I think reaching out and being prepared seems like a great idea and theirs a lot of people out there willing to help.
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Personally Iād rather people ask questions, no question should be too silly, providing it is worded correctly.
Regardless of a sale or not, reptiles health come first.
Yes there are lot of people that donāt have the time, partly why I joined mm, I donāt know anyone that has reptiles and this is my way to keep updated on things, plus share any knowledge I might have.
Doing your research prior to getting the reptile is the best way, just keep your questions to a minimum, maybe start off shore or ask different breeders. Or ask on here 
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Breeders correct me if Iām wrong here but if I have questions, I figure out everything I want to ask and list them separately in ONE message. I donāt hide questions throughout paragraphs. That way if a question isnāt answered, I can at least assume they saw it. This prevents repeating questions. Then I send my message and wait. I donāt reach out again without a response unless itās for a purchase inquiry.
I would recommend researching everything you can on your own and then save the unanswered questions for the breeder you most likely want to purchase from. Also, show that youāve done your research if possible. For example, instead of asking āwhat enclosure? What heat source? What thermostat? What substrate? What lighting?ā
Try āIām planning on using a 48x24x15 pvc enclosure with a radiant heat panel and x-brand thermostat. Iām stuck on substrates. What do you recommend?ā
If the given information raises any concerns, theyāll most likely address them right away
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These are some of the things Iām worried about when I start breeding (shooting for next year) Iām down to chat with people about this and that but annoying repetitive questions will likely get to me too. 
I know thereās no such thing as a stupid question but I remember some of the questions I got working in pet retail years ago were like above and beyond the level of Iām not on enough medication to deal with this level of wellā¦. Insert unkind non Pc rhyming word here. Stuff like ācan I keep this beardie in a critter keeperā to ābut my friend had a pleco (type that got a foot long) in a bowl with his goldfish. What do you mean I canāt keep mine like that??? How dare you not sell to me!!!ā But general banter with someone willing to listen and learn was always welcome. And sometimes I even learned from others as well.
Other thing that I worry about is aside from asking for prices again do people tend to try to lowball you super often? Iām ok with some wiggle room but if the market value of something Iām trying to sell is 500. And I paid over 1200 for the parents and theyāre like āIāll give you 200ā is that something that happens?
To get back on subject ask away on the forums everyone is super helpful and if the regulars canāt answer most of them can find someone who can.
Much love and respect.
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There are some great tips on here for good ways to ask questions. I do believe that virtually everyone here at MM is willing to answer queries related to care and keeping. Like most in the community, Iām happy to share what I know, admit what I donāt, and refer to others where appropriate. (I recently discovered that there is a cutoff point for lengthy replies in MM messaging. ) At a bare minimum, I believe that breeders should provide a care sheet, answer polite questions, refer to an online community like MM or (in my wheelhouse) cornsnakes.com. Speaking personally, a breeder who isnāt willing to answer questions about an animalās genetics wonāt be getting my business.
Does it take time? Absolutely. Everybodyās busy, and allowances should be made for a reasonable time frame for replies by both parties. And I hope that the time I spend answering questions will translate exponentially to years of health for a reptile and enjoyment for a human.
I am able to make time for this partly because I have a relatively small number of animals to manage. Iāve learned my personal limits. If questions are tedious I try to remind myself that the beneficiary of my forced patience is ultimately not the human whoās asking. That said, thereās definitely a point at which communications can reasonably be halted, and people who repeatedly ask whatās already been answered reach that point more quicklyā¦and geeā¦ this has all been said, and better, so I will say kudos and stop.
To the OP: if you were looking for folks whoād answer your questions, youāve obviously found us.
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All I was saying is someone inquiring should have some general information about snakes, like that most need whole body prey (mice or rats ). To ask what they are eating, as in size of mice/rats is different they, āwhat do you feed a boa?ā I think with the most common of species is pretty easy to find what theyāre eating and how theyāre cared for, though how theyāre cared for depending on the breeder does matter when you are considering the best way to transition a new reptile into your family.
I truly think it comes down to if the person really wants to learn and communicate with the seller. I am all about talking about boa care and husbandry, I just donāt want my knowledge and advice to fall on deaf ears because everything ( normal hets to quadruple visual recessives ) I produce are my babies and I want them to have long healthy lives in good homes or with good breeders that they can thrive living with.
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Absolutely!!
If I came across as in any way disagreeing or being argumentative, I do apologize. I was concurring. If I did it gracelessly, Iām sorry.
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Yes. One person even contacted me on a $200 isopod culture and said "How much was it? $15? 
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I am not even joking. I almost laughed and cried at the same time when I read that message
And the worst thing is that I texted him the price a second time already. What goes through their headsā¦
I guess I am sort of ranting I will try to stop now lol
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Yes absolutely. Iāve been trying to sell a 2000g female pied for several months now and have literally gotten nothing but lowball offers. I even got sent several messages worth of sexist slurs when I refused to sell her for $400
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How dare you sell an adult female for so much! Do what I do, up the price when they offer you lower, soon change their tone 
(But itās up for so and so, yes and if youāre going to offer me less than sheās worth Iāll up the price) 
Some People areā¦ āinsert words of your choosingā.
I get it a lot also with the Cresties. I tend to ignore them now
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You didnāt at all come of as that! We are good lol.
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@chesterhf @bughunter07 ā¦. Thatās honestly a slap in the face. Never understood how someone can basically put their blood sweat and tearsā¦ heart and soul into something. (Whether it be artwork or an animal or anything else for that matter) and thereās people who are like āIāll give you five bucks. Take it or leave itā figuratively speaking. I guess thereās always those people out there. Whether theyāre arguing about how āWalmart sells a quilt for $29.99 or Petco sells ball pythons all day for 69 bucksā. Well. More power to ya. You pay for qualityā¦. Go get your blue light special ball and leave me alone
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I am sorry that there are people in this world that think that they can say stuff like that to you. It is wrong and so are they.
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Agreed. Unacceptable behavior.
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Yep, I guess that is how it ended up. I tried to be as polite as possible saying that is was in fact $200, but that I could do $175, and they just never got back to me. Which I can sort of understand, but at least let me know that you arenāt interested in it instead of ghosting.
It SERIOUSLY boggles my mind that someone would rationalize that. We put valuable time into it, and lowballing us is extremely disrespectful. Disappointing.
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When I bought Willow, she was listed as $2500.00 and price was offerable. So, I offered $2250.00 for shipping and her, and Ken accepted so I canāt complain. I think that with the bigger price tags there is a bit more flexibility because of the higher dollar amount.
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Definitely agree. That offer would definitely be reasonable if I were the seller. 
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And if they are your friends, price is also more flexible lol.
But back to the OPs question, yes, you can ask, and you should ask here. We are always ready to help!
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Thanks, I was upset initially but realized it said more about them then about me.
So I just responded with āIām sorry you feel that wayā and then blocked them
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