• 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.

Inquiry MATT OAKLEY

crosiersballs said:
no im not one of his "bros" its the fact im replying as a business reflection. I think it sucks that you had a bad experience but I didn't so thats the way it goes.
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Is there some reason you didn't answer my question? :shrug01:

DAND said:
So, did your package arrive in a duct taped banana box like many others have?
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Wow death of a person and feelin like you got screwed in a deal are two completly different things. If there not maby you need to re-think life in general. Get over it there are so many people who had a great time dealing with matt.
 
yes and I get that thats not the way to ship in a bannana box that is. I am more so defending the fact that his snakes have been good not sick no mites and so on. I also so on one of the other bashings of matt that he said that he would fix the way he ships. I just think there is alot of bashing of his personal life and his business just because a few people were mad at the way the snake was shipped. I get it I do but all transactions I have had have been GREAT. Im sorry that that guy had a bad experience but Matt has done well with me.
 
crosiersballs said:
yes and I get that thats not the way to ship in a bannana box that is. I am more so defending the fact that his snakes have been good not sick no mites and so on. I also so on one of the other bashings of matt that he said that he would fix the way he ships. I just think there is alot of bashing of his personal life and his business just because a few people were mad at the way the snake was shipped. I get it I do but all transactions I have had have been GREAT. Im sorry that that guy had a bad experience but Matt has done well with me.
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Sorry chief but it's a package deal and you can't pick and choose which part of the transaction you will support and which you opt to turn a blind eye to. Or are you claiming ignorance in knowing that shipping in the manner Matt has been doing was incorrect? Either way coming here singing him praises sounds like you share the same disregard for the animals well being as the duct taped banana box king Matt does.
 
I will not deal with Mr. Oakley again. A couple months back we purchased 2 normal females. Not only did they come in less than desirable packing, but they were under the weight he advertised them by a couple hundred grams, one had a raw nose rub, and both had scars from what looks like rodents on them. I will say I initially got a partial refund when I pointed all this out. Since then, both of these girls have cost a lot in vet bills. (About 3X as much as 2 female breeder weight girls of their size should have cost and due to the treatments and still keeping them in quarantine I will not be able breed them this year.) I just won't even talk to this guy anymore. Anyone that treats animals the way it appears he does makes my blood boil and I'm just no longer able to have a rational conversation through E-mail or any other form of communication with him. I wouldn't give him the time of day for one of his animals even if I got to visually inspect it in person first!

On a good note One of them appears to be completely turned around and other than the scars is turning into a good healthy girl.


David Amon
 
not personal delt with him but if his shipping practice is still the same i would refuse to deal..
 
the only reason he changed his shipping habits is because Robyn at SYR threatened to not ship any of his snakes if he didn't.
 
I saw a rodent order that came in from Matt (of course it was packaged in a banana box, without even the duct tape over the holes) also there were just empty rodents shoved in every corner not even in bags, this was almost a year ago now and Matt then said he would change his shipping methods; from the most recent post I have seen regarding him, I see that he has not done so. Also, the rodents were severely undersized. I am not going to get into the whole fiasco, but how he dealt with my personal situation and also friends situations that have gone bad, he has not dealt with the situations in the best ways. I personally would stay away from Matt Oakley and would not purchase anything from him just for his shipping methods alone.
 
I recently (1 month ago or so) bought a BP from Matt. The transaction was smooth, he was helpful, and the packaging was standard and well done, and the snake is healthy and exactly as advertised, nothing bad about the whole deal at all. In fact I just ordered 4 more BP's from him a couple days ago and he has been quick to reply to emails and again easy to deal with. I am actually surprised to hear about the bad deals people have had with him. As far as I have personally seen he is great.
I will however, in the interest of full disclosure, repost in a few days when I get these new snakes and report on the packaging and the state of the snakes either good or bad.

But unless there is something that drastically changes my opinion of Matt in this current deal I would have to say he is a Good Guy.
 
tpaul said:
I will however, in the interest of full disclosure, repost in a few days when I get these new snakes and report on the packaging and the state of the snakes either good or bad.
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Better yet, in the interest of full disclosure, why don't you just post a picture of the box with the shipping label.
 
tpaul said:
I recently (1 month ago or so) bought a BP from Matt. The transaction was smooth, he was helpful, and the packaging was standard and well done, and the snake is healthy and exactly as advertised, nothing bad about the whole deal at all. In fact I just ordered 4 more BP's from him a couple days ago and he has been quick to reply to emails and again easy to deal with. I am actually surprised to hear about the bad deals people have had with him. As far as I have personally seen he is great.
I will however, in the interest of full disclosure, repost in a few days when I get these new snakes and report on the packaging and the state of the snakes either good or bad.

But unless there is something that drastically changes my opinion of Matt in this current deal I would have to say he is a Good Guy.
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Hope they get to you ok ! It's not always the best to buy from a guy that is trying to dump his animals ! He selling them for a lot cheaper then everybody else but it's not worth it to save money if your getting sick animals from him ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
 
Another delivery from Matt, another GREAT deal. As you can see from the pictures below, the packing was what I would call "industry standard". The box was well sealed, vented, insulated; inside was packed snugly, snakes secure in bags, paper towel in bags for extra cushion and for any needed absorbtion (as per the SYR video); and most importantly perfect healthy snakes. What else needs to be said. GOOD GUY.

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Can only figure out how to get 4 pictures in a post so I will double post for the rest.
 
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These pictures are from the second delivery I got from Matt, the first, a month ago as I said, was just the same. I'm not denying maybe you people had a less than desirable shipment from Matt in the past but, if that was the past, it seems clear to me that now he has gotten it together in the shipping department, and combine that with his great prices and beautiful snakes and to me, he is the best thing out there. The reply that Haydenphoto made above about staying away from someone "dumping their snakes" is valid, or I should say WOULD be valid if that is what Matt was doing, but it's not. He is simply offering great prices on quality animals. We are all so jaded that we worry that any good thing must have a bad side just waiting to jump out and spoil it but I'm here to tell you that:
Sometimes a good deal...is just a good deal. And Matt Oakley's Ball Pythons are a good deal.


And just to clarify (for you REALLY jaded herpers out there) I do not know Matt in ANY WAY other than as a purchaser of his Ball Pythons, I have never met him, I've never even spoken to him on the phone. Email only. Have a great day.
 
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tpaul said:
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These pictures are from the second delivery I got from Matt, the first, a month ago as I said, was just the same. I'm not denying maybe you people had a less than desirable shipment from Matt in the past but, if that was the past, it seems clear to me that now he has gotten it together in the shipping department, and combine that with his great prices and beautiful snakes and to me, he is the best thing out there. The reply that Haydenphoto made above about staying away from someone "dumping their snakes" is valid, or I should say WOULD be valid if that is what Matt was doing, but it's not. He is simply offering great prices on quality animals. We are all so jaded that we worry that any good thing must have a bad side just waiting to jump out and spoil it but I'm here to tell you that:
Sometimes a good deal...is just a good deal. And Matt Oakley's Ball Pythons are a good deal.


And just to clarify (for you REALLY jaded herpers out there) I do not know Matt in ANY WAY other than as a purchaser of his Ball Pythons, I have never met him, I've never even spoken to him on the phone. Email only. Have a great day.
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I dont see anything that says this was shipped from matt. only that it was shipped to you.
 
xanaxez said:
I dont see anything that says this was shipped from matt. only that it was shipped to you.
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LOL...Are you serious?...You people are hillarious...why the hell would I lie to protect the reputation of a person I DON'T EVEN KNOW. Oh but wait, I'm probably lying that I don't know him as well, right? give me a break...I'm not posting any more pics, I'm not the best computer guy and it was a real pain in my butt to do it once,, you've got the tracking number...run it..I spoke my peace honestly and with first hand knowledge, tried to shed some light on this matter for you people, and if you still are going to be this way, then no amount of proof I can offer will sway your opinion because you are the kind of people who will NEVER trust a word anyone says; BUT for those of you that come to the BOI to hear people give their honest account of events, you now know a little more about Matt Oakley. Do with the information what you will.

On a personal note I just have to add (because I am really shocked by the voracity with which people in the herp world slander and go after one another) that I have bought 56 Ball Pythons this year, all from KS and here at Fauna, from 41 different people and have had ZERO bad deals. EVERYONE has been great, EVERYONE has been honest and I would do business with EVERYONE I've bought from again, including Matt.
 
tpaul said:
LOL...Are you serious?...You people are hillarious...why the hell would I lie to protect the reputation of a person I DON'T EVEN KNOW. Oh but wait, I'm probably lying that I don't know him as well, right? give me a break...I'm not posting any more pics, I'm not the best computer guy and it was a real pain in my butt to do it once,, you've got the tracking number...run it..I spoke my peace honestly and with first hand knowledge, tried to shed some light on this matter for you people, and if you still are going to be this way, then no amount of proof I can offer will sway your opinion because you are the kind of people who will NEVER trust a word anyone says; BUT for those of you that come to the BOI to hear people give their honest account of events, you now know a little more about Matt Oakley. Do with the information what you will.

On a personal note I just have to add (because I am really shocked by the voracity with which people in the herp world slander and go after one another) that I have bought 56 Ball Pythons this year, all from KS and here at Fauna, from 41 different people and have had ZERO bad deals. EVERYONE has been great, EVERYONE has been honest and I would do business with EVERYONE I've bought from again, including Matt.
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Do you want a BOZO button for buying all those snakes ? I don't give a crap how many you have bought in the past year ! Matt is somebody that i would never buy from come talk crap in a month when your collection is sick or full of mites !
 
tpaul said:
I have bought 56 Ball Pythons this year.
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Wow! 56 new ball pythons in less than a year from 41 different sellers.

I'm sure you have an impressive collection there. But it also has its dangers, no?

Because I was always under the impression that when you add a new snake to the quarantine room that every snake in that quarantine room rolls back to day one.

At the frequency you are acquiring new snakes, some of them may very well spend their entire lives in your quarantine room.
 
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