# Got ripped off.. How embarrassing!



## greggles91 (Dec 13, 2012)

Hey every one, 

Sooo there was an add on gum tree for a female gts in Queensland that I wanted to pair my male with next season.

After talking with the guy and sussing it all out... The fact he was willing for me to pick up before he knew I was interstate, and made a reservation with AAE which i checked with em n was legit, etc.. I decided to go ahead with it. Needless to say I deposited the money into his account and no snake today and his phones off.. Spent a while at AAE thinking they prob stuffed it up like they have done for every single snake I've ever bought but they were sure there was nothing. 

Haven't heard from the guy n nothing at AAE so will try contact him and AAE tomorrow morning. If still nothing and I'm 100 percent I got scammed I will name and shame the guy and provide number he was using so no one else gets scammed by him! 

Totally sucks!! 1 I'm a Uni student n have no money so this killed me, 2 I have my research proposals due on Tuesday n now gotta deal with this crap 3 bought a 1900x1200x600 enclosure yetsterday which I was gonna partition for my two gts (what a waste now) 4 ordered 100 pink rats for them today dont slightly need that much anymore and 5 this is all gonna cost me even more cause I may or may not have broken Afew things cause of my anger that I now have to fix.

Sorry for the long post guess I just needed to get this off my chest. Not happy  

Thanks every one,


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## saintanger (Dec 13, 2012)

sorry to hear that, there are some people out there who have no morals. i really hope it was a stuff up at the airport and that you get your GTS. 

also i don't think your allowed to publicly name and shame on this site but people can PM you and ask for his name and number.

let us know how you go.

p.s if you transfered the money to his account, go to the bank and tell them your situation and they might be able to get it back as you never recieved you GTS.


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## CaptainRatbag (Dec 13, 2012)

Where in Qld is the seller? Oh, and where are you?

Call the cops and at least fill them in, if you havent heard in 24 hours, do a full on report of fraud/scamming.

There could (hopefully) be a legitimate sale and the snake is just running late.... suss that the phone is off tho :facepalm:

If the seller is near the Sunshine Coast, I would be able to look the person up for you.... PM me if you like 

If far from me, see if anyone is near where he is supposed to be.... I am sure someone will want to help you out.


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## Rattler (Dec 13, 2012)

See how you go over the next few days but it sounds like he ripped you. Have you got any email correspondence or any text messages from his number? I had a similar thing happen with rats once, thought i would run it by the police and to my surprise they passed it on to detectives as a fraud case. Anyway, there is nothing worse than being ripped off like that. But remember, they are the losers, not us. 8)


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## greggles91 (Dec 13, 2012)

saintanger said:


> sorry to hear that, there are some people out there who have no morals. i really hope it was a stuff up at the airport and that you get your GTS.
> 
> also i don't think your allowed to publicly name and shame on this site but people can PM you and ask for his name and number.
> 
> ...



Oh ok well if any one wants to know his details please PM and ill sent it though.. 

Thanks for the tip saintanger. Will get to it tomorrow. 

Cheers


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## greggles91 (Dec 13, 2012)

Rattler said:


> See how you go over the next few days but it sounds like he ripped you. Have you got any email correspondence or any text messages from his number? I had a similar thing happen with rats once, thought i would run it by the police and to my surprise they passed it on to detectives as a fraud case. Anyway, there is nothing worse than being ripped off like that. But remember, they are the losers, not us. 8)





CaptainRatbag said:


> Where in Qld is the seller? Oh, and where are you?
> ...
> If the seller is near the Sunshine Coast, I would be able to look the person up for you.... PM me if you like



Thanks for your support guys!. Sending u pm now ratbag.


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## Tablemanners (Dec 13, 2012)

CaptainRatbag said:


> Where in Qld is the seller? Oh, and where are you?
> 
> Call the cops and at least fill them in, if you havent heard in 24 hours, do a full on report of fraud/scamming.
> 
> ...



Im with ratbag! If he is on the sunny coast I'll give you a hand and go and "Politely" talk it over with him  But in all seriousness I really hope that it is a legitimate sale and just a stuff up. Can you PM his details so i don't get scammed please. 
Cheers and best of luck. Sorry to hear it.


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## CaptainRatbag (Dec 13, 2012)

The person in question is in coomera, anyone around there who might be able to offer some assistance to greggles, pm him 

Good luck with it Greg....


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## Chondrobsessed (Dec 13, 2012)

I saw that add. They looked really nice, hopefully u didn't get scammed. Fingers crossed.


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## Shaggz (Dec 13, 2012)

Certainly sounds like you did as many checks as possible considering the circumstances, I would be more peeved than embarrassed in your situation. Hopefully though it has just been some unforseen circumstances that have made him uncontactable and unable to deliver on time for transport. Really hope you get what you have paid for.


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## Justdragons (Dec 13, 2012)

If you did a bank deposit then police can tract him through the bank and if you exchanged emails then there is proof of your transaction. Surely they can catch him??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## greggles91 (Dec 13, 2012)

Oh don't worry I'm pretty peeved off also. Several things that I been angry/upset about 1 I was so excited for a female gts n was getting ready to breed next season even ordered a Guide to Australia snakes in captivity elapids and Colubrids. 

2 besides that these people have no morals they are obviously targeting people within a hobby they are also in. This is out hobby that we all love and me personally it makes me relaxed and happy from all the stress of Uni n crap. 

Now I can't even feel safe getting an animal off some one which I've done many times befor from all over Aus. 

I've never been ripped off before n I would prefer it to be on something like an electrical appliance that I don't care about rather than on our beloved reptiles


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## Chris1 (Dec 13, 2012)

maybe his phone ran out of battery adn forgot his recharger,....can only hope!!!

ive been so nervous with the last few interstate transactions,...people like that spoil the fun of new purchases!!!


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## greggles91 (Dec 13, 2012)

Chris1 said:


> maybe his phone ran out of battery adn forgot his recharger,....can only hope!!!
> 
> ive been so nervous with the last few interstate transactions,...people like that spoil the fun of new purchases!!!



I can only hope but Iva had Afew people contact me on the forum who have been ripped off recently and are in communications with police and detectives so we are just trying to figure out if it was the same guy.

Having Said that I do hope this is all a big muck up and she shows up. But at this stage Ita not looking good


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## lithopian (Dec 13, 2012)

This is such a horrible situation to be in Greg.. i hope you get your money back. Or the snake. Either one. It's really hard with bank deposits- i always try to use paypal (because you're covered and if the snake doesnt arrive you can open a dispute), but so many sellers are all "i dont accept paypal" and if you want the snake, you just pay it. Grrrrrrr


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## Umbral (Dec 13, 2012)

These days you need ID to get a sim card, I would contact the police and they may be able to trace him/her.


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## thomasssss (Dec 13, 2012)

Umbral said:


> These days you need ID to get a sim card, I would contact the police and they may be able to trace him/her.


who do you think all that info you give out goes to in the first place  either cops or the government imo phone shop wouldn't tell me

op hopefully it all works out for you , the phone being turned off is definitely suss though id be getting in contact with the police and let them know , you might get lucky and one will follow it up and find the bugger


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## thomasssss (Dec 13, 2012)

greggles91 said:


> Yep going to get in contact with the police later or tomorrow as my mate works for Optus and is getting details on the number.


now your chances of finding him are sounding better  that is if he didn't get the sim card from before the system of giving your id came about and that its not in a random name or friends , good luck


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## saintanger (Dec 13, 2012)

never bought reptiles through paypal but bought reptile products and wen they never arrived and seller would not get back to me paypal did an nvestigation and gave me my money back.


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## Ramsayi (Dec 13, 2012)

greggles91 said:


> Yep going to get in contact with the police later or tomorrow as my mate works for Optus and is getting details on the number.



Your mate may lose his job as well as being charged and end up in more trouble than the guy who ripped you off.Using his position in a telephone company to obtain info on others is a huge deal.


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## greggles91 (Dec 13, 2012)

Ramsayi said:


> Your mate may lose his job as well as being charged and end up in more trouble than the guy who ripped you off.Using his position in a telephone company to obtain info on others is a huge deal.



And stealing off others is a big deal too n I'm planning on doing everything in my power to provide information to the authorities so my self and others like the helpful people on this forum are not scammed by losers like this again.


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## Darlyn (Dec 13, 2012)

Ramsayi is correct, your mate will be breaking federal laws and will be in deep feacal matter if he is found out.

Good luck with getting your money back tho.


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## Bananapeel (Dec 13, 2012)

Mmmm still no contact from the guy? better chase someone up soon!


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## tahniandshae (Dec 13, 2012)

the guy was happy for to pick it up from him b4 who he knew you were from interstate. its early days yet. yesterday as i understand. dont be too hasty to crucify the guy, just yet. As ramsayi said, your mate will be in more doo-doo than the seller if he gets you that info. its called the privacy act. i really hope you get your Snake. keep us posted.


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## pythrulz (Dec 13, 2012)

Sorry to hear about your problems if you have no sucess contact your bank and they should be able to reverse the money you deposited unfortantly there are some dishonest people about


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## greggles91 (Dec 13, 2012)

Banks can't reverse the transaction once its gone through.. Not happy. Absolute waste of my money and time sick of people like this and it annoys me even more knowing that the authorities will most probably do nothing about it. Such crap.


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## Gonemad (Dec 13, 2012)

Wishful thinking but maybe he is waiting for an export permit before he sends the snake this is the way you find out if he's legit. 
I freaked out on my last interstate purchase but it turned out all good. Made me sick and swore heaps good luck and lots of wishes.


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## greggles91 (Dec 13, 2012)

Gonemad said:


> Wishful thinking but maybe he is waiting for an export permit before he sends the snake this is the way you find out if he's legit.
> I freaked out on my last interstate purchase but it turned out all good. Made me sick and swore heaps good luck and lots of wishes.



The last text he sent me that was that he was on his way to the airport.. N yea lots of swearing lol..


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## Gonemad (Dec 13, 2012)

My guy sent me a Booking number and when I chased it up aae said it was from back in 2003 booking number ( which was a complete lie) so I couldn't get hold of the guy for 4 hours I jumped to conclusions thinking I was out of pocket but they turned up the next day as airport with held them til next fight. 
There needs to be a reptile pick up from door to pay and freight animals so these scams don't happen.


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## mungus (Dec 13, 2012)

he might of had an accident or had a heart attack.


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## Ramsayi (Dec 13, 2012)

mungus said:


> he might of had an accident or had a heart attack.



Possible but unlikely.Unless picking up in person using Gumtree multiplies your chances of being ripped off.Using sites like this one (aps) much less chance.


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## greggles91 (Dec 13, 2012)

Gonemad said:


> My guy sent me a Booking number and when I chased it up aae said it was from back in 2003 booking number ( which was a complete lie) so I couldn't get hold of the guy for 4 hours I jumped to conclusions thinking I was out of pocket but they turned up the next day as airport with held them til next fight.
> There needs to be a reptile pick up from door to pay and freight animals so these scams don't happen.




Wanna go partners gone mad? not only door to door reptile delivery but we can be the middle men for the payment that way no one gets ripped off and we become rich..


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## Reptilez123 (Dec 13, 2012)

i hate people who steal money off hardworking people i hope you get your money back mate.


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## DaReptileBoy (Dec 13, 2012)

thats not nice they are a pretty expensive snake and they are really nice... CALL THE COPPAS ON THAT SUCKA :twisted:


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## SarahScales (Dec 13, 2012)

I hope everything works out and it's a terrible misunderstanding. If not... I hope something awful happens to them in return.


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## greggles91 (Dec 13, 2012)

Thanks for your support every one.. Good to get everything off my chest. And I definitely hope it's a misunderstanding! 

It's also important to remember that a lot of people have been ripped off by people selling reptiles and not delivering. And a lot of those people have gotten into contact with me n given me some great info in regards to who I should contact. 

So thanks to every one on the forum and be careful! (Shifty eyes)


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## Venomous1111 (Dec 13, 2012)

Rory Mcleans? :?


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## greggles91 (Dec 13, 2012)

Venomous1111 said:


> Rory Mcleans? :?



Nope not him. I can pm u name if u like.


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## jacks-pythons (Dec 13, 2012)

that sucks mate. this is the reason i dont wanna freight interstate. hope it works out.


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## Serpent_Gazeux (Dec 13, 2012)

jacks-pythons said:


> that sucks mate. this is the reason i dont wanna freight interstate *off gumtree*. hope it works out.



Fixed.


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## jacks-pythons (Dec 13, 2012)

Serpent_Gazeux said:


> Fixed.



haha yeah my bad forgot to put gumtree in


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## SarahScales (Dec 13, 2012)

Could you PM me the name as well? I do look at gumtree too, I just want to be careful!


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## CaptainRatbag (Dec 13, 2012)

Any news yet?


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## PythonLegs (Dec 13, 2012)

No colubrid breeders of any merit sell on gumtree..for future reference. Hope it all works out for you, don't give up, they're an awesome animal to own.


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## Gonemad (Dec 13, 2012)

Is it the same seller trying to sell a really tame caramel at the moment.


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## greggles91 (Dec 13, 2012)

PythonLegs said:


> No colubrid breeders of any merit sell on gumtree..for future reference. Hope it all works out for you, don't give up, they're an awesome animal to own.



I know this and I know Afew of the breeders.. This was a guy apparently selling a one off.. Would of been great girlfriend for my male.  

Will send pms of his details now


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## greggles91 (Dec 13, 2012)

CaptainRatbag said:


> Any news yet?



No news yet. Phone still off and still nothing at AAE. And nothing been actually lodged "that they can see"


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## The_Geeza (Dec 13, 2012)

Im Disgusted


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## kimma (Dec 13, 2012)

thank you for posting this as a warning to others. the support and advice on this forum is so encouraging.


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## rockethead (Dec 13, 2012)

i think if there is someone trying to scam us for snakes or other reptiles we should be able to contact APS so they can alert us members to these scams


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## Eamon (Dec 13, 2012)

this happend to me with a Southern angle headed dragon (female) and after 2 weeks of threats im reporting him to the cops tomorrow


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## greggles91 (Dec 13, 2012)

SAHD101 said:


> this happend to me with a Southern angle headed dragon (female) and after 2 weeks of threats im reporting him to the cops tomorrow



Yeah I'll be calling police, crime stoppers and fair trading soon aswell


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## dragonlover1 (Dec 13, 2012)

I think if it is a proven scam the mods should allow naming and shaming,no hiding behind rules


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## Rob (Dec 13, 2012)

dragonlover1 said:


> I think if it is a proven scam the mods should allow naming and shaming,no hiding behind rules



No, please don't. We don't make the rules, but we are entrusted to enforce them, in the *public forums*.


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## Stuart (Dec 13, 2012)

dragonlover1 said:


> I think if it is a proven scam the mods should allow naming and shaming,no hiding behind rules


There's an old saying of innocent until proven guilty. The mods cannot act on assumptions and as such work off guidelines like, "No Name and Shame" as well as others.


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## greggles91 (Dec 13, 2012)

SniperCap said:


> There's an old saying of innocent until proven guilty. The mods cannot act on assumptions and as such work off guidelines like, "No Name and Shame" as well as others.



Good to hear from u sniper cap although I'm not happy I do agree with u n mods wouldn't be able to regulate whether its a real scam or not etc.. 

P.s still haven't had a chance to grab that vibrating food dish for my bts! Can u pm me where u go urs from? 

Cheers


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## cools2036 (Dec 13, 2012)

Now wonder rep sales have declined in the past years... Stuff like this just makes buyers steer clear from purchasing online or anything that's not a face to face transaction.

Really hope things get sorted for you, and karma gets to him.

Please pm details mate

Cools


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## smileysnake (Dec 14, 2012)

That sucks Greg hope all turns out ok and one more thing I always try and use paypal where possible or in person at least your covered that way good luck mate


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## greggles91 (Dec 14, 2012)

Hey smiley, 

Yeah I asked if he had Paypal and the answer was no  ... I've purchased Afew of my other snakes from interstate through direct deposit with out problems though. 

Anyway any one figure out if we are covered for live animals through PayPal. Some one earlier I'm this thread mentioned we weren't?


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## Rob (Dec 14, 2012)

I think the title of this thread is wrong. I don't believe that you having met all requirements at your end of the transaction to the best of your ability and in good faith, is anything to be embarrassed about. Far from it, in fact.

It is a shame that situations like this occur far too often these days, but I guess that is the world we live in today. Hopefully threads like this are able to make more people aware that transactions over the internet (or even print) don't always go as desired, and to be extra vigilant when partaking in any such activities.

Still hoping this ends well for you, Greg.


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## greggles91 (Dec 14, 2012)

Yeah fair enough rob, feel free to change it  . Not as embarrassed about it now after everyone on here has been so supportive and understanding. 

Sad to here that there are so many other people who have been affected by scams.  

Btw any one know if something does arrive at AAE will they call me? I've called several times and they just say there's no evidence of anything been shipped and nothing's here. Sick of calling and being on hold for over an hour!


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## thomasssss (Dec 14, 2012)

greggles91 said:


> Btw any one know if something does arrive at AAE will they call me? I've called several times and they just say there's no evidence of anything been shipped and nothing's here. Sick of calling and being on hold for over an hour!


that really depends on the individuals working at that AAE office imo , some are crap and im sure we've all heard the bad stories but when my woma got sent up on an earlier flight than what was planned the AAE at coffs harbour called me to let me know he was there and ready to be picked up so there are good ones around still


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## SarahScales (Dec 14, 2012)

I agree with the notion of it putting a damper on interstate buying. I purchased my GTP interstate via direct deposit and that was well over the thousand dollar mark. I guess I was very lucky! Had I have seen this thread prior to purchase, I probably would not have gone through with it! It's a scary world where people are dishonest and it just makes you so mad!


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## dragonlover1 (Dec 14, 2012)

cools2036 said:


> Now wonder rep sales have declined in the past years... Stuff like this just makes buyers steer clear from purchasing online or anything that's not a face to face transaction.


it makes it difficult if you want to buy from someone interstate for instance,if you can't trust anybody how do you build up a collection without travelling hundreds of kilometres to do a face to face deal?


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## trader (Dec 14, 2012)

greggles91 said:


> Nope not him. I can pm u name if u like.



Hope it all works out for you. Do you mind pm'ing me the advertiser's name please? Being the HerpTrader I would love to know if she /he would try advertising on our site.


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## CaptainRatbag (Dec 14, 2012)

I guess you could always put it on here before you purchase something, see if anyone in the sellers area could go take a look at it for you before you send the money and organise everything? I would be happy to check anyones prospective snake buys in my area on the sunshine coast, I am sure there are people like me in most areas of aussie?


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## borntobnude (Dec 14, 2012)

Hi greg just had a word with chrissy very sad what people do these days , should of come over last night as i was having a late night up past 8


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## greggles91 (Dec 14, 2012)

borntobnude said:


> Hi greg just had a word with chrissy very sad what people do these days , should of come over last night as i was having a late night up past 8



Yeah it sucks.. No way I wanted to come but we thought if be sleeping!


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## greggles91 (Dec 14, 2012)

CaptainRatbag said:


> I guess you could always put it on here before you purchase something, see if anyone in the sellers area could go take a look at it for you before you send the money and organise everything? I would be happy to check anyones prospective snake buys in my area on the sunshine coast, I am sure there are people like me in most areas of aussie?



Maybe we should make a thread/sticky about this. I would be more than happy to check sellers in my area for people.


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## SarahScales (Dec 14, 2012)

greggles91 said:


> Maybe we should make a thread/sticky about this. I would be more than happy to check sellers in my area for people.



I agree, I'd be more than happy to help herpers from the Sydney area. I work all over the place now so I'd be happy to go check out prospective animals, package them up and take them to the airport if need be!


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## CaptainRatbag (Dec 14, 2012)

Greg, have you contacted the fuzz yet? If you still havent heard anything yet from the seller, imo, it is more than just a scam, it prolly comes under far bigger and wider reaching crimes than a simple scam.... more like fraud, receiving money by desception etc.... I think the police will be your best bet.... especially that you have bank, phone, name and address details.... it should be an easy task for them to chase up. Also, if the guy has had an accident or illness preventing him from being contactable, the police can let you know that and you can deal with his minders (family etc) All is not lost, I am sure.... call the cops.... hang in there


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## greggles91 (Dec 14, 2012)

CaptainRatbag said:


> Greg, have you contacted the fuzz yet? If you still havent heard anything yet from the seller, imo, it is more than just a scam, it prolly comes under far bigger and wider reaching crimes than a simple scam.... more like fraud, receiving money by desception etc.... I think the police will be your best bet.... especially that you have bank, phone, name and address details.... it should be an easy task for them to chase up. Also, if the guy has had an accident or illness preventing him from being contactable, the police can let you know that and you can deal with his minders (family etc) All is not lost, I am sure.... call the cops.... hang in there



Police and fair trading will be called tomorrow. I've been super busy trying to juggle work, and study and struggling ATM. But tomorrow after work and befor I start studying I shall call.


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## Gonemad (Dec 14, 2012)

Greg I agree with captionRatbag! Call the police and I would do it tonight at lest ring them as if there was a small hope that the guy still has the snake then they maybe able to step in. They work nights and more chance this guy could be home, then if he sent the snake he would have paperwork for police to chase it up.


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## CaptainRatbag (Dec 14, 2012)

greggles91 said:


> Police and fair trading will be called tomorrow. I've been super busy trying to juggle work, and study and struggling ATM. But tomorrow after work and befor I start studying I shall call.



Tomorrow is saturday? Fair trading will be closed til monday..... get onto the cops asap, I reckon


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## greggles91 (Dec 14, 2012)

CaptainRatbag said:


> Tomorrow is saturday? Fair trading will be closed til monday..... get onto the cops asap, I reckon



Oh yeah.. Ill sort it and let u guys know ASAP.


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## CaptainRatbag (Dec 14, 2012)

Has anyone from coomera pm'd you? Surely someone wouldnt mind going to see if the address is true or not for you? If I were closer, I would certainly go check it out for you.... unfortunately it is 2 hours and tolls for me to get there....

C'mon gold coasters.... pm greggles if you can take a look for him


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## greggles91 (Dec 14, 2012)

One of the members off this site had a great idea and google maps it for me.... Vacant block of land apparently. So angry!


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## ubermensch (Dec 14, 2012)

Don't give up yet mate - google maps can sometimes be very inaccurate in locations.
There are parts of victoria that are still nonexistent on google maps (even though I've visted there numerous times and I'm pretty darn sure it exists!)
Get on to the cops ASAP and let us know how it goes.


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## in2reptiles (Dec 14, 2012)

the cops are not going to do jack. I had a guy flogging crap out of my ute a few nites a week for two weeks the cops took all my details and never heard back from them. I even had camera footage of the guy taking crap out of my ute. so in the second week i waited for this bloke and i chased him shooting a nail gun at him, this person never returned and i have never seen him again.


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## Gonemad (Dec 14, 2012)

power-pro said:


> the cops are not going to do jack. I had a guy flogging crap out of my ute a few nites a week for two weeks the cops took all my details and never heard back from them. I even had camera footage of the guy taking crap out of my ute. so in the second week i waited for this bloke and i chased him shooting a nail gun at him, this person never returned and i have never seen him again.


 yes But Greg has some details eg phone number address and bank details so their job has been partly done.


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## SteveNT (Dec 14, 2012)

He's just a really big echidna corpse by the sound of it. You must have a long hose


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## RedFox (Dec 14, 2012)

power-pro said:


> the cops are not going to do jack. I had a guy flogging crap out of my ute a few nites a week for two weeks the cops took all my details and never heard back from them. I even had camera footage of the guy taking crap out of my ute. so in the second week i waited for this bloke and i chased him shooting a nail gun at him, this person never returned and i have never seen him again.



Theft is a bit different. I once had stuff stolen out of a hotel room I wad staying at with my family. The cops did nothing about it. Stolen items are hard to trace whereas a money trail isn't as hard, especially if this person has ripped off a few people.


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## Stuart (Dec 14, 2012)

Lets keep the thread on topic guys and not turn it into a slanging match against the cops.


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## Dash667 (Dec 14, 2012)

Hey Greg, Ill be down in Coomera tomorrow afternoon so PM me his name and address and Ill check it out .. Not saying I will knock on doors but I have friends in the area with herps so they might know something.


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## in2reptiles (Dec 14, 2012)

Gonemad said:


> yes But Greg has some details eg phone number address and bank details so their job has been partly done.



apparently the address is a vacant block


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## RedFox (Dec 14, 2012)

SniperCap said:


> Lets keep the thread on topic guys and not turn it into a slanging match against the cops.



I just reread my post. I didn't mean for it to sound negative towards the cops. I have the utmost respect for what they do. I definitely could not do their job. What I meant was they did nothing because their was nothing for them to do. It is very unlikely they could have recovered our stolen items. Plus it was a bunch of kids that did it, some of which did eventually get caught. 

Greggles, I can't believe some of the lowlifes out there. I hope the person who ripped you off is caught or it is a misunderstanding and you end up with a beautiful GTP.


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## Gonemad (Dec 14, 2012)

power-pro said:


> apparently the address is a vacant block



Yes the address maybe vacant block, but when I opened a bank account I needed my address details.


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## in2reptiles (Dec 14, 2012)

SteveNT said:


> He's just a really big echidna corpse by the sound of it. You must have a long hose



It was the best ever feeling I was so sick of being robbed and later seeing the footage of what happened. i have that much footage of peolpe flogging crap i think i could have a full segment of today tonite. Hopefully it works out well for greggles as i know what he is going thru its the worst feeling ever......

- - - Updated - - -



SteveNT said:


> He's just a really big echidna corpse by the sound of it. You must have a long hose



It was the best ever feeling I was so sick of being robbed and later seeing the footage of what happened. i have that much footage of peolpe flogging crap i think i could have a full segment of today tonite. Hopefully it works out well for greggles as i know what he is going thru its the worst feeling ever......


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## greggles91 (Dec 14, 2012)

RedFox said:


> Greggles, I can't believe some of the lowlifes out there. I hope the person who ripped you off is caught or it is a misunderstanding and you end up with a beautiful GTP.



I know right! Such low lives it really upsets me they are in our hobby. And it's a green tree snake/ common tree snake green phase Dendrelaphis punctulata not a green tree python.If it was a gtp I would be even more careful for what try are worth and prob wait for one to pop up in Sydney as they do from time to time.. Gts are harder to come by in my opinion cheaper though


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## greggles91 (Dec 15, 2012)

Ok soooooo... 

Crime stoppers tell you to contact scam watch, a government organization that monitors scams etc. they are only open Monday to Friday so will call them Monday and Check out there website www.scamwatch.gov.au 

Because its a fraud claim i am unable to report it to the police over the phone and have to go into a local station and fill in some forms. Will do this ASAP.

Just got off the phone to st george and they took all my details and are applying for a "recall". The gentlemen on the phone said that if it is deemed as fraud that the money will be returned into my account(not sure if that's true?) This takes upto 4-6 weeks.. 

Fingers crossed every one.


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## Gonemad (Dec 15, 2012)

I hope it all works out and you get your money back at the very least! Good luck.


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## greggles91 (Dec 15, 2012)

Accidently duplicated post sorry. 

Thanks mad. I will be sure to inform you all of what happens.


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## phatty (Dec 15, 2012)

go luck greg


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## mje772003 (Dec 15, 2012)

What I do is one for when it comes to reputable breeder and if not advise payment by PayPal as doing this gives you some protection if things go pair shaped


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## smileysnake (Dec 15, 2012)

Hey Greggles you are covered for anything through paypal its the transactions your covered for not the product you lodge a dispute if not resolved then you lodge your claim its all good. Any more news yet mate and yeah no matter how many times you do something with no problem you will generally get caught out. MURPHY'S LAW..!!!!!!!!!!!


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## greggles91 (Dec 15, 2012)

smileysnake said:


> Hey Greggles you are covered for anything through paypal its the transactions your covered for not the product you lodge a dispute if not resolved then you lodge your claim its all good. Any more news yet mate and yeah no matter how many times you do something with no problem you will generally get caught out. MURPHY'S LAW..!!!!!!!!!!!



Good to know smiley.. Definitely did ask to do PayPal but he apparently didn't have it.. Although I've used direct deposit before with no dramas.. Unfortunately we sometimes jut have to trust people.. And in this day and age that's seems to be getting harder n harder to do.


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## dragonlover1 (Dec 15, 2012)

greggles91 said:


> Good to know smiley.. Definitely did ask to do PayPal but he apparently didn't have it.. Although I've used direct deposit before with no dramas.. Unfortunately we sometimes jut have to trust people.. And in this day and age that's seems to be getting harder n harder to do.


I buy everything through paypal,never do the credit card thing or direct deposit


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## CaptainRatbag (Dec 15, 2012)

Call the cops


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## smileysnake (Dec 15, 2012)

if more people were trustworthy like me and you mate our hobby would be just that little bit better and whoever did this to you mate they will get what's coming in time Karma is nasty lol


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## greggles91 (Dec 15, 2012)

smileysnake said:


> if more people were trustworthy like me and you mate our hobby would be just that little bit better and whoever did this to you mate they will get what's coming in time Karma is a nasty bill llol



Yeah I know! Ur a good man smiley.. P.s the gts is going well n eating pinky rats no problem  except he's gonna be lonely untill I can find a female for him that's not a scam...


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## greggles91 (Dec 15, 2012)

CaptainRatbag said:


> Call the cops



I did ratbag I did!  I promise.. Haha like I said they told me I had to go into the station and fill in some forms which I definitely will


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## smileysnake (Dec 16, 2012)

thats awesome mate i have a nice female unfortunately the missus doesnt want to sell this one still only eats fish so thats not too bad.......


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## spongebob (Dec 16, 2012)

Which state are you in as I'm assuming you would have needed some import documentation? At least there would be the sellers licence details to supply to the police or for you to check with the Queensland authorities.


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## greggles91 (Dec 16, 2012)

spongebob said:


> Which state are you in as I'm assuming you would have needed some import documentation? At least there would be the sellers licence details to supply to the police or for you to check with the Queensland authorities.



Yep I got an import license and supplied his license details etc. but when u enter the other party's details it doesn't actually verify anything with a database so if he gave me a fake license the import license would still go through like nothing's wrong.

I contacted the Queensland licensing department to let them know what happened and they said they couldn't do anything over the phone and that I would have to write and email to them in order for them to check if the license was legit. No word back from them as of yet..


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## Nighthawk (Dec 16, 2012)

When we sell we prefer to use direct deposit, mainly because of the waiting period and the charges applied in Paypal, we like to get the snakes shipped off as soon as possible to the person buying. Having said that we're always completely open about everything - usually our sales are conducted via text or e-mail, with full details, even including weight and dimensions in case the buyer is iffy about freight charges so they can call AAE themselves with the info and get a quote. I'm always paranoid someone thinks I'm ripping them off even when I'm not, haha. Personally, even though I've seen the stories and heard of people getting away with it, I reckon it's way too easy to get caught to even think of pulling anything dodgy, not that I would - my conscience is way too big and naggy 
I hope everything is resolved for you Greg, it's a shame there are people out there that desperate/depraved that they would pull scams like this. It may not be surprising, but it's still just as disappointing every time I see it.


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## reptalica (Dec 16, 2012)

Only one way to describe this. Very un-Australian.


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## CaptainRatbag (Dec 16, 2012)

I wonder if the seller is a member here?


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## Harvez (Dec 17, 2012)

CaptainRatbag said:


> The person in question is in coomera, anyone around there who might be able to offer some assistance to greggles, pm him
> 
> Good luck with it Greg....



Haven't read every page of posts, but im like 10 mins from Coomera and most of the boys live up there anyway. Anything we can do to help give me a PM if it's not sorted already..


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## Justdragons (Dec 18, 2012)

Paypal fees are huge for sales.. if people request it i will sell this way but the $30.00 surcharge is passed on to the buyer as they are the one who would like piece of mind.. 


@ greggles, i sure hope you get the money or the tree snake, alternativly its good to see aps members banding together and offering help, Good on you Harvez.

Best of luck
JD,


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## sharky (Dec 18, 2012)

CaptainRatbag said:


> I wonder if the seller is a member here?



I hope not! I like knowing this site is full of honest, reliable, caring and darn good reptile keepers and not scammers like this bloke.


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## greggles91 (Dec 18, 2012)

Update 

Queensland licensing contacted me. Address is not in his name and the license number he provided does not exist.


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## Bananapeel (Dec 18, 2012)

Damn, what a tool! :evil:
Hope it turns out ok. Doesn't sound promising but there's always hope 
Best of luck!


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## Gonemad (Dec 18, 2012)

How did you go with police? Maybe you will get your money back now with this information. Good luck


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## Ramsayi (Dec 18, 2012)

greggles91 said:


> Update
> 
> Queensland licensing contacted me. Address is not in his name and the license number he provided does not exist.



If that is the case perhaps the mods wont mind if you name and shame given he doesn't exist.At least it may stop others from being ripped off in the future.


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## Rob (Dec 18, 2012)

Ramsayi said:


> If that is the case perhaps the mods wont mind if you name and shame given he doesn't exist.At least it may stop others from being ripped off in the future.



As you no doubt know it is not the mods who make the rules - We are just entrusted to enforce them. Nonetheless, I will be bringing this post up for discussion with the Moderation and Admin teams.


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## greggles91 (Dec 18, 2012)

Rob72 said:


> As you no doubt know it is not the mods who make the rules - We are just entrusted to enforce them. Nonetheless, I will be bringing this post up for discussion with the Moderation and Admin teams.



Hey every one,

We know we can't name and shame which is cool, but like I said earlier if u get in contact with me via PM ill be more than happy to share all my information I have gathered.

Don't be shy  already had to tonnes of pm's


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## Gruni (Dec 18, 2012)

Rob72 said:


> As you no doubt know it is not the mods who make the rules - We are just entrusted to enforce them. Nonetheless, I will be bringing this post up for discussion with the Moderation and Admin teams.



There is at least one other thread I am aware of that names a scam artist including two other aliases he has used in his scams... just in case that helps.


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## roobars (Dec 24, 2012)

Agreed, name and shame a situation like this is more of a public service, not a slamming of a seller with a disagreement (disagreements are always personality clashes and should be kept private) I say RELEASE THE HOUNDS!


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## Renenet (Dec 26, 2012)

I'm sorry to hear this story, Greggles. Thank you for sharing it as a cautionary tale, despite feeling a little embarrassed about it. The person who ripped you off is the one who should be feeling embarrassed. 

Given what has happened here, buyers might get some measure of protection by checking the licence number provided with authorities before handing over any cash.


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## greggles91 (Feb 10, 2013)

UPDATE..

Hey every one, 

So got a letter from the fraud department at the bank on friday and i had a bit of a laugh. It stated that since the recipient of my money did not give them permission to put it back into my account there was nothing they could do about it.... UMMMM obviously! if the the guy ripped me off and I'm reporting it as a scam obviously he not gonna give you permission to put the money back... it wasn't an accident he did it on purpose to steal my money..

anyway!! be careful every one! hope you enjoyed the expo today!


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## Stuart (Feb 10, 2013)

Bugger mate, sorry to hear


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## Darlyn (Feb 10, 2013)

haha, Hoolarious. I am having dealings with the local fraud squad at the moment. Since
we didn't get the thief to sign a waiver saying she would not steal heaps of money, we have no recourse.
It's a joke.


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## Porkbones (Feb 10, 2013)

greggles91 said:


> UPDATE..
> 
> Hey every one,
> 
> ...



god there are sum idiots around.like the crook is going to give permission to th bank to allow them to return the money he cheated you out of,


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## emmalene_bunny (Feb 10, 2013)

Sorry to hear Greggles


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## hulloosenator (Feb 10, 2013)

i hav not read all the replies mate , so if i am repeating something ....sorry.
BUT....... my daughter paid for vertical blinds once ( by bank deposit ) and didnt receive them , so we went to the bank and told them we havnt received the goods and we were refunded the money back into her account . The company had 30 days to lodge an appeal ( if the goods had been delivered ). a month later nothing had been done , so she has her money . Go to the bank ASAP . If they dont do anything about it...... withdraw all your money , close the account and go to another bank .
Oh...... please PM me as i also have mates in the area who may know him and certainly do not want to deal with him in the future


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## Skippii (Feb 10, 2013)

That was a disappointing read  Guess I've watched too many movies with fairy tale endings, was hoping for a happy ending here too! Still, hopefully the cops get off their rears and do something about this.. It's disgusting, the lengths some people will go to just to cheat others out of money. 

Thanks for sharing your experience, I've got no doubts it'll help others avoid the same situation.

Lots of hugs!

x


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## Manda1032 (Feb 11, 2013)

maybe we can start a business, opening branches across aus and be like "purchasing officers". Before we can be in the job we pass police checks etc. For a nominal fee plus expenses we, the purchasing officers in that area go and inspect the item or animal for sale and converse with the buyer who employed us. If all the checks come out green light and both parties agree the purchasing officer is the middle man, completing paperwork and ensuring the person is who they say they are. They pay for the animal/ goods with your money, put it on the transport or in the post etc. You the buyer had someone who is trusted and licensed or authorised to do the job, the seller is safe in knowing they got the money and the buyer is legit and the purchasing officer got to make a little cash, make contacts etc. I'd be willing to pay someone for peace of mind rather than loosing lots of $$


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## saintanger (Feb 11, 2013)

sorry to hear that, some banks do give the money back. this is just another example of how easy it is for criminals to get away with it.


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## dragonlover1 (Feb 11, 2013)

greggles91 said:


> Hey smiley,
> 
> Yeah I asked if he had Paypal and the answer was no  ... I've purchased Afew of my other snakes from interstate through direct deposit with out problems though.
> 
> Anyway any one figure out if we are covered for live animals through PayPal. Some one earlier I'm this thread mentioned we weren't?



you can send payments through paypal even if they don't have an account,you send it to their email but I'm not sure if that covers you with paypal insurance,maybe a bit more investigation is in order


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## greggles91 (Feb 11, 2013)

Manda1032 said:


> maybe we can start a business, opening branches across aus and be like "purchasing officers". Before we can be in the job we pass police checks etc. For a nominal fee plus expenses we, the purchasing officers in that area go and inspect the item or animal for sale and converse with the buyer who employed us. If all the checks come out green light and both parties agree the purchasing officer is the middle man, completing paperwork and ensuring the person is who they say they are. They pay for the animal/ goods with your money, put it on the transport or in the post etc. You the buyer had someone who is trusted and licensed or authorised to do the job, the seller is safe in knowing they got the money and the buyer is legit and the purchasing officer got to make a little cash, make contacts etc. I'd be willing to pay someone for peace of mind rather than loosing lots of $$



Hey manda, there are so many posts on this thread, but some where on those posts I've already suggested this.. Wanna go partners?


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