So I have something I want to talk about...

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KansasSunfish

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Mar 11, 2018
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Recently I started selling off extras to get ready for my big move coming this spring. As many of you may know I have an 1100 gallon tank which will be my primary concern to move so other stuff needs to go.

I posted on craigslist with a list of fish I wanted to “send down the river” including danios, rainbows, convicts, cheap and readily available fish. I did not post any pictures. This morning super early at six on a Saturday morning I got a text from a guy wanting individual pictures of each fish. As though I’m going to retank every zebra danio and baby convict I own one at a time and take pictures. Uggggg. I of course told him no, no pictures.

He of course decided to argue with me and try to belittle me, saying he ran a wholesale fish Hatchery that sold to pet stores, and I am unprofessional for not taking pics. He even sent me pictures of his ten gallon rack where he breeds guppies.

Here’s the thing. I have no problem with people wanting to do whatever in the hobby. If he wants to breed live bearers and sell them to lfs that’s awesome for him. But I’ve been there. I don’t pretend to be something I’m not and I sure as heck don’t harass other people for not doing things the way I would.

And here’s another thing. Do people call pet stores and demand individual pictures of fish? Is that a thing? I’m pretty sure petco or petsmart would just laugh and hang up. Maybe I’m weird but if I don’t know what a particular breed of fish looks like I will google it. Because the pictures of neon tetras on google look exactly like the ones I can buy at any one of the many lfs here.

Oh, and to top it off I find out the guy lives only four miles from me and closer than any of my local stores! It would take him literally five minutes to drive here and see the fish for himself. I’ve done this for a long time and I can tell you from experience someone wanting pictures isn’t a buyer, they are a looky loo. The real buyers call or text and say “hey I see you have fish for sale what’s the soonest I can come by with cash?”

Ok that’s me on my soapbox. Any comments?
 
Don't waste your time going back and forth with that guy.If he's got such a successful enterprise going on then he certainly shouldnt be getting bent out of shape over the fish you are trying to get rid of.
 
So my take on this is if your are within a 20 min drive I am coming to see the fish in person with out pictures being sent. However if you are further then that I will ask to have pics texted to me. I just made a one hour and fifteen min drive to buy a fish from a craigslist seller this past month. But before I made the drive I did ask for a few pictures different from the ones posted on craigslist. I do this for two reasons: First I want to make sure you actually have the same fish Im looking at in the posting, and the fish is in the same condition as the pics I see in the posting. Second, Im trying to get the best feel and read on a total stranger before I go meeting them at their home. This world has its fair share of unstable people and I don't want to put myself in a bad situation.
 
It's perfectly okay to request to see photos but if the seller chooses not to provide any than that is his prerogative.I certainly wouldn't try to engage in an email war over it.
 
Don’t think it’s unreasonable to request pics. I order fish from out of state sellers and I ask for pics. Local then I’ll sieng by. Since he’s a few miles away then he can swing ur way. If he’s arguing with you then like krich said don’t even bother.
 
For every one sane and rational person using craigslist, there are 10 idiots and psychos.
With that said I've sold plentry of stuff on the list, just need to learn to have some discretion and weed thru what is and isn't worth your time. Not only did he waste your time on the emails, he inspired you to come here and write a long post about it. I would move on and forget about the guy.
 
It's perfectly okay to request to see photos but if the seller chooses not to provide any than that is his prerogative.I certainly wouldn't try to engage in an email war over it.


He actually texted me at six in the morning on a Saturday and woke me up.
 
First my phone is off at night I’m not dealing with the world till I’m ready.

Second if the guy was just asking for an overall picture of tank the fish were in just so he could verify that you do indeed have these fish, I could see that.

I’m not taking individual pictures of Danios and neons. Asking someone to do that is just dumb, nobody is going to do that.
 
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