, and at the show), spending the full day there, and break down (again, both at the show, and at home).
*This does not mean I agree with Tim's response "IF everything is as you have said here (which there was no verification of when I reviewed this thread earlier). I sold a snake without confirming the gender once, and that female turned to be a male. It was well over a year later that I found out, and I offered an immediate refund. The person opted not to take it - for the simple reason that she hadn't confirmed the sex "in a reasonable time frame", so I gave her a credit on a future purchase...with the statement that if I didn't produce something she wanted, I would give the refund anyway. Similarly, I've neglected to confirm gender on a few snakes of my own, and found out that I'd received the wrong gender a year or more later. There really is NO EXCUSE for that, so I didn't expect any compensation either.
 
When you were at a show, trying to claim your agreed upon credit, you picked a snake with a greater value. Not a big deal, in and of itself...except you balked at paying the difference, essentially saying you deserved more than you had initially paid. Sure, it was only $50 difference - as the "wronged party" I'm sure you think he should have just given it to you. I'm just as sure that many others would say the same thing (in all likelihood, I would be one of them)...BUT, I can understand why Tim might not have done so. I am not always willing to lop $50 off the price of a relatively inexpensive animal - it doesn't matter whether I am home or at a show. In fact, at a show, there are more costs to consider...especially with the way things have been recently. A poor sales day can easily make a show a losing venture for a seller - table, travel, and lodging costs must be overcome just to break even; and that doesn't even factor in the prep time (both at home, and at the show), spending the full day there, and break down (again, both at the show, and at home).
*This does not mean I agree with Tim's response "IF everything is as you have said here (which there was no verification of when I reviewed this thread earlier). I sold a snake without confirming the gender once, and that female turned to be a male. It was well over a year later that I found out, and I offered an immediate refund. The person opted not to take it - for the simple reason that she hadn't confirmed the sex "in a reasonable time frame", so I gave her a credit on a future purchase...with the statement that if I didn't produce something she wanted, I would give the refund anyway. Similarly, I've neglected to confirm gender on a few snakes of my own, and found out that I'd received the wrong gender a year or more later. There really is NO EXCUSE for that, so I didn't expect any compensation either.

Exactly it is up to the seller to sell what they are advertising , but on the other hand it is also the buyers job to make sure you get what you are paying for .

you would take the extra 10 mins to review the details before buying a car or stereo , or a HD TV to make sure it is exactly what you want ?????
why is buying a snake any different ????

if i bought a sh!tty TV whos fault would it be ????????? if i bought a lemon for a car whos fault would it be ????????????????

If i dont double check the sex of the snake at the time or shortly after purchase at the show and it turns out to be different then what it was labeled whos fault in (realistic terms ) is it???????????

MINE!!! Because i had every possible chance and opportunity to do so right then and there before the animal was paid for ..


SO YES FAULT DOES IN FACT LAY WITH THE BUYER ,AS MUCH AS IT DOES THE SELLER ....
 
I feel that there are two things that should have been done. First of all All hets should have a photo genetic guarantee with them. If you are willing to sale het animals you should be willing to take a few minutes and make up a guarantee. If you are not willing to guarantee the genetics of a het then don’t sale it as a het. Sale it as a normal. I’m sorry the whole het subject gets me fired up.

This not only protects the buyer but also the seller for times like these. If there was paperwork Tim would have been able to match the snake in question with the paperwork. I will not buy a het without a photo genetic guarantee nor will I sell one without it. Everyone makes mistakes, even the so called big breeders.

With that being said I feel that the sex of an animal is something that is guaranteed for life. Just because it wasn’t sexed at the time of purchase does not change the fact that a mistake was made on Tim’s part. If everything is accurate with the OP description of what happened then I feel this should be taken care of.

I am seeing a lot of you guys making this guy feel like he has done something wrong here which I think is pathetic. Bottom line is the fact that he didn’t sex the animal at the time of purchase didn’t make this animal change its sex from female to male .

I am also not condoning the way the OP handled himself at the show with the foul language and such but if you have never personally had an issue like this happened to you then you have no idea what it feels like. I have, and let me just say I have a small list of people in this hobby that have done me wrong and will not be too pleased when our paths cross. A few swear words across the table would be liked compared to what’s in store. I really hope Tim finds the time to come on here and give us his side of the story because I would hate to see something like this tarnish his great reputation. He really is one of the good guys in this business. Paul Wyble @ Steel City Exotics
 
I feel that there are two things that should have been done. First of all All hets should have a photo genetic guarantee with them. If you are willing to sale het animals you should be willing to take a few minutes and make up a guarantee. If you are not willing to guarantee the genetics of a het then don’t sale it as a het. Sale it as a normal. I’m sorry the whole het subject gets me fired up.

This not only protects the buyer but also the seller for times like these. If there was paperwork Tim would have been able to match the snake in question with the paperwork. I will not buy a het without a photo genetic guarantee nor will I sell one without it. Everyone makes mistakes, even the so called big breeders.

With that being said I feel that the sex of an animal is something that is guaranteed for life. Just because it wasn’t sexed at the time of purchase does not change the fact that a mistake was made on Tim’s part. If everything is accurate with the OP description of what happened then I feel this should be taken care of.

I am seeing a lot of you guys making this guy feel like he has done something wrong here which I think is pathetic. Bottom line is the fact that he didn’t sex the animal at the time of purchase didn’t make this animal change its sex from female to male .

I am also not condoning the way the OP handled himself at the show with the foul language and such but if you have never personally had an issue like this happened to you then you have no idea what it feels like. I have, and let me just say I have a small list of people in this hobby that have done me wrong and will not be too pleased when our paths cross. A few swear words across the table would be liked compared to what’s in store. I really hope Tim finds the time to come on here and give us his side of the story because I would hate to see something like this tarnish his great reputation. He really is one of the good guys in this business. Paul Wyble @ Steel City Exotics


i do agree with you for the most part , but with hets when at shows everyone is the same when it comes to selling them . if i have paperwork on hets im selling from a breeder ill include it but if i dont , then i dont .


But lets not forget 1 main important thing wether or not the sex was wrong on the snake ,
the OP SOLD the animal . and mistake or not if unless Tim would decide to let him keep the animal for the trouble , without the animal being returned no refund or credit would be given ...

you cant return anything you buy for a refund or exchange without having the item present to be returned back from where it was bought, so why would this be any different in all honesty ..
 
Viper House your saying you don’t guarantee hets that you do not have paperwork on? If that is what you are implying do everyone a favor and do not buy hets to resale. I feel when you sale a het it is now your responsibility to guarantee them. And yes he probably should have not sold the male het ghost but this deal was taking way to long. I would not have kept it either. For what he had in food into it was worth more then the snake itself. If you remember He brought it with him to a show and Tim popped it and said yes it’s a male. Tim wasn’t having a very good show so Tim could not refund him his 275.00 but instead offered a credit for a Mojave. It’s not up to the OP to fork out another 50 bucks on the Mojave. I would have just gave him the Mojave and apologized for MY mistake. Think about it.
 
Also I am pretty sure Tim will be in Hamburg this weekend so if he does not respond to this thats why. He really is a good guy and Im sure he will come on hear to clear this all up. Paul
 
Based on what the OP said, he sold the animal because Tim stated he did not what the animal when he brought it back to the show.

So, that kind of invalidates the point that you cannot return something you do not have.
 
Viper House your saying you don’t guarantee hets that you do not have paperwork on? If that is what you are implying do everyone a favor and do not buy hets to resale. I feel when you sale a het it is now your responsibility to guarantee them. And yes he probably should have not sold the male het ghost but this deal was taking way to long. I would not have kept it either. For what he had in food into it was worth more then the snake itself. If you remember He brought it with him to a show and Tim popped it and said yes it’s a male. Tim wasn’t having a very good show so Tim could not refund him his 275.00 but instead offered a credit for a Mojave. It’s not up to the OP to fork out another 50 bucks on the Mojave. I would have just gave him the Mojave and apologized for MY mistake. Think about it.

no im saying about paperwork if i have it i will give it to the buyer if i dont have the paperwork then i dont . not saying anything about not guaranteeing hets was just referring to the paperwork comment you made ..

and as for the mojave comment you made about just giving it to him then that would be your choice but not everyone thinks that way . but i would have gave it to him for the trouble as well ..
 
i do agree with you for the most part , but with hets when at shows everyone is the same when it comes to selling them . if i have paperwork on hets im selling from a breeder ill include it but if i dont , then i dont .


But lets not forget 1 main important thing wether or not the sex was wrong on the snake ,
the OP SOLD the animal . and mistake or not if unless Tim would decide to let him keep the animal for the trouble , without the animal being returned no refund or credit would be given ...

you cant return anything you buy for a refund or exchange without having the item present to be returned back from where it was bought, so why would this be any different in all honesty ..

Read the Post.

I sold the animal after he wouldn't take it back.
 
Viper house. If you do not have paperwork on the hets then how can you guarantee them? Wont you be able to say how do I know this is the same snake you sold? Thats getting a little off the current topic but I really think you should rethink your selling practices on het animals. If everything is as he the op says. then he no longer needed to keep the male het ghost. Tim already accepted his mistake. Paul
 
Viper house. If you do not have paperwork on the hets then how can you guarantee them? Wont you be able to say how do I know this is the same snake you sold? Thats getting a little off the current topic but I really think you should rethink your selling practices on het animals. If everything is as he the op says. then he no longer needed to keep the male het ghost. Tim already accepted his mistake. Paul

Now I will admit I am probably not caught up on this thread... but I'd like to address just the part in bold.

I sell het's all the time with no paperwork... and I guarantee each and every one of them. How can I do this... because I produced them and I have/had the parents in my collection. I also have photos of each and every baby I produce to reference if needed.
 
i think we are getting off topic here but thats great you take pics of all the snakes you produce. so how do you match them up with who you sold them too or do you just look through thousands of pics to match it up if you ever need to?
 
Hey Ridgetop, maybe I am a little confused. Your sites TOS states that you do in fact give a color photo signed genetic guarantee. right? by the way I like your tos page it looks like you put a lot of time into thinking about the many possibilities that can arise in this business. Great job. Paul
 
i think we are getting off topic here but thats great you take pics of all the snakes you produce. so how do you match them up with who you sold them too or do you just look through thousands of pics to match it up if you ever need to?


The animal ID number is on the invoice... so all I have to do is get my customers name and I can match animal to customer... then match ID to photo. My images are the animal ID number.
 
Hey Ridgetop, maybe I am a little confused. Your sites TOS states that you do in fact give a color photo signed genetic guarantee. right? by the way I like your tos page it looks like you put a lot of time into thinking about the many possibilities that can arise in this business. Great job. Paul

I can offer that if requested.... however it will just be something I type up as I no longer use the software that does it for me. (guess I might need to revise my TOS)

If you would have dug a little deeper.. you'd also see that I show you the parents of each baby on my site as well. Thus further guaranteeing the genetics :thumbsup:
 
I just prefer to give my customer a hard copy of the genetic guarantee. It comes signed and laminated. We all know animals change hands quite often so they can just give the paperwork to the new owner. This way I am not getting bombarded with calls and emails everytime someone decides to sale some hets they got from me. I dont know how many animals you produce per year but I produce a quite few so this works a little better for
me I guess :thumbsup:
 
Back
Top