So i don’t think it is very fair to say people are “ignorant” for being cautious when it comes to meeting up with people to sell/buy animals. Here is one story that prove prudence is best in sketchy situations 
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200$ for a pied female is a steal. For a male that’s a fair deal, and since you’re a smart guy and know the risks, I would jump on that one man.
Definitely let’s us know what you decide.
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I never said anyone was ignorant for being cautious, as in that post I state to take caution when meeting as @chesterhf mentioned she would. I support that.
I’m saying the mass assumptions about people on craigslist being untrustworthy or scammers, which is a real possibility but not an absolute is ignorant, especially now when people are trying to make ends meet and sell snakes for far less than they are worth.
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Seems like a legit post. Still trying to feel the person out by going back and forth with them. Oh i im not trying to hijack the post so i dont want @chesterhf to think I am lol. just thought id share my current craigslist dilemma as well.
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I know that here in Greenville, SC our Sheriffs department has parking spots at the station that you can do Craigslist deals. Most people who are up to no good will not want to meet you at a police station. But otherwise public places and if you are in a place that you can legally conceal carry is best. Can always take advantage of the video camera on your phone to record the meeting.
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My appoliges when you say" bad person" that doesn’t always mean scammers. Bad people come in many forms now days and growing up in california you got shot for your shoes so… i don’t equate “bad people” only with scammers. If that makes me ignorant so be it.
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Ok?
I don’t only assume bad people with scammers too. And because I live in MN means people up here don’t get shot for no reason? Im failing to see the connection you’re trying to point out?
You assuming I only “equate” bad people with scammers? How’s that fair to assume something about me when you don’t know me or my past?
I don’t think you’re trying to hijack it all, and my adventure is pretty much over anyway. I am excited and intrigued about your lead on a $200 female pied, please keep us updated! I really enjoy any of the threads about people buying snakes on craigslist because it’s always an adventure. Sometimes it works out, other times not so much
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Will do! If this person lived closer I definitely would jump on the deal but they live about a hour away so I want to be confident or at least somewhat confident that its legit.
Murdered?!?
I’ll move on quietly…
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From my recent experience. I picked up a young pastel banana clown off of Craigslist that the seller claims is a male for $500 with enclosure. On MM, the lowest for a male is $650 plus shipping. I tried popping the hemipenes myself, but nothing was showing. Going to try and take to a pro to verify, because if it is a female, it would be worth $2k. Even if I didn’t do it right and it is a male, I still saved myself a couple of hundred dollars. I was smart about it and met up at a grocery store parking lot while I legally conceal carried. I have a female pied from a breeder off of MM, which I will also want to get verified in person. I just have trust issue, so I like to verify myself. I keep an eye on Craigslist everyday for possible deals for future projects with those two.
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I sometimes will look through Craigslist, but a few times I have come across really good deals (didn’t buy any though) like a boa that was what appeared to be a snow but was listed as a sud adult female moonglow. Price was $300. Or an adult albino for $150 with a 4x2x1 by AP (t8). I will think of more there quite a few good ones down in south Florida
@nathan_e, not quite as good of a deal as your $200 female pied, but I found this girl on Craigslist this morning listed for $350
I ended up going to pick her up and was a little disappointed she wasn’t bigger given her age (she’s only ~500grams), but I still think it was a pretty good deal. Also didn’t get murdered. Not really sure what I’m going to do with her though, as I have no plans for projects involved pied…
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That is a really good deal, especially since we don’t have to have a zoom funeral for you 
Pieds are always a good purchase no matter your plans. You will always likely have that one holdback from your projects that you didn’t need to holdback… Now you have the option to make a pied version as a side project.
Plus she is a beautiful snake to look at.
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Hahaha, thanks! I was panicking a little bit last night over spending that amount of money on a snake I neither planned on nor needed, but am feeling better about my choice this morning.
She’s a super pretty girl, healthy and easy to handle, and I have plenty of rack space, so no harm done. I was planning on getting a male clown axanthic in the next year or so to breed to all my other ladies, so I’ll probably just cross her as well and make some triple hets
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Hi. I believe @mnroyals was saying that it is ignorant to assume that EVERYONE on CL is bad, not that no one on CL is bad.
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That’s exactly what I was trying to get across. Thank you for understanding that.
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If you just want a pet sure, ABSOLUTELY anywhere you find an animal you like as long as you can tell it’s healthy etc or worth the risk of health, I say go for it
But to me with the plans I have for my future in this hobby it is Not. Worth. It. To save a couple hundred bucks and buy a “mystery morph” (great term btw).
Everyone says they want to produce quality but then a lot of us jump at the chance for a cheap o deal. Just smacks of not having a plan to me. It should be about so much more than the money and cutting corners.
This is not meant to be an attack at anyone but seriously. If you have respect for the hobby, for the species itself…basically if you care about anything except the bottom line then there are no shortcuts.
Yes some “bad genes” could die in eggs or in captivity but it’s our responsibility to pass on good genes. Like a hunter needs to practice conservation.
It’s very possible to find good genetics anywhere not just on MM but when I see these threads I see zero info about that. I see a price and “what morphs do you guys see? Should I grab it? I might go for it. Such a steal!”
It might be, but that’s not the important info for making a decision. Just as possible to buy cr*p on MM I’m not hating on CL just to do it but yeesh.
People are so quick to hate on some big “successful” breeder for being “money focused” and using basic caging etc but the same people will scour for bottom of the barrel prices on anything that looks like it might be a bargain and make the decision on price and morph not is the info available to show this is a breeding quality animal.
That’s all. I’m not “poor shaming” anyone. I started in this hobby with nothing at a time in my life when I was the poorest I’ve ever been and hopefully ever will be. I probably shouldn’t have even started honestly! But I still made a plan and have stuck to it and am slowly getting there one step at a a time.
TLDR if you want a pet knock yourself out. If you want to breed there are no shortcuts.
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I think you’re quick to jump to animals on craigslist = mystery morph/bad, when that’s not always the case. A clear example is the pied I just bought, which is very clearly a pied and the seller even linked to the original morph market listing that he bought her from. So I was able to go look and verify that it was the same animal, that she came from a good breeder, etc.
On the other hand, the first two snakes that I posted from craigslist was a good example of a much more risky buy. It was impossible to tell what morphs they were, and didn’t really seem like a good deal at all.
Is it taking a short cut by buying an animal for way less than it’s worth? Sure, but if I can leverage it to move my projects forward, even if it just means selling her for way more than I paid in six months, why wouldn’t I do it?
Craigslist, just like any other way of obtaining an animal, has risks and downsides, but you can definitely find some really nice animals if you do your homework and know what to look for.
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I was well aware of what was trying to be said.
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