A bit late to the discussion, and some people have already said similar things; but thought I would chip in anyway as a buyer.
I’ve bought from a new seller quite recently. Of course, my first instinct is to be weary of them because there is the potential to be scammed. But generally, if I see that they have a lot of animals for sale, that’s a promising sign for me that they really are looking to establish themselves on here as opposed to trying to get away with a one-time scheme. And extra big bonus points if they have an active Facebook page with a decent following + positive reviews on there.
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Some aren’t fair. Mostly cuz they are mostly isolated incidents, and stuff. Or if one little thing didn’t go their way, people immediately want to post bad reviews or warnings. It doesn’t matter how stupid the reason is either. Like, the breeder is a super robot, and isn’t allowed to make mistakes like the other human beings.
I think we’re getting off topic now. We’re talking about the default warnings MM posts for new sellers, not ratings left by users.
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I don’t think the issue here is educating the buyer to research and know the seller before purchasing since they’re new to the market. That’s great advice! I think the big issue is the platform specifically stating “ We do not recommend buying from new sellers”. That is very specific and is in addition to recommending to do your research. For a Marketplace platform to instruct buyers (whether they pay attention to it or not) to not buy from new sellers for any period of time is in fact counterproductive to what your platform strives to do which is connecting sellers and buyers. The platform should warn and educate but never state don’t buy from new sellers because everyone is new on the platform at one point. It’s just bad optics.
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The platform should warn and educate
Which it does already
Putting an emphasis for a month once new profiles is just a very good reminder especially for new buyers. I see it as an extra security feature.
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It’s not counterproductive for buyers or most sellers. It is a hindrance to new sellers for a short period of time.
I will reiterate what I said before:
We are making this general recommendation based on what we’ve learned is the typical buyer’s inability to do good research, despite the resources we’ve provided. If a buyer thinks they know what they are doing, they will have the confidence to ignore this warning. They can and often do, so new sellers do get sales. But when a scammer pops up we also see scores of buyers disregard the warning and purchase from someone who they clearly didn’t vet well at all.
I believe the benefits outweigh the costs here. The cost is for new sellers to wait a short time before being cleared of the disclaimers.
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No, its not fair. I get zero chance. I get a bad rep before I even get a chance to build a good one. Not fair at all. Morphmarket might as well recommend breeders if they want to fail new sellers out of the gate. I do have Instagram and my own Facebook page. I havent dealt with my snake facebook page, it’s too much for as small as I am, and since I am downsizing and focusing, I am about to get smaller
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How does something that appears a new seller’s profile for 30 days means having zero chance and getting a bad rep before getting a chance to build one???
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I’d have to ask the same question honestly.
I’m a new breeder as well, and I don’t personally see it as unfair in any way. I actually see it as a helpful reminder just in case!
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You get a chance, it’s just that THIS part of your rep takes 30 days to build. Is that so long? People with solid reps are doing this for years.
And, people who make this argument overlooked what I said earlier – lots of people buy from new sellers, even scammers, without giving it 2 thoughts, unfortunately.
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As a result of the feedback, I have made two changes to this warning. This is what the new one will look like:
- The language has been changed from “do not recommend” to “recommend being extremely cautious”.
- The question mark now links to this discussion so both buyers and sellers can understand the intent behind this statement.
Note that only the first two sentences are shown for new sellers – we show the last two for all sellers.
I believe this new wording accomplishes the same goals but make the intent clearer.
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Ok so I am head Admin on a 25,000 member reptile page. Have over 3,000 followers on Instagram. I would have to agree that you are judging people before you even know anything about them with that statement. It deters me from getting a subscription. Even though it is only 30 days real buyers still will remember I am new after the tag is removed. I don’t mind 30 days it’s just the lasting impression it leaves. I myself would be suspect of buying from someone with that statement attached to their profile. With Facebook eliminating sales I have to look at other avenues besides my website to sell snakes. I don’t know that I will get a membership. Me and my partner had decided to hold off for now even though we were making some good sales. I had a woman this morning go off on me because I wouldn’t sell her a Snake for half price and told me I should sell To her for half price because I’m a new seller and it’ll help out my account. So I’m going to take $250 off of Snake to make a sale.
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If that’s the case you should report that buyer.
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I think having the warning there is a good opportunity for new sellers to build a rapport with their prospective buyers. It encourages engagement. If you have the confidence in your animals and your business you should be fine. That’s just my opinion.
The decision to take $250 off is yours to make.
Let me preface this with the fact that this post has nothing to do with my perspective as a staff member on MRC it has to do with the perspective of a breeder and a buyer.
In my opinion what you are saying is just an excuse to why you feel like you have to sell your animal half the price which you do not.
As breeders we all started somewhere with no reputations, when I started (2006) I was competing with people like NERD, Constrictor Unlimited, Ralph Davis, BHB and so forth, some of the biggest names in the industry that were already light years ahead of myself and with a long well established reputation, at the time not having a reputation what just like having a 30 days warning on your profile, actually it was worse since it lasted longer than 30 days. Those were the days when the fake het scandals started to be known so people were weary. Yet with all that I still managed to get my first sales and get my asking prices without having to cut prices in half because I was new.
Now reputation does not always comes from sales (at least not when you get started you got to work at it, in most cases it comes from your involvement in the community which will make people want to buy from you, and I am not talking about posting pictures of new hatchling comes baby season and be gone when that is over. If you are an admin of a 20000 members community you have a tremendous opportunity to build a reputation. (I know I have been a mod on a forum with 65000 members for 11 years)
The truth of the matter is that today there is no easier way to get started and get a reputation, it’s a lot easier than it was at the time I started, between facebook groups and now morphmarket that has revolutionize the way people buy snakes it’s easier than it ever was before.
When I first joined morphmarket it was like I was starting from scratch again with no reputation, because all of the sudden this new venue opened the doors for many new prospect buyers that never even thought about buying online and to them I was nobody yet again I never sold an animal for half the price (and trust I still get this type of inquiries a after 13 years and know I will no matter how long I have been doing this, that’s a different topic and the nature of some people wanting everything cheap)
Now from the prospective of a buyers way back when, I decided to give a new breeder a chance and fell victim of the fake het scandal, if I had seen such a warning I would have been more diligent as a first time buyer and dig a little more, yet even after that experience I still bought and gave chances to new breeders I was just more cautious and made inquiries which is pretty easy in this community if you remain involved, word of mouth goes a long way and if those new breeders are involved too at some levels, (shows, online etc) if often help make a decision.
So again the fact that some people see this a permanent black mark forcing them to almost giveaway animal or have their reputation ruined before it even started is just a justification for why they feel like they are failing especially since again it’s only 30 DAYS.
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New buyers may have a false sense of security thinking that everyone on MM has been verified by MM, in some way, therefore they have no reason to question anything. The warning is a helpful reminder to new buyers to ask questions and do a little research before making the purchase. Scams can and may happen. People with experience in the reptile market place already know this and they do their due-diligence before making a purchase and will purchase the reptile they want, regardless of the seller’s membership status, if the seller seems legit to them. Even if the seller is a founding member you should still ask questions and make sure you are getting the right answers and quality service.
Happy Friday!!
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This scenario is moot, because even after the warning is gone, all users (buyers and sellers) have their date joined on their profile, which is very similar. Having a type of “joined date” is very common to online platforms, and it’s good info.
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Doesn’t matter to me. This is just one of many sales platforms. $100 or whatever for a year for the basic subscription gets some extra eyes on my snakes. If nobody buys them because of the warning or being a new seller, it’s a whopping $10 a month. I can drive less for a few days and basically put that $10 back in my pocket. I’ve sold several snakes and feeder rodents to people in person in the meantime as well. Buy from me or don’t, that’s ok with me, I’ll never be in a hurry to sell these amazing creatures off 
don’t tell my family
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I don’t think you understand the definition of fairness. It would only be unfair if some had to go through this and others did not. Everyone has to go through the same process so by definition it is fair. It might be uncomfortable, but it is fair. And just because there is a warning doesn’t mean you have zero chance. I had a few people contact me about my snakes during my first 30 days. This gave them a chance to ask questions until they felt comfortable that I was legit. Breeding and selling snakes is not a fly by night deal. If you want a reputation you need to work for it. That is true anywhere, not just MM. Working to build a rep through social also lends to credibility as a trustworthy seller. And after 30 days, it’s gone. I don’t know anyone who gets into this business or even hobby breeding for 30 days or less. If you do, you are in the wrong hobby/business. Just my two cents.
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