• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Freebies in a package?

ghosthousecorns

ghosthousecorns

Well-known member
This discussion came up on another forum and I wanted to get more opinions so I figured I'd start this thread, this may possibly be a bit controversial...
I have seen a few people lately post pictures of free 'surprise' snakes they received unexpectedly in an order. I know this is meant as a generous gesture by the seller and for the most part is usually very much appreciated by the recipient.
Because I have limited rack space, I am not sure I would be 100 percent thrilled if I ordered one snake and got 2, especially if the second one is somebody's extra male with hets or a snake that started out with slight kinks or problem feeder. To me this just seems like the seller is taking the opportunity to 'unload' harder to sell animals on an unsuspecting buyer. It means the buyer will now have to feed, house, and possibly rehome a snake they didn't really expect or plan for.
I have included free snakes in one shipment but I checked with the person first to make sure they wanted the snakes (it was 2 anery mots that were siblings to the ghost stripe they purchased) I know it seems like looking a gift horse in the mouth here but how does everybody else feel? Is it OK to send more snakes than ordered without asking the recipient if they want them? To me it would maybe be OK if the 'extra' snake was the same morph and sex as the one purchased so the buyer has a 'backup' and if the buyer knows it is coming rather than discovering an extra deli and snake in the box...
So am I just a big ingrate? Thoughts, opinions anyone?
 
I have very limited space and each new addition is thoughtfully planned out. An unplanned snake would take the place of a future snake that I really wanted. If the extra snake was a perfect mate to the purchased snake, that might be a different story, or if it was an extra female to make a cool trio- but that wouldn't really happen, so...
 
shed'n my skin said:
I have included free snakes in one shipment but I checked with the person first to make sure they wanted the snakes...
Click to expand...
I've done this too. I pretty much agree with everything you've posted here. There have been a couple of times when I wanted to send someone a free snake as a surprise, but I checked with them first. I have also been on the receiving end of surprise bonuses where I was forewarned. I'm not a big fan of unannounced surprises of any type, so it's a tricky thing.
 
The extra snake is usually not a morph female that the seller could get good money for... It wouldn't really be good business to do it that way!
My new purchases at the show this month meant having to do a snake shuffle and take some 'maybe keepers' to the pet store to make room. These were kinda planned purchases... I did have room for them but it would have meant plugging in a 40 shoebox rack in order to keep 3 snakes warm. My energy bill is too high for that. And though I don't want to seem ungrateful if somebody makes a generous gesture, I want everything I am spending time and money to raise to be a good fit for my collection...
 
I've not ordered any snakes that had to be delivered. Last year I would probably have been:dancer:. Now I am getting more limited for space, realizing the downfalls and limitations of some of my snakes. I would want to know before someone just sent me extras. On the other and I'm sure they'ld be cute cuddly, but still no.
 
I'd be pretty horrified. If you have an industrial-type setup with "spare" snakes moving in and out all the time, then I guess one more or less won't make much difference. But in a domestic setting with limited space for tanks and some carefully juggled finances, an unplanned snake - even a freebie - would be a nightmare and a case for rehoming/selling on.

It's just dumping a problem really, especially if it has the suggested problems like kinking, non-eater etc.

Different story if the seller rings up in advance, explains the situation and asks if it's OK. But at that point I still wouldn't look on it as generous of them; it'd be me doing them a favour.

That's just my setup though - I'm maxed out for Cornspace just now. Everyone will have their own individual circumstances and I'm sure some folks would be thrilled.
 
I guess because I've only got the three and there's technically still room for more (just a fiance' saying no right now) I'd probally be thrilled with a free snake. They're pets to me, so if it's someone's unwanted morph, breeder, or with kink as long as it's not doomed to die I'd probally be pretty pysched about it.
But I can completely understand the reason why there is a hestiation on both ends about giving and recieving these kinds of "freebies"
 
I'm alright with the idea as long as a few criteria are met-
1. It's alright with the recipient, or the seller knows for a fact the the recipient wants the snake and has room but they want to send it as a surprise (like an x-mas gift).
2. The snake is healthy, or the recipient is warned of any problems it might have.
3. There is no expectation of something in return. (AKA: Your doing business with the person and they decide to say, 'Hey, I gave you that free snake, so now I should be able to have ___ much off this one.')
4. The same seller guarantees can apply if something happens to it. (To an extent- another snake or refund of value shouldn't be demanded if something happens, but if turns out to be sick it can be sent back.)

I also think that out of simple courtesy it shouldn't be the business of the giver what happens to the snake in the future unless it's already agreed on. For example, unless the seller specifically states that the snake has some sort of sentimental value and would appreciate it if it weren't sold or something, it shouldn't matter to the seller if the buyer decides to sell the snake somewhere down the road.

Otherwise I think it can be a nice gift. Paigehi, a friend of mine, received her snake Addison as a free gift from Michelle in her sale a while back and it turned out to be a pleasant transaction. Michelle had notified everyone purchasing her snakes that because she needed to clear out the area quickly, she was going to send out an extra hatchling with any purchases. Paigehi asked that the snake be female since we were already drowning with males, and Michelle was happy to oblige. She sent us a very cute (and evil) female normal het hypo pewter with our order of a anery motley het hypo and an anery stripe het hypo.

Whether or not the gift is a way of clearing out an area doesn't really matter to me personally. As long as the above criteria is met in some way, hey, it's a free snake! Who am I to complain? ;)
 
Great topic and food for thought. I love being generous . . . when I can afford it . . . and have gifted/donated a few snakes over the years. In all cases, I have known the situation on the other end and they were meant to be gracious surprises. I don't know that I'd do that with a total stranger, new customer. I also think it's obviously a case by case basis and I'm going to have to be more careful in the future. :)

I definitely think any breeder that dumped a kinked, unhealthy eater on a customer without prior knowledge would be making a worse business decision that handing out a higher end female morph or two (which I have also done BTW)! :shrugs:

If I were on the receiving end of such a generous gift I'd hope it was from somebody that was aware of my plans and projects and it was something that would enhance my collection. But on the other hand, if it wasn't, FREE is my price!! I'd figure something out! :eek1:

D80
 
I like it when my jewelry supply company throws in something for free as a "thank you", but I'm not sure it's a wise idea with a living creature. As had been said, not everyone is in a position to keep an extra snake. As for dumping extra males, poor feeders or kinked hatchlings, it's just bad business, period. I wouldn't want to do business with that person again and I might have something to say about it on the BOI. You don't "give away" your problems to someone else. If it was someone I knew or had done business with and I knew they were interested in something I had and I wanted to give them a nice thank you present, I would ask if they minded a freebie. I would never assume that it was ok and I would never send them something sub-par.
 
As far as I'm concerned, it's never OK to send a surprise snake. If the "surprise" is discussed before hand, I don't consider that a surprise anymore, so IMO, that's a different story. Nothing wrong with offering free add-ons. I know if I got more than I ordered, I'd be on the phone (or email) with the seller about getting them to send me shipping/packing costs to cover the return. If that offended them, then not my problem, as it would not be what I ordered, and they shouldn't assume I'd like their throw aways. At least that's how I see it, or why else would they just throw it in with an order?
 
Yeah despite how wonderful it would be get a free snake, I would like a bit of a forewarn to be honest. As it is, I'm pressed for space and my snakes are pets so I wouldn't mind taking a kinked snake, but I would need to be forewarned. Although, no matter how tight for space I was, if someone offered a free snake for me, I'd probably take him! ;-)
 
I don't know- some of the stuff Jay and PJ have been gifted with lately sure don't look like throwaways to me...
 
I'm just thinking that if someone is buying, say, over $500 on bloodreds and hets, why would I send them something "possibly het"? That's just rude. LOL If they were open to a freebie, I would make sure it was something pretty nice, like maybe a pair of definite hets or even a good blood (an extra male, of course! LOL).
 
I was hoping Joe Pierce would send me the lava lav as a freebie male, but alas, he didn't...
 
I've given out a few free snakes with shipments.....males and females. Particularly toward the end of the season (October) when the "too cold to ship season" starts coming around. I've always asked the person if they wanted it first. I've never had anyone say no. That said, no problem feeders leave my house, and kinked snakes usually don't see their first shed around here. If I'm in a "cleaning house" kind of mood, I'll give away hatchlings, even female morphs...but usually to friends or people who have bought from me before.

Chris
 
I will happily accept freebies in a package. I do understand hesitation to the idea, but I have many tubs and heat ready to go. Breeders please make a note and put me on the freebie list, lol. Send me your huddling squirmy masses yearning for an F/T.

Seriously though, I don't guarantee that I wouldn't sell, regift, or put down (in the case of nonfeeders or kinked babies) said freebie..
 
We just recently had a first time cornsnake buyer order a male/female pair from us. Unfortunately - the female he wanted (which had been doing well) decided to quit eating out of nowhere and died. I advised the buyer of the situation and offered a replacement female as well as an additional female for his trouble at no cost. It was kind of a surprise - but more of an act of goodwill I think. He was very pleased with the transaction. In that situation, I think it was just good business sense.

But as we get to be bigger scale with our breeding, I am sure that somewhere down the road we may be gifting an occasional "surprise" freebie as well. Per what others have stated here - I would most definately make sure it either fit it with the breeding plans or was something worthwhile for the purchaser.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top