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Questions about courtesy when buying

April Homich

April Homich

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I had a question for breeders.  If someone is looking for a specific type of animal and contacts you and you discuss prices, etc, how far along in the discussions should you be before needing to send an email saying that you are not interested at the time?  I'd like to avoid taking too much of people's time if possible.
The reason I'm asking is because I was recently looking for a good breeder female ball python, since none of mine were quite the size I wanted yet.  I emailed a few breeders, discussed prices and so on, but then decided to hold off due to a major surgery that I was having.  I didn't make any promises to buy but also didn't let them know that I decided to hold off for a while.  I feel a bit guilty for wasting their time, but should I have sent them another email explaining this?
Any input on this subject would be appreciated.
 
Well unless you have told the breeder that you definately want the snake. Most don't consider as sold then. So if your just inquiring on the live stock with questions, then you haven't stated that you want the snake to purchase even.
Note : If your not going to be buying a snake at this time, or for quite awhile, then don't bother asking the questions at this time...Most likely the snakes the questions have been asked on specifically will not be available when you are ready to purchase down the road even.
 
There may not be a simple answer to that exact question, but I'll answer it with some anecdotes and advice...

One: I have been "in the herp trade" less than a year, so I'm anything but the expert on this matter. Two: Despite the billion and one things that can give a breeder a headache it seems like perhaps the most common problem is hearing from people that they want such-and-such, but never following through.

Rich Z. was just telling me about some $2k+ deal he'd gotten involved in but that after a dozen or more emails back and forth he just had to drop it, because he felt it was going nowhere (I'm paraphrasing, of course). Why I think I can't give a good answer to your specific question, is because I suspect that every breeder you deal with might have different expectations?

Here's the advice: when you contact breeders, give them all the information you can think they might be interested in, in order from most significant to least significant. This gives them the opportunity to read past the "I want a blue and gold such and such" and hear you say that you are casually looking for a new pet, rather than intent on buying the next one you find.

For an other anecdote, a breeder I've bought from this summer is getting ready to bulk all her remaining hatchlings into one huge hodge-podge lot because she too is sick and tired of waiting endlessly for payments to arrive and such. Remember that just about any breeder you find online also has a day job too... I'd think the more up-front you are about your intentions the happier both parties will be when all is said and done.

^Curtis
 
Lori's correct in that most breeders won't "hold" an animal until you state that your sure your going to purchase. Most get a lot of lookers and you learn as a breeder not to commit any animals as sold until the customer says "ok, how do I send you money"  <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>

To keep good relations with the breeder you've been working with I would suggest letting them know as soon as you have made up your mind whether to purchase or not.
 
Yeah.. That is one of the most irritating thing is to have people say they want em and then we got babies and no payments on em. Longer they are here the more time etc we have to take out of our schedules for them. not a good thing, especially when we could have sold em to someone else and been done with housing them etc.
I especially hate oit when someone says .. Can I send you a deposit for now and pay like next week....Then 2 months later I still have the snake and no further monies paid obn em at all.. ARGGHHHH I have 7 baby bci here atm that still need to be paid for by purchasers fully even....Guess that's not too bad.. some of the breeders probably have a ton more than me that have such going on....
 
Sounds frusterating, Lori.

Maybe specify that a deposit is forfeit after 21 days, or something? It's unreasonable to expect you to hold it more than a week or two (most people get paid every 2 weeks) unless special arrangements are specifically agreed upon.

^Curtis
 
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Maybe specify that a deposit is forfeit after 21 days, or something?</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

OH beleive me ! I am currently giving thought to doing something to such affect from herein.. As I hadn't prior though.. I just gotta go with what's going on atm and deal with it is all... UGH
 
for me, an animal isn't sold until I have cash or a deposit...if someone comes to me and says "I'm really interested", then I don't hear from them for a while, they weren't that interested, now were they? If someone wants me to hold an animal without a deposit, they have 48 hours to make up their before I make that animal available again.

Now if someone puts a deposit on an animal that I have in my possesion (vs a deposit on something that hasn't hatched) I tell them they have 14 days to pay in full unless they work something else out with me....and if those 14 days pass and I don't hear from them, the deposit is forfeit. For kids that haven't hatched yet, once they're out and feeding I inform the buyers and they have 14 days to get the rest of the cash to me or there again their deposit is forfeit and the animal is available.

a lot of headaches are solved by a completely spelled out policy...if someone likes my animals but doesn't like the policy...well, I wasn't making them buy from me    <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>
 
I wholeheartedly agree that the biggest problem that most breeders face is the "Oh, I want that one!  Save it for me!" followed by the deafening silence of the broken deal.  I also agree that one need not feel obligated to contact a dealer if there has been no binding agreement or intent to purchase stated.

However, I think it would be kind of April to let the breeders she has contacted know that she will not be in a position to buy anything right now.  It will not take much of their time to read such an email, and it may very well give the breeder a good rememberance of April when she IS ready to buy later.  

Unfortunately, common courtesy is anything BUT common, and it has been my experience that being courteous to those with whom I have not yet done business is an excellant way to build trust for when I shall.  Just my thoughts on this.
 
April,

You can waste my time anytime:)

For anyone else...make up your friggin mind!!!!lol

People are very wishy washy April, personally as a breeder I would want:

                     The customer to CLEARLY COMMUNKICATE there desire early, dont want to buy it, no harm, no foul, but let it be known.And dont ask for pics if you really dont want them. Pic collectors eat up alot of time. Now April....I KNOW you wouldnt do that.....:)

Best of luck in all you do April, and dont stres about mistakes you made in the past, youll get all the grief back when YOU sell snakes to customers.lolo Take care.

                             el Fred

                                  (Aztec Reptiles)
                                   Fred Albury
 
Thanks for all the input everyone!  I guess I should've thought it through a bit more before contacting people.  The last female I got online was supposed to be 1500g and from someone who only dealt in CB animals.  Needless to say, she was 1100 and WC with broken ribs and blind in one eye.   Then I thought I needed another, but wasn't considering my financial situation and losing a couple months of work before I started contacting the other breeders.  Guess I'm a bit of am impulse buyer sometimes.  <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>
I will say that when I have made the agreement to buy, I do pay immediately by paypal, so at least I'm not guilty of the, "oh, I'll take it - just give me a couple days.." or whatever people say.

Anyway, it's good to hear the point of view of the people who actually deal with the situation. I'll think things through a bit better next time.  <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>
 
I just saw this thread and figured I ad my two cents. It would only be uncommon courtesy for you to tell a seller that you are no longer interested in a herp after you had a dialogue about a possible sale going for a while. Yes I did say uncommon courtesy because common courtesy is pretty much extinct now a days. Still it would be the courteous thing to do. I have had people email me over 50 times about buying a snake, and one person emailed me many, many times and also IM'd me dozens of times. What it came down to was me telling this person to please not waste my time any more. What did I get in reply, he posted a message on a bulletin board saying that I sold his friend a ball python that had mites. This of course was untrue, but some people out there are just - how should I say this - 'like the place where the sun does not shine - is the best I can put it on a family forum.

I always try to be courteous to mjy potential customers and I try to be courteous to sellers to whom I am looking to buy from. That way I know I will get repeat buyers, and sellers will have no problems answering my questions in the future.
 
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