Deals that seem too good to be true

[ThorsCarapace22]

Oh that's a very nice deal! T stirmi slings fetch up to 110$ here!

Shooweeee! That's expensive. How much is a sexed female?

 

[Manray]

Is it the shop in Berkeley? They have been around for decades and are awesome!!

Ahh, I see Everyone starts somewhere!

No it’s in Livermore! But I definitely need to go to that shop. What’s it called?

 

[Ratmosphere]

$10-$15 for some Avics at the expo every time I go...

 

[ThorsCarapace22]

It’s always a real shame. I hate going to petsmart and seeing the avics there in a small terrestrial enclosure with 1 inch of substrate, a sponge in the dish, and no hide or fake plants at all. (

Yeah my buddy bought one and it was in a really tiny critter keeper. And the avic was a good 4 inches. I guess they don't really care because they get them and sell them so fast. I'm not sure.

 

[MainMann]

Right?! How could I not buy a gorgeous little Avic at that price. Is 3$ a lot more there? Here it wouldn’t even buy me a cup of coffee, so I would easily throw it at an A. juruensis, haha. Probably I misunderstand the currency difference.

3$ can get me a very very sizeable meal at a waroeng (a type of food house) here

Shooweeee! That's expensive. How much is a sexed female?

My guy is selling a sub-adult confirmed female for 320$ not a price to scoff at that's for sure!

Yeah my buddy bought one and it was in a really tiny critter keeper. And the avic was a good 4 inches. I guess they don't really care because they get them and sell them so fast. I'm not sure.

And that's why people say buying Ts from places like that is a gray area. On one side, we're helping a T that's in need, but at the same time we're supporting their business that neglects and puts these animals in terrible conditions

 

[ThorsCarapace22]

And that's why people say buying Ts from places like that is a gray area. On one side, we're helping a T that's in need, but at the same time we're supporting their business that neglects and puts these animals in terrible conditions

Yeah that's true. So it kinda leaves you in a crappy situation.

 

[krbshappy71]

Do rescues count? My first two T's were free, but maybe they weren't really free since they are what got me hooked on Ts....$$$$$ and years later...ha! I looked into becoming a not-for-profit rescue for animals but it seems a bit over my head so I just try and be there if someone needs me. I've also gotten a freebie T from an expo vendor when I've purchased another T, I was sooooo excited! Haven't started ordering Ts online yet.

 

[MainMann]

Do rescues count? My first two T's were free, but maybe they weren't really free since they are what got me hooked on Ts....$$$$$ and years later...ha! I looked into becoming a not-for-profit rescue for animals but it seems a bit over my head so I just try and be there if someone needs me. I've also gotten a freebie T from an expo vendor when I've purchased another T, I was sooooo excited! Haven't started ordering Ts online yet.

People over here aren't exactly too keen on giving any freebies but it's great to hear that your first Ts were rescues!!

 

[Moebius]

People over here aren't exactly too keen on giving any freebies but it's great to hear that your first Ts were rescues!!

I snagged a mature female H. chilensis some years back for around $70 CAD. Given what their costs are lately... too good to be true in retrospect, but nonetheless it was. Guy was moving, and was able to see the enclosures etc. beforehand so I wasn't rope-a-doped by someone irresponsible, snagged a couple more Ts from him but didn't have the funds for everything, got what I could and missed out on some real beauties, though their age was circumspect (still worthwhile overall).

Some local herp groups have members that are full-on mental (online) cases who go outright batshit if you even hint at wanting anything for free (even if you don't and didn't and aren't keen on being a rescue dumping ground for irresponsible folks or encouraging that, but want your name out there at the top of the list if people are downsizing for breeding projects etc. to have at least a chance to snag certain Ts before they disappear if the price is reasonable) that'll verbally jump you if they so much as think you want "freebies", because that = someone utterly incapable of caring for the animal financially or some such by default, regardless of the reality.

AKA the "I bash others online in knee-jerk hyperbolic ways to feel better about myself" type of board-user lol. That's as someone known to be as a T breeder and big hobbyists with some referrals, I'd hate to be a newbie hunting for a deal in those circumstances... ouch, they'd be drawn and quartered.

To be fair, I get where it stems from, parents wanting cheap disposable pets for their little nightmares they expect to just kill it in a short while and what not. Then again, nothing new, plenty of folks like that on any message board that's animal related; PETA-level degenerate thinking patterns are unfortunately not as rare as one would wish and there are cheapskate animal hoarding types on various sites snagging anything and everything regardless of capability for care now and then. Wish it wasn't the case, but oof, the word freebie is a pitchfork and torch term for some people it seems.

 

[krbshappy71]

I snagged a mature female H. chilensis some years back for around $70 CAD. Given what their costs are lately... too good to be true in retrospect, but nonetheless it was. Guy was moving, and was able to see the enclosures etc. beforehand so I wasn't rope-a-doped by someone irresponsible, snagged a couple more Ts from him but didn't have the funds for everything, got what I could and missed out on some real beauties, though their age was circumspect (still worthwhile overall).

Some local herp groups have members that are full-on mental (online) cases who go outright batshit if you even hint at wanting anything for free (even if you don't and didn't and aren't keen on being a rescue dumping ground for irresponsible folks or encouraging that, but want your name out there at the top of the list if people are downsizing for breeding projects etc. to have at least a chance to snag certain Ts before they disappear if the price is reasonable) that'll verbally jump you if they so much as think you want "freebies", because that = someone utterly incapable of caring for the animal financially or some such by default, regardless of the reality.

AKA the "I bash others online in knee-jerk hyperbolic ways to feel better about myself" type of board-user lol. That's as someone known to be as a T breeder and big hobbyists with some referrals, I'd hate to be a newbie hunting for a deal in those circumstances... ouch, they'd be drawn and quartered.

To be fair, I get where it stems from, parents wanting cheap disposable pets for their little nightmares they expect to just kill it in a short while and what not. Then again, nothing new, plenty of folks like that on any message board that's animal related; PETA-level degenerate thinking patterns are unfortunately not as rare as one would wish and there are cheapskate animal hoarding types on various sites snagging anything and everything regardless of capability for care now and then. Wish it wasn't the case, but oof, the word freebie is a pitchfork and torch term for some people it seems.

Ahh, I didn’t know that, thank you for letting me know those feelings are out there in the community. My only intentions are to buy the ones I want and be a safe home for others as needed. The thread said good deals and to me the rescues were just that. Cheers!

 

[cold blood]

oh i see! i guess it's also in a gray area here in Indonesia. big sellers here can ship anywhere in Indonesia, and technically it isn't illegal to ship animals here, but all shipping agents here have fees for live animal shipping that are insanely expensive! So sellers just "brown box" it here also.

You misunderstood....the term brown boxing has nothing to do with using a brown box or avoiding higher shipping fees....brown boxes are used for legal sales every day....brown boxing is a "nice" term for smuggling. Its bringing something into the country that requires permits and declaration at a port of entry, without getting a permit or declaring the box. Its a pretty serious crime that is made to seem less so by calling it brown boxing.

They had a Thailand Black for 45 us dollars!

That's actually expensive...slings would be $10 and adult females usually $30, sometimes less. As teal said, these ts (usually minax or von worthi) are brought in by the veritable truckload...people actually have trouble selling them.

snagged a mature female H. chilensis some years back for around $70 CAD

Yeah, what a shame its become...just 4 or 5 years ago that price (or less) was the going rate for them...I recall seeing adult females at big dealers for $60 and I saw slings in the classifieds for $6-10 (wholesale prices were like a buck a piece)....they were actually tough sells not too long ago....now they are like "the" trendy species along with (the also over priced} pulcra.

Now I am kicking myself for not buying 100 slings back then...I would have a new bass boat today.

 

[NukaMedia Exotics]

Definitely a cool deal, I see OBT females 3-5" sell for $30-40 quite a bit probably because they're WILD. lmao

 

[Moebius]

Ahh, I didn’t know that, thank you for letting me know those feelings are out there in the community. My only intentions are to buy the ones I want and be a safe home for others as needed. The thread said good deals and to me the rescues were just that. Cheers!

Never seen it as an issue here (in so far as I've looked)... you just get odd, small boards and groups online Facebook or forum that have some really... well, lets just say odd, but nonetheless heavily entrenched mindsets. Makes for minefields at times in a somewhat silly way. Say the wrong word like "free" and BOOM, there goes an internet dog-poop landmine lol.

I wouldn't normally usually balk at a free tarantula, but I have to keep in mind space constraints with a large collection already and health concerns; hence not wanting to turn into a rescue dumping ground for irresponsible folks who can't be arsed to care for a sick animal (blame the prior pet industry experience for that exponentially). As the saying goes, don't look a gift horse in the mouth (which I've done in the past much more and came to regret). My experience was rarely someone who meant well offloading a free animal; it was generally folks dodging vet bills and literally too lazy to give some TLC (or even proper husbandry) to an animal suffering for it, or hell, just refusing to do any research or even follow advice given at purchase. The moment it was ill, someone else's problem. I've had to temper my rescue urges with that quite a lot. It was heavily depressing. There were exceptions, but they were just that.

Most I have dealt with these days T wise, would simply toss in an extra T if you were buying one or more of their others because they had limited time to find homes, which is a nice treat. Outright "free to a good home" without some big problems going on... very rare sadly, mostly disgruntled parents funnily enough. Giving money to someone keeping an animal in horrid conditions on top of it... ugh (they often get more and do the same thing all over again in a cycle). To big chain stores doing it, triple ugh (same issue, they got money, they do it again). You'd think free would = less issue... vs a cheap deal that wasn't so hot, but even without money involved I've seen folks get overloaded and go overboard with rescues, or people that would just get another of the animal until it was sick and dying, then that one in an ad just like the other.

Not a chastisement of others recusing within reason obviously (and not to derail the thread any further, even if related to the not-so-fun side of too good to be true purchases and deals), just that it helps to know how readily folks will prey on heart-string-tugging in patterns of animal abuse, even if it means offloading a pet at no cost once they hit critical mass. I prefer actual rescue organizations and folks better set up for that getting in contact if it was say, invert related than looking actively for the critters needing help these days: I'll find it, fast and in depressing numbers without much looking even with Ts.

If I had more space and finances to consistently work with it'd be a non-issue to recoup more animals (luckily T's aren't too bad for that or the bulk of inverts, hoorah!). Snagging a bunch more T's of dubious health and prior care though consistently, unless there's extenuating circumstances and better knowledge of what's going on with their care, I'm much more hesitant these days especially if it poses any risks to the existing collection without a dedicated isolation room.

I'm oddly more keen on purchasing something than being given something free unless it's from someone I know and trust to be on the up and up. Kind of a strange turn of events for those used to unreasonably high prices or the like or a keen eye for deals, you'd figure it would be the opposite.

More related to the good deal in of itself; OBT slings are often a few bucks over here with their double clutch trends, sometimes more but places like TarCan often have mix and matches that end up putting them really low priced. For a female at a low price like that, I'd be pretty happy, common locality or not.

When prices are that low for a confirmed female I'm much more inclined to say "fudge it", get another shelving unit if I had the dough and space (assuming I'm lacking any at the time), snag that T and get more space rolling in general.

You misunderstood....the term brown boxing has nothing to do with using a brown box or avoiding higher shipping fees....brown boxes are used for legal sales every day....brown boxing is a "nice" term for smuggling. Its bringing something into the country that requires permits and declaration at a port of entry, without getting a permit or declaring the box. Its a pretty serious crime that is made to seem less so by calling it brown boxing.


That's actually expensive...slings would be $10 and adult females usually $30, sometimes less. As teal said, these ts (usually minax or von worthi) are brought in by the veritable truckload...people actually have trouble selling them.


Yeah, what a shame its become...just 4 or 5 years ago that price (or less) was the going rate for them...I recall seeing adult females at big dealers for $60 and I saw slings in the classifieds for $6-10 (wholesale prices were like a buck a piece)....they were actually tough sells not too long ago....now they are like "the" trendy species along with (the also over priced} pulcra.

Now I am kicking myself for not buying 100 slings back then...I would have a new bass boat today.

In the same boat. Hell, I'm kicking myself for not spending a hefty mid range price a sling just to have the chance for a male a couple years back, big time, because finding a males in Canada is rough (though VanessaS had some great luck!).

I actually passed up a G. pulchra female (she was pricey, but this was before that sudden beefy extra price increase) because I wasn't dead certain it wasn't G. quirogai and didn't want the headache of finding out it wasn't what I was interested in or capable of propagating. Trying to find a "G. pulchra" mature female now for anything remotely reasonable... ouch, good luck though slings went down a little bit. I basically ducked out of G. pulchra entirely outside of the singular suspect male I have entirely because I had enough of the price leap and murkiness going on.