Tesla and Trimer, I don't mind that you strongly disagree with me, but having read your response I am confused as to what exactly it is you disagree with in what I said.
At no stage did I indicate that there was not good information available on the net or within APS threads. What I said was that someone with no background is unable to discern what is good and what is rubbish, hence the need for clear guidance. Today I tried a little exercise and read the first six google sites for "Bearded Dragon care". There were difference in information on diet, contradictions on substrate use, different supplement regimes, one only talked about food size, differences in recommended lighting, recommended temperatures varied, the initial enclosure varied from an aquarium to a professionally produced viv and so on. An easily repeated investigation if you have the time. This is why I stated that newbies need "firm guidance" (not "spoon feeding" as you have mentioned)
You seem to want to enforce the "If I can't find it in 2 minutes it not worth my time reading" thought process, if the first six websites don't contain the information you need then you continue to look until you find it, that or learn to use google properly with specific search queries. With the above will come a median on how things are done, for example, if a person types in to google "what to keep a hatchling snake in" and there are 3000 posts which say click clack and 1 that says too keep them in an empty cigarette packet it's obvious what the most fitting/widely used method is. If the person researching doesn't know what a click clack is, than again, it's only a simple google search away to not only find pictures but tutorials on how to make them. As stated in one of my earlier responses a little initiative and common sense never hurt anybody.
To illustrate in real life, not that long ago a newbie wanted help on looking after a hatchling woma, particularly the sort of enclosure. A number of people responded and I gave her the the web address of the Southern Cross Articles by Doc Rock and the APS thread on How to Make a Click Clack. A few days later she replied, thanking all who had helped, saying the information provided was just what she needed, in particularly the click clack thread which was a huge help. She was given clear guidance! She did the work. She reaped the benefits. I am at a loss as to how "fast tracking possession" or "spoon feeding" can be extracted from that.
This correlates with my above response. So if you sent her the link to the exact article what "work" did she do? I just googled "how to make a click clack" and the first result was an article from this forum and titled "Guide to building a click-clack (Dial-up warning), so that link not only shows what a click clack is but also how to make one step by step.
What does confuse me is that you made a sarcastic remark about breeders following up on a sale and in the very breath you say: "Don't get me wrong I am always willing to help out a buyer and even give a follow up service should the need arise, I will also answer questions online regarding the husbandry of species which don't have much in the way of information...
I don't see what is confusing about that? If someone was to buy a snake from me which they were having difficulties with I would assist them, I won't however school them on herpetology and husbandry prior to the sale and I combat this by asking buyers certain questions before I will sell to them to, If I feel the person doesn't have the ability or knowledge to keep one of my animals I won't sell to them simply and plain.
At the end of the day the general day-to-day care is the responsibility of the new owner because that's how ownership works, it's not a joint custody agreement.
Regarding the species which are hard to find information on- when was the last time you saw an in-depth guide to keep species such as Carlia or Ctenotus? These are the types of questions I don't mind answering because there just isn't much in the way of husbandry for this species.
A similar thing with my suggestion of including a book as part of the sale. You say the book should have been purchased and used ahead of time and yet draw an analogy with driving that belittles it worth. The ideal situation is that a potential purchaser gets the book to read first. If that is not possible then it is part of the transaction and it is then encumbent on the buyer to do the reading ASAP. While it may not be the ideal situation it is a realistic and desirable alternative compared to selling snakes with no information provided.
I still disagree with this whole concept completely and I feel the only good that will come from it is newbies being even more lazy than they are now regarding prior knowledge (And yes, I know not all newbies are like that). And unfortunately I can only see the problem getting worse in NSW with reptiles being traded in shops. I understand that your intentions are good but what you propose relies completely on the new buyers shoulders, if they couldn't be bothered researching before why would they bother even opening the book other than to look at pictures to choose their next victim in their collection, and thus the circle begins.
It does appear that you have a presumption that those intending to purchase a reptile should know they need to find out about their specific care ahead of purchase. On this point we clearly do differ. It is not an uncommon experience for people to purchase a pet they know nothing about and to have no hassles with... dogs, cats, budgies, canaries, goldfish, rats, mice, guinea pigs to name a few of the more common ones. Everything you need to know, and what you need to keep them, can be packaged up in the one transaction. In addition to that a lot of people think of reptiles as able to look after themselves because it is not uncommon to see them in your garden, down the park, on the golf course etc. Combine that perception with previous experience of easy to keep uncomplicated pets, and you have an unwitting potential purchaser with no idea at all that reptiles do have some very specific requirements. So if the seller doesn't tell them, how do they find out?
To be honest this seems like nothing other than justification for the people that neglect their new additions, anyone who assumes what you have described should not only never own pets but should be committed. I see hawks around my local area yet I know if I was to put one in an aviary I would need to know what it eats, how often to feed it, what perches they like, handling and general husbandry techniques because that's what anyone with half a brain cell who cared about the welfare of their new animal would do. I think your analogy is not only very naive but dangerous because it allows people to use ignorance as an excuse for their own laziness and lack of effort.
