legalities of selling snakes via facebook

[pretzels]

hey guys, iv been having a discussion with a few people on one of the facebook groups ( some of you might have seen it if your part of it) but someone has come on asking whether it is illegal to buy/sell snakes through the facebook reptile groups, these groups are specifically for the buying, selling and talking about reptiles.

im not sure if the laws are different in NSW then QLD ( where i am) but iv seen plenty of snakes for sale on facebook and they are located in NSW...


so yeah, is it illegal to sell snakes via social media??

[saximus]

It might have something to do with the no professional advertising rules. Some people might think going through a public medium like Facebook could be considered advertising

[pretzels]

oh ok. the woman who had a guy at a few people said thats its considered as buying commercially if they bought/sold a snake via facebook which is illegal on a normal license. (right?) but then she only mentioned that it was like that with snakes not with all reptiles...

[Red-Ink]

Social media? Is an internet forum not a social media.....

[saximus]

Yeah I don't agree with it but that was all I could think of. As long as it's technically two individuals dealing with each other privately, there should be no problem

[pretzels]

well yes...i think...this poor lady got chewed out for selling her snake on a face book group that is specifically for reptiles because she was told its illegal. my thoughts were that if it was illegal then why would there be so many successful groups that are specifically for buying and selling reptiles? why wouldnt the authorities have shut them all down and be after the ppl who have bought and sold snakes...

[GeneticProject]

Technically you could class APS as a social media, due to its forum and user Input in a way no different to Facebook. And being that APS is nationwide and sale of reptiles is a frequent occurrence on this site from all states and it is clear that the moderators and administrators adhere to regulations to their best of their abilities. So I would assume not, in saying that licensing is a necessity. If I am incorrect people please feel free to give the correct information.

Cheers Barf

[pretzels]

thanks guys!! i bought both of my snakes through private breeders on facebook and we both had the correct licensing etc, i didnt think twice about the legalities of buying an animal via facebook because iv seen a heap of big breeders do it. it has peaked my interest now however. but buggered if i can make sense of the legal crap :/

[snakelady96]

Im not sure about how to answer your question but i personally dont see it as being a problem... As long as both people (buyer & seller) are licensed it shouldn't be a problem... I have read someone saying that they are not allowed to post prices on their pics as its against facebook rules but im not 100% sure... Ring DERM if you want an exact answer

[pretzels]

haha iv been trying to get onto DERM about a licensing issue for awhile now, still waiting for them to call me back! i doubt i would get a proper answer from them if i did happen to get onto someone who knows what their talking about :S

[SissysMum]

Not sure what the premise of this post is really (you don't like social network sites? this is a social network site) however as for the NSW/Qld thing if you are buying or selling from NSW you need to get an import/export licence in addition to your regular licence they are an additional $27 and last for one month... I'm a member of several of these sites and there are no laws against advertising or buying - as long as both parties have licences etc. same as any other form of free advertising eg. gumtree.

[pretzels]

oh no! i think youve got the wrong impression sissysmum. i LOVE facebook haha. there was a member of a group im a part of who asked whether it was illegal to sell snakes on a facebook page because the admin on one of the pages chewed her out for selling her snake on ( from what i gathered)a site for selling reptiles.

i was just curious as to whether there actually was laws against selling snakes on facebook. she was selling the snake to someone in her area i believe so there wouldnt have been any cross state freights.

im a member of a bunch of groups on facebook too. very helpful!!

[Serpentaria]

There is something in one of the clauses on the NSW licence thats says you are able to sell animals on a specifically created group for reptiles. APS is an example of such a group. I don't know the exact wording of the clause though I only remember as I was going through them the other day. It more or less covers forums for social groups, not privately run websites for indoviduals.

[dickyknee]

There is something in one of the clauses on the NSW licence thats says you are able to sell animals on a specifically created group for reptiles. APS is an example of such a group. I don't know the exact wording of the clause though I only remember as I was going through them the other day. It more or less covers forums for social groups, not privately run websites for indoviduals.

"internet site related to the keeping of the animal"

So this site and many of the FB pages would fall into that category IMO.
It also states you need to have your license number and that the animal is only available for purchase by a licence holder.

[FAY]

FB has people selling snakes from almost every state. A lot of groups are set up for specific areas of the country. From what I have seen...the admin on these groups seem to make it pretty clear about unlicenced people advertising on these groups is not wanted. They can't really police that but they can stop anyone advertising exotics.