Pet Shop, On Line Dealer, Show? Poll

[greenbay1]

I purchase most of mine from online dealers and collectors here on the boards. However I'm fortunate to have a nice herp & arachnid shop about 90 miles away. I've gotten several very nice Ts from them at more than reasonable prices. We don't have the shows in this area so I miss out on meeting dealers.

 

[Mandrake]

I'm rather fortunate in that one of the employees at a local pet shop is a tarantula enthusiast, with a collection on some 40 species, so when I bought my first T it was well-cared for and properly identified. That said, in the future I'll probably buy online.

 

[David DeVries]

Reputable on line dealers. Many of their spiders are captive bred, born and you can get a healthy young spiderlings at decent prices.

 

[Varden]

I prefer to get mine from online dealers first, pet shows second, and individuals from this forum third. I don't do pet shops, they are over priced, almost always incorrect with their species' labels, and I haven't yet found one that takes decent care of their spiders. Occasionally I have purchased or liberated a T from a local individual who was selling theirs.

 

[rosehaired1979]

I like when I can see the spider I am getting and such but with the local petshop here only selling G.rosea and the pet shop that we drove 1 hr has moved i mostly buy mine online mostly.

 

[Beccas_824]

I just wish shipping wasn't so darn much!!!
I'm a poor college student, so it is kind of a burden for me right now to have to shell out that extra 30$ for overnight shipping, but i know its worth it to get good, healthy high-quality T's that were raised by someone who cares about them and their well-being.
Also, i try to order as many as I can possibly afford at one time to avoid mutliple shipping fees. I like to order 5 or 6 at a time instead of one or two at a time because then you only have to pay shipping once, not three separate times.

 

[Pennywise]

My 2 cents

Thanks everyone for posting in my poll! Please give your opinions if
you haven't yet. I like buying from an on line dealer or dealer breeder
because you can scan the list of T's for sale and get ideas on what you
want to get. If I still cant make up my mind, I cut and paste the scientific
name and do a search for more info and care sheets etc. You can also
inquire on this forum about the desirability and quirks of various species.
There are many excellent on line dealers, check the reviews.


My all time favorite is shows though especially if a lot of great dealers
are there. It helps to see what you are buying.

 

[Beardo]

I get most of my animals from online dealers at reptile shows. You can see what you're getting and you know you're getting quality.

I also enjoy dealing with the "average hobbyist"...its a great way to make new friends and help out the "little dealers."

 

[singlemind]

I only have a few tarantulas, but I've hit all but the pet store option (that too if you count the scorpion) So far I'd have to say the pet store was the worst, and I'd have to say meeting an online dealer at a show is my favorite I also live in nyc and am a little skittish about having inverts shipped to my apartment.

 

[stonemantis]

I like purchasing from breeders and online dealers.

Breeders usually have a website with lots of species specific info and they can be called local or e-mailed drectly whenever you have a question.

Online dealers usually have alot more stock advertised and can usually ship next day for those in a hurry.

 

[Elijah12214]

i bought my rose hair at are local pet shop which is a very good one

 

[Socrates]

The majority of my Ts are from online breeders, but I have to admit that I've gotten quite a few from pet shops as well. My smithi was sold to me as a baby Chilean Rose , my A. avic was literally thrown into my face because nobody wanted her , my A. geniculata was totally reduced in price (+ additional discount because they were afraid to take her out themselves ), and my A. versi sling was.... well...totally overpriced and super skinny, but I couldn't resist. :8o

---
Wendy
---

 

[cacoseraph]

majority of all my bugs are from individuals

if you wait, you can easily get the best deals from "other people"

it helps to have a BIG wishlist and a decent understanding of the pricing of the bugs you want

 

[psionix]

IMO, ideally it would be from a respected Online Dealer @ a Pet Show, then you don't have to worry about shipping.

 

[Jmadson13]

My preference definitely leans towards online dealers. I like the assurance that I am in fact recieving a healthy animal with some backround history. Everybody on these boards has been great in that aspect.
Jamison

 

[spydrhunter1]

When it comes to pet shops I find most are horrible when it comes to dealing with arthropods, not knowing species, care, feeding,ect. I once went to a pet store where there was a giant centipede labeled as a giant millipede. A lot of my animals are pet shop rescues from deplorable conditions.

 

[Windchaser]

I would have added one more choice to the poll which is "All of the above". Seriously, when I am looking I know what I want and I look at all of the choices listed above. However, if I had to pick just one, I would say that I get most of mine through dealers.

 

[DanCameron]

Wow, a lot more online trading than I thought. Of course, I usually go to a pet store (they specialize in reptiles and tarantulas). They know how to take care of them. 13 of my 14 spiders have come from them. One of them did come from a show out in Tinley a little while ago. It was mostly snakes and lizards, but there was one (and only one) spider guy there. It was crazy trying to get to him. There were lots of people looking at what he had there. Need more spider guys at that show.

 

[DragonMaiden]

petshops mostly, a lil hesitant on getting online orders thru the mail. Land lord doesnt like T's. afraid that it would arrive and freeze to death. I usually get good deals at pet stores. I also bought some scorps at a show. no T's though they were overpriced! A GBB for 300.00 when I could get them for 55 and up....

 

[MikeW]

I don't have many Ts (six), but the majority of mine have been purchased from dealers; two from shows, two ordered online. My first one I got at a pet store, and he's doing just fine, but he wasn't kept in the greatest conditions and I paid too much for him (though it would have been the same price if I bought him online thanks to shipping).

At shows is the best because you don't have to pay $25 or so for shipping (though the White Plains show I pay $4 for parking and $8 to get in, so I guess I don't save that much :/), but buying online is great too because there are some excellent dealers, plus if you order a bunch shipping won't go up too much, if at all for most, so you end up paying only a couple bucks of shipping per spider.