"No time wasters please"

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It goes both ways though, there are a whole heap of ads on here and other classified sites which are vague on details which makes me wonder if it's actually the seller who causes a lot of "tire kicking" and mass question askers. Don't get me wrong I have had my share of tire kickers over the years but I think it can sometimes be a combination of both parties.

Here's an example of a professional tire kicker who called me regarding a snake rack I was selling, mind you all of the details were in the ad along with pictures,dimensions,how long I had it and my reason for selling as well as my location- This is how it went.

Him- Do you still have the snake rack that you listed for sale?
Me- Yes, it's still available.
Him- Where are you located?
Me- As stated in the Ad I'm located on the Central Coast
Him- Can you deliver to my house in Western Sydney?
Me- No, I can't deliver it.
Him- Will you meet me half way?
Me- No, pick up is from my address only
**Heres the best part**
Him- If I pick up can you chuck in for petrol :|
Me- Buddy go and censored. And hung up.

I have lost count of the amount of times I've had this exact convocation with tire kickers. Same goes for Ramsayi's story.

In regards to sellers that are vague on details, ever think that maybe these original "tire kickers" have bought a reptile that they are now over, or bred a pair thinking they could make some money, and are now trying to sell them, but can't be bothered with details, because in there eyes, a snake is a snake, every Woma is the same to them, so what's the point in any other details besides, it's a Woma?

Unfortunatly, I have met too many people like this, and as much as I wish to never deal with them again, there will be no escaping them as long as I've got something for sale.

By the way, I love your response to this guy asking for petrol money, I normally just laugh and say no.
 
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I get tyre kickers when I'm giving snakes away as well as when selling. Yes I'm giving the snake away, no I won't pay for delivery and no you can't have the enclosure as well
 
For every genuine enquiry I get at least 3 time wasters or tyre kickers, and it becomes much worse when you advertise animals cheaper then the going rate.

Here are tell tale signs you are dealing with a time waster.

1. No name left to an email or text.
2. Asking questions that were clearly already answered in the advertisement.
3. Any username ending in 13 or boy.
4. Asking if you will swap for non-reptile goods.
5. Non specific photo requests when photos have already been supplied.
6. People who start haggling on price from the get go.
 
Asking for petrol money, unbelievable. Can you ask them for their licence number before answering all their questions so that you know they can actually buy it legitimately?
 
all to often these clowns pop up.i got this one on the 27th july.


him- Hey i was looking through your page and i was wondering if you still had this snake for sale

me- yes i still have it, its quite snappy though.

him-how snappy is it.is the male one snappy like it.

me -very.the male isnt so bad

him- is it quiet enough to handle without being bitten

me-the male should become a nice quiet snake.you might cop a few nips while its young but it will grow out of it quite quickly.the female will take alot more work.

him- thats good!but the worst thing about me getting a snake is that i dont have a reptile licence yet. do you really need a licence to get a snake?

me- yes. very easy to get and only $60 for 5 years

him- when you do it on the internet, how long does it take to come in the mail.

me-they send you a number almost straight away,then post you a records book

him-OK that will be good!i'll definatly be getting it and i'm interested in that snake!!would you mind sending me some more photos.

me-better off coming around and checking it out,then i can explain everything you you need to keep a python.

him-where are you based?

me-gladstone

him-Ok ,thats good,not far away at all.whats your address so i can come around and have a look,probably tomorrow or thursday.

me- 10 ****** street. give me a call on ********** beforehand to check that i'm home

him-Ok will do,thank you.


And i have never heard from him again.All of that for a $100 coastal carpet.it gets very frustrating sometimes
cheers
simon
 
can you chuck in for petrol :|

hahaha that's hilarious!! OK so, i'm starting to get the impression the so called 'tyre kickers' are not even in the same ballpark as to what I comprehend as decent buyer behavior. The types that ask to meet you half way between sydney and central coast and chuck in for petrol, or who want to swap game consoles for snakes! gold (unless you're a seller)

And i have never heard from him again.

In fairness, I worked at a bike shop and 9/10 customers came for a browse, some even entertained the idea of seriously buying, but would invariably walk out some of whom you'd put a bit of work into sizing up and checking stock... but some of the time you'd see those same people come back after it seemed to have percolated for a while and they'd buy. Perhaps suffering some of the time wasters comes back in good will another time. But from my experience in a different field, you breeders are not the only ones who this happens to.
 
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In fairness, I worked at a bike shop and 9/10 customers came for a browse, some even entertained the idea of seriously buying, but would invariably walk out some of whom you'd put a bit of work into sizing up and checking stock... but some of the time you'd see those same people come back after it seemed to have percolated for a while and they'd buy. Perhaps suffering some of the time wasters comes back in good will another time. But from my experience in a different field, you breeders are not the only ones who this happens to.

Huge difference given you were being paid while talking to those 10 customers.
Most breeders have normal jobs as well as putting lots of time into our hobby.Time wasters are massive headaches but if I was being paid for that time I would gladly talk to them all day.
 
I dislike the ads that have "no time wasters" but then put little to no information, if you dont want them list all info that will be asked. Age, location, eating/shedding, temperament, a picture. I hate stuffing people around but if you list a stimmi and im after a local such as wheatbelt then im going to be wastinf your time and my own to ask and find out you have a fnq local
 
i dont think any breeder would mind people calling or asking questions about their snakes that are for sale. we all do that with everything we buy. its more when they commit to buy,or commit to times to meet up and then you don't hear from them
 
I am just finishing up selling fancy varieties of pet rats to people who keep and breed various rats as a hobby (not driven by a need to feed reptiles), for the same reason. It drives me mad when I get people emailing about particular rats that I put up pictures of, wanting more pictures from every angle and wanting to know what the great grandma had for breakfast 107 days ago, want me to map the whole genome LOL, and then they make a time to meet up but have to reschedule 5 times, and then they may or may not follow through with it. Of course it is in your favour to always remain polite and have good "customer service", but there just aren't enough hours in the day!

Hopefully I will breed my first clutch of python eggs this year, and some skinks, *fingers crossed*, and this has me thinking about what my selling technique would be, and what other people do. Something interesting that comes to mind is that some people have said (partially here, and in other threads), that they will only buy from a breeder if they can go and see all the options, have a hold and see the parents etc before deciding if they want to purchase. Due to security and hygiene concerns, I would not like random people coming to my house, or touching/holding a reptile that they were not definitely buying and taking with them. I don't even let my friends who keep reptiles, come to my house unless they have showered and changed their clothes LOL, and even then no one touches my reptiles or enclosures apart from me. ...Call me paranoid :p

What are other people's techniques for arranging a sale?
 
Over time i realised why bigguy ( Bob Whithey) had the ring the day your coming for the address and i dont hold animals policy.
 
'No time wasters', unfortunately, can be taken a variety of different ways.
Some people will become self concious of it, as in, if I go to his/her house, but don't like any of the reptiles for sale, i'm then a time waster. For this reason, I don't bother putting it on anything I am selling. Putting this on an ad generally won't stop genuine tyre kickers.

Non-reptile related; when I was selling my roadbike (all details, modifications, etc listed on the ad), I had a guy come over, seemingly genuinely interested, took it for a ride, asked a million and one questions, then said he would get back to me.
2 weeks later I contacted him, and he admitted that he never had the money, just wanted to take it for a ride to see what he should be saving for.
Half a day wasted for nothing. That, is a genuine time waster.
 
I hate seeing "no time wasters" on an advertisement. I can understand where people are coming from with the stories above but as Dave stated it probably won't stop the genuine tyre kickers.

To me it shows a negative attitude straight away and I steer away from these adverts if I can help it. I honestly think that the people above are probably more than likely the younger generation. Not saying they are all like this but there is a large portion in this age bracket that want you to deliver or pay for fuel, they don't seem to be able to wait until they have the money and are in the right situation to get what they want.

I will research what I want , save for what I want with a bit extra for just in case and then find my own way to get there to get it and be able to get it home.
 
I have used the "No Time Wasters" in ads, not for snakes though. I have kept and bred tropical fish for going on 20 years. I've adopted the no time wasters clause in ads and feel it reduced (not completely gotten rid off) time wasters.

To define time wasters IMO its not those whom don't like what you have once they see it, but steal your time haggling past an unreasonable price point or asking for the unreasonable (as previous posts... chuck in for petrol, its free but can you deliver, not showing up to an appointment and at least calling to let you know).

I've gotten out of breeding and will not breed snakes as I don't want to be soured the same way I was with fish.

Ps. My personal favourite is when you spend more on calls, SMS and sending picture messages on the phone than the item you are selling is worth.
 
The benefits of a Website or FB, pics of the parents, pics of the hatchies if thats not enough thats ok as all my hatchies that are for sale have "readily" eaten 6-8 by themselves and if all that is not enough l am happy for you to go somewhere else,end of story. solar 17
 
I have had a few people to ask if they can come to my house, i say no to everyone, its nothing personal. I would rather lose a sale than had a bunch of people know my address. Hatchies change alot from hatching stage to adult stage too, so theres really not that much value in seeing them in the flesh.

Ive been to 1 house in my years of buying reptiles, and the moving van was already half packed,..im in no way offended by people not offering me their address, i actually prefer it that was so i will never be a suspect if someone gets robbed.

I dont have a problem with a few pics/emails/texts back and forth, or i'll get back to you when i get paid and people dont, if they've lost interest that quickly then the critter would be better off in a different home anyway. But if i had already packed up the critter and gone to meet a no show, i would be really really cranky,....
 
In Queensland you need to put both addresses on the movement advice which I disagree with for that reason Chris. I can understand license numbers and address of the person receiving the reptile but believe that should be done by the purchaser after the sale.
 
I don't write my address. I just write something like "As per DEHP records". Have heard way too many horror stories for my liking, of people coming home to their reptile shed etc open, and everything gone. Even one story of a girl coming home to find robbers in her house with her reptiles, and they hurt her. Being a young female who is often arriving home to an empty house, I am not going to share my address with any reptile loving randoms who can search all my post history and get an idea of my collection. I have heard of a lot of people doing what I do, and have never heard of anyone having troubles with the department over it.
 
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