Purchasing Inverts online

DratzKennedy

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 8, 2017
Messages
19
So, in the few years I have been collecting Tarantulas i have been fortunate enough to have been able to make all of my purchases, and trades locally. Wether it being at a local pet store, through craigslist, or at the few reptile shows that are put on here throughout the years. The only downside to that being, I pretty much have everything that peaks my interest that i can get locally. This leaves me with the thought of trying out ordering online. That being said i am curious of your guys experience with live shipping. Are there any online breeders that I should stay away from? What are some of the better online resources for ordering inverts? While i am at it i should also ask if any of you have anything for sale (if its allowed for me to ask, if not let me know)
 

Mojo288

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jun 18, 2017
Messages
160
Avoid backwater reptiles like the plague, horror stories abound.

I have personally purchased from palpfriction.com and net-bug.net and i was very happy with the condition of the T's.

There are a lot of other reputable breeders online, arachnoiden kenthebugguy fearnottarantulas jamiestarantulas just to name a few.

Lastly you could check the classifieds here, plenty of hobbyists that have experience shipping and often with great deals.
 

Garth Vader

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jun 25, 2016
Messages
427
There are a lot to choose from. I would add net-bug to the list above. I got one of my first Ts from them, shipped overnight with FedEx. Anastasia was so helpful throughout the process.

Be mindful that there are international breeders who post on classifieds here. They even list prices in USD and have good reviews. But it is illegal to have tarantulas imported into the US without proper documentation.


http://arachnoboards.com/threads/law-on-shipping-live-invertebrates.291310/

http://arachnoboards.com/threads/br...and-demand-and-getting-things-illegal.175511/
 

starnaito

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jul 12, 2017
Messages
96
My favorites:
Jamie's Tarantulas
Fear Not Tarantulas
Nature's Exquisite Creatures
Swift Inverts
Pinchers & Pokies
Net-Bug

I have also bought from/inquired about individual users here or on other invert boards. Just check out their reviews from other buyers first. If you look around the boards, you'll easily find out who to stay away from based on others' experiences.

Sorry, don't have anything for sale though, as my collection is still quite small. :)
 

Chris LXXIX

ArachnoGod
Joined
Dec 25, 2014
Messages
5,845
I want to spend a good word for those Backwater Reptiles fellas.

Their reputation is so much the 'ultimate ....' that even the first random European keeper know to avoid them like plague (despite the detail that we in Europe doesn't buy exactly inverts from USA, no matter).

So why I want to spend a good word for those people? Well, try. Try to remain always at the first place of the most crappy sellers: you need to push severe efforts for mantain, in the long run, such a position. Hands down, ain't so easy.

I remember still today with love an Italian eBayer: he loved to scam everyone, including lawyers etc and obviously, muahahahahah, had an amazing collection of negative 'deep red' feedbacks full of insults, sue threats, curses of all kinds, hate messages etc

I saved with a screenshot those and, like an old classic book, sometimes I love to (re)read again that epicness :)
 

Swoop

Arachnosquire
Joined
Sep 17, 2017
Messages
94
Reptile places generally have a poor reputation but often have a decent selection and prices. So, if you're buying from a reptile place, check the arachnoboards reviews first. If there's not much in the reviews about the seller, email/contact them to make sure what they're advertising is what they're selling. Also check to see if they have any sort of care info for T's on their website. If it's horrendous, don't buy. If it's decent, that's a good sign. A live arrive guarantee is also a good sign.

Some are scummy and some are honestly unaware of how to describe a T. Backwater reptiles is widely considered an example of scummy. Reptilesncritters, which is one I came across, was honestly unaware. I was considering a purchase from them and emailed asking if they had any MM B. auratum as I knew someone looking for one. They didn't know how to identify a mature male (they were basing 'adult' off size) but I explained what to look for and they were very polite and after a couple emails said sorry, we don't have one. They didn't have what I wanted and didn't know a lot about T's, but they were professional and didn't try to sell me something I didn't want. In the future I would absolutely buy from reptilesncritters (after asking any relevant questions lol) because they're as honest as they can be given their knowledge/experience and won't try to pull a fast one on you.
 

Fuzzhead

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 18, 2019
Messages
11
I just purchased my first Brachypelma hamorii from reptilesncritters. I asked several questions before ordering and they were responsive and seemed to be accurate. I will update once I receive her on packing etc.
 

Liquifin

Arachnoking
Active Member
Joined
May 30, 2017
Messages
2,110
I just purchased my first Brachypelma hamorii from reptilesncritters. I asked several questions before ordering and they were responsive and seemed to be accurate. I will update once I receive her on packing etc.
This thread is a little old. But let me give you my two cents. Reptilesncritters is a mostly poor place to buy T.'s. There prices are inflated, decent to poor health (not good health), and sometimes sends the wrong order. I never bought from them, but I know people who did. They really don't sell sell sexed females if you request it. I won't say that asking for sexed female is impossible, but rather it is slim on getting a requested female.
 

Fuzzhead

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 18, 2019
Messages
11
This thread is a little old. But let me give you my two cents. Reptilesncritters is a mostly poor place to buy T.'s. There prices are inflated, decent to poor health (not good health), and sometimes sends the wrong order. I never bought from them, but I know people who did. They really don't sell sell sexed females if you request it. I won't say that asking for sexed female is impossible, but rather it is slim on getting a requested female.
Well I guess I can just hope for the best now... sucks because the review I read were good. Anyways, what can I do to help the spider back to health if it is not in the best condition?
 

l4nsky

Aspiring Mad Genius
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Jan 3, 2019
Messages
1,074
There are a lot of good dealers listed in this thread that have amazing reviews, but I'd like to shout out a few individuals here that I've ordered from who went above and beyond in terms of communication, shipping, and quality. I ordered several Poecilotheria from @JoeRossi and @MobBurrow in the dead of winter where temps never exceeded 30 degrees F with no DOA's. Whenever I'm in the market for a new species, the posts by these two individuals in the classifieds section is my first stop along the path to securing new specimens, because I know what level of customer service and quality I can expect and I'm willing to pay a little more for that should a less reputable dealer have a cheaper offer.

Thanks,
--Matt
 

Liquifin

Arachnoking
Active Member
Joined
May 30, 2017
Messages
2,110
Well I guess I can just hope for the best now... sucks because the review I read were good. Anyways, what can I do to help the spider back to health if it is not in the best condition?
They're not reputable in terms of buying inverts. Reptilesncritters buy almost all there T.'s in wholesale, so they don't breed their own stock. What makes me more mad is that they take in any kind of wholesale as long as it's profitable to them. Meaning if a random breeder had a lot of male tarantulas of a certain species and wanted to dispose of them. He/she could just wholesale all of them to reptilesncritters. And they'll buy it and try to sell it for a more inflated price. My issue is that reptilesncritters sell animals as stock but not animals/pets. I hope your little one makes it well and is okay. I hope their business gotten better over the past experiences. If it doesn't look to well when it arrives, start a thread here on the boards for help.

For reference here is a list of sellers to avoid if you're buying tarantulas:
Backwaterreptiles
undergroundreptiles
reptilesncritters

there's more poor online shops that sells inverts, but I forgot some of them. Hope it works out. ;)
 

Fuzzhead

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 18, 2019
Messages
11
They're not reputable in terms of buying inverts. Reptilesncritters buy almost all there T.'s in wholesale, so they don't breed their own stock. What makes me more mad is that they take in any kind of wholesale as long as it's profitable to them. Meaning if a random breeder had a lot of male tarantulas of a certain species and wanted to dispose of them. He/she could just wholesale all of them to reptilesncritters. And they'll buy it and try to sell it for a more inflated price. My issue is that reptilesncritters sell animals as stock but not animals/pets. I hope your little one makes it well and is okay. I hope their business gotten better over the past experiences. If it doesn't look to well when it arrives, start a thread here on the boards for help.

For reference here is a list of sellers to avoid if you're buying tarantulas:
Backwaterreptiles
undergroundreptiles
reptilesncritters

there's more poor online shops that sells inverts, but I forgot some of them. Hope it works out. ;)

I was able to Cancel my Order! thank you!
 

Garetyl

Arachnoknight
Joined
Mar 15, 2019
Messages
203
I'd avoid ordering from small Facebook breeders. I nearly lost my first ever shipped animal (a gecko), and it was heartbreaking to watch him suffer all because I wanted him. The seller told me she'd been shipping without an issue like mine for years, only to later learn that wasn't true, and that my baby was missing a tailtip and likely a product of inbreeding.

He still doesn't jump, but I'm glad he made it.

 

Goopyguy56

Arachnoangel
Joined
Nov 16, 2017
Messages
830
Online ordering has been pleasant for me. I always buy from folks with good reviews. Jamies, fear not, net bug. I order 90 % of my t's. Online
 
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