• 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

Interestingly, the MKGReptiles account has been recently active.

MKGreptiles MKGreptiles is offline
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The account shows 'Mike from 50 fathoms' as a reference for where they hear about Fauna, I'm sending Mike a link to this thread in case he has any insight.
 
Socratic Monologue said:
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.
Click to expand...
Exactly. Never put your phone # out for public viewing like that, as it's very common for scammers to harvest those numbers, pretend to be the seller, and have you send payment. This is a bigger problem on Facebook but it also does happen on forums.

Fortunately payment was sent via CC/Square invoice and not something like PayPal F&F, Zelle, Venmo, etc. where you couldn't get your money back.
 
Looks like everybody covered everything on the scammer angles. Good luck, Richard.
 
Another thing- it’s also a good idea to reverse image search photos of animals they send when you’re wanting pics of exact individuals. Had someone in another group try to pass off a baby albino tegu for sale/rehome as his own, and a quick reverse image search proved it was a series of images ripped from Google...
 
Definitely not me you contacted, nor is that my area code, but thank you all for messaging me. My monitor is sold, just hopped on today to update my ad
 
The other phone number attached to email is a 206 number which Area code is state of Washington that includes the city of Seattle, Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, the islands of Mercer, Bainbridge, and Vashon, and portions of metropolitan Seattle from Des Moines to Woodway.
 
Someone obviously is posing as me? I don't have a bad reputation and know several people in the reptile community that can vouch for me. If you need to contact me directly, pm me for my personal cell# (423 area code) or email. Thank you all
 
MKGreptiles said:
Someone obviously is posing as me? I don't have a bad reputation and know several people in the reptile community that can vouch for me. If you need to contact me directly, pm me for my personal cell# (423 area code) or email. Thank you all
Click to expand...

This happens frequently. Especially when prospective customers post their phone numbers openly in threads. They get texted by imposters. There are serial scammers that work that way.
 
Post's aren't deleted and it wasn't you who made mistake. So far it seems like op made the mistake and it shows in the thread.
 
MKGreptiles said:
Is there a way I can delete the post? Or maybe an admin can? I don't want to have a bad reputation because of a mistake I made
Click to expand...
They're all getting deleted on Feb 2 anyway.
 
bcr229 said:
Never put your phone # out for public viewing like that, as it's very common for scammers to harvest those numbers, pretend to be the seller, and have you send payment. .
Click to expand...

Any chance that in the classifieds there might be a sticky thread that includes this kind of valuable advice that is non-BOI because it is not specific to a certain seller?
 
I understand Rich’s reasons for wanting out of the BOI , I don’t blame him a bit , but what a shame this service won’t be around to report shit like this.

With the BOI gone in a few days these scammers will go nuts ... and they’re plenty licking their chops and drooling for Feb 2
 
Let's not go too far off topic in this thread please.
Discussion on the impact of the loss of the BOI can be taken to this thread: http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=680507

Richard, I hope you did a charge back on your card. Please take head of the advise in this thread and do not publicly post your phone number in ads.

Mackenzie, the post cannot be removed or edited but I believe it's clear to readers that you were not involved.
 
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