Freebies. Like em or hate em tell me why! Do you think they're good practice?

[jcmbibb311]

I’d greatly appreciate freebies! I just got into the hobby of tarantulas about a year ago and only recently started purchasing a few online here and there, so I haven’t received any freebie spiders yet. However, for me I wouldn’t mind. I have plenty of space, not to mention i’m always interested in more tarantulas to add to a growing collection

 

[FinalBlue]

Just out of curiosity, what species is it?

In the freebie givers defense it is a Tliltocatl vagans. So apparently broken because I've always heard of them being docile not monsters. And if it's not being aggressive it's squirrely. It's the anti-vagans and pretty much acts opposite of care sheets.

I say Pay it Forward if you don't want your freebie.
I think they're a great idea as long as the seller does their due diligence to not go outside the buyers experience/comfort level.

It will more than likely be traded for a T I'd rather have when all this crazy virus stuff calms down. I'd rather deal with pissy pants for a few months than get sick. I thought about just giving them away blindly to whomever but I'd rather the other person know they're a bit of a turd and I feel the person will be slightly more invested/likely to keep if they had to trade a T to get it. I'm not looking to swap for anything crazy or fancy in fact I'd trade it for a curly hair ideally.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

When a seller offers a customer the choice to accept a free tarantula and what species it is, then 'freebies' are awesome. When a seller decides to throw one in without informing the customer, 'freebies' are a terrible idea. The trend of offering a 'freebie' has become so popular that when I buy tarantulas, I have to state in an e-mail to the seller that they shouldn't include one if they are thinking about it. I think it is rude for me to make that assumption, but I can't take any risks. Especially since I typically buy expensive rare species or adults. My last purchase was for a pair of Brachypelma smithi male and female subadults which was quite expensive. I forgot to send my "don't send a freebie" e-mail and made a big mess tearing the shipping box apart to make sure I didn't miss a 'freebie' I didn't ask for. There was packing material, styrofoam, and cardboard all over my floor. There was no 'freebie' in that case, but it was very unsettling to think there may have been a small vial in the box that I wasn't expecting.

On another expensive order, the seller was offering a species I was wanting as a 'freebie' and I took advantage of it. It was great to know in advance what was coming and that I was getting it for free, but the seller decided to throw in an additional freebie I wasn't expecting. It was a nice gesture, and an awesome species, but I had to scramble to put together an additional container for it. It also made me paranoid that there could have been more vials in the box I could have missed and I made another mess tearing that box apart too.

 

[Arthroverts]

anti-vagans

This is how I am going to refer to "broken" specimens from now on...

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[Alien_Regalis]

In the freebie givers defense it is a Tliltocatl vagans. So apparently broken because I've always heard of them being docile not monsters. And if it's not being aggressive it's squirrely. It's the anti-vagans and pretty much acts opposite of care sheets.

While most T.vagans are docile, this is not always true. Just like any other tarantula, there are exceptions as they all have fairly independent personalities.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

When it's advertised what species you'll get (so you can reject it at checkout it if it's not something suitable) or it's discussed with you first it's fine, I'm not overly keen on surprises though (like receiving advanced OW species after only a few months of keeping).

 

[CommanderBacon]

I love freebies. A significant chunk of my collection were freebies. I’ve received freebies from friends who got freebies they didn’t want, add-ons to orders I wasn’t expecting, and freebies I was able to select myself. Sometimes I’ve deliberately selected enough spiders to qualify for a specific freebie.

I will never understand, however, vendors that throw in an OW species freebie with an order that is entirely NW species for customers that they haven’t interacted with before. That seems a bit nutty to me.

 

[FinalBlue]

While most T.vagans are docile, this is not always true. Just like any other tarantula, there are exceptions as they all have fairly independent personalities.

That's true there's always the exception to the rule.

 

[mantiscatamp]

gotta love free crap

 

[Jesse607]

I like freebies, but I totally understand why others do not. I can never have too many T. albopilosus (other than a whole sac) or P. murinus....I do have 19 T. vagans already though lol. If it wasn't for freebies, I probably wouldn't know how awesome Hysterocrates laticeps and N. incei are. There are plenty of freebies I cared for, for awhile and then found new homes for (every arboreal I've gotten as freebies).

 

[nicodimus22]

I'm beyond out of shelf space, and it's because of freebies that I didn't ask for.

It's a nice thing IF you can choose what you're getting so that you can plan, or if you're just starting out and have plenty of space.

I will never understand, however, vendors that throw in an OW species freebie with an order that is entirely NW species for customers that they haven’t interacted with before. That seems a bit nutty to me.

Agree. Another AB member did that to me. Got a Brachypelma (which was impacted and died 2 weeks later, despite my best efforts) and also some blue, Vietnamese species that were thrown in without asking. It put me in a frustrating position.

 

[jcmbibb311]

It's a nice thing IF you can choose what you're getting so that you can plan, or if you're just starting out and have plenty of space.

Oh yeah, I definitely agree with this. I think for people starting out in the hobby it can be nice as it helps to add to their collection (assuming they want that) and they usually have the space. However, I can see how getting unplanned freebies can be a pain for longtime keepers

 

[Royalty]

I received an LP as a freebie. Very small. It made me nervous but I have grown fond of it. I was already expecting the possibility of a Freebie so I was prepared. I think that since it is a common practice, that buyer should maybe ask about that or tell them if they do not want a freebie. I think any buyer that does a bit of research will stumble upon the info that is is a common occurrence. I think it is also a good way for a seller to relieve a bit of over stock.

I did hear that my brother's friend had received a freebie that was an old world and he was nervous about it. I do think ones that are a dramatic size difference or an OW (or a feistier NW) when the person is only known to have NWs is not really a good idea.

 

[DomGom TheFather]

How else is everyone going to figure out how great obt's are? Just joshin' but if anyone gets one and doesn't want it PLEASE give it to me. You know what? You could give me any spider that you don't want. I would happily raise up 100 curly hairs.

 

[Royalty]

How else is everyone going to figure out how great obt's are? Just joshin' but if anyone gets one and doesn't want it PLEASE give it to me. You know what? You could give me any spider that you don't want. I would happily raise up 100 curly hairs.

xD I love OBTs. There are some ads on Kijiji for people that are willing to take in any "unwanted tarantulas". I am sure you could post a similar ad for your area. If you are in the usa I think you use Craig's List?

I was thinking I should post an ad like that haha. I am not sure how successful they are. Plus I can not go for pickups right now.

 

[Tigger]

If it's an extra of something I ordered it's okay. I don't want hundreds of tarantula's so I have a very specific wishlist. And dropping an OBT on someone along with what, for all you know, is their first tarantula seems kind of irresponsible.

 

[viper69]

I love QUALITY freebies

 

[Nik2894]

Depends... while I have a few old words. I was not expecting a little angry blue T from the Philippines (orphnaecus sp blue quezon)

 

[viper69]

Depends... while I have a few old words. I was not expecting a little angry blue T from the Philippines (orphnaecus sp blue quezon)

All the species from their are unpredictable and extremely fast. I had Orphnaecus philippinus once, just one wild T for sure. Good luck!

 

[Nik2894]

All the species from their are unpredictable and extremely fast. I had Orphnaecus philippinus once, just one wild T for sure. Good luck!

yeah I try and avoid Asian species of T’s, just my preference mainly keep baboon old worlds (ceratogyrus and I have a harpactira) which in my experience of the ones I own are more shy and would rather retreat into their burrow if disturbed. If this little sling turns out female I will more than likely give her to my friend or sell her to someone who has experience with these