Buyer Age?

So here's a hypothetical discussion question for the group:

How much, if any, of an obligation are you as a seller to determine if a potential buyer is a minor if you have a feeling this is the case? Does it matter if the buyer seems like they will be a very responsible pet owner? If you feel that you have to find out not no matter what, how can you possibly ask a potential buyer without insulting them if they turn out to be in their 30s or 40s?

create a Terms of Service/Sale sheetor some sort of disclosure stating that you only sell to adults over the age of __ unless with consent/permission of the parent/legal guardian?? and have them acknowledge it in writing (e-mail or some sort of form they have to agree too that says they acknowledge and accept the TOS or Disclosure??)

that is the only way I can think of

yea id most def write something up and post it with your ads or store whichever is the case, its not only the fact that a 12 or 14 year old can take care of the animal but more on the parents approval just for the simple fact a parent my flip out about have a snake, lizard, or even a rodent in the house. cover your *** and post it.

agreed... I was capable of taking care of alot of critters when I lived at home but since I lived at home it was only by approval of my parents... that's why when I moved out I bought my own cats and fish and such lol. But definatley cover yourself in the event... so in your terms or agreement or whichever you use, make sure they are acknowledging that they agree to the terms and it is in writing, not through verbal.

Yes, putting a short sentence in my TOS is a very good idea. Thanks guys!

no problem glad we could help

Nothing like dealing with a pissed off parent,

my thoughts to the T

I like to fish around for info if I believe the person is under age. I'll ask what kind of setup they have and what they currently own, etc etc. I'll try to make sure they have what they need and know what they need to know. It's hard not to come off as rude, but thats about the best I've been able to do to ensure the snake is going to safe place. I have one kid that I deal with that knows more about snakes than I do, so sometimes the situations work out nice.

One thing I have learned, low ballers and price hagglers that want to negotiate before discussion begins, are most of the time kids or someone I don't feel confident to selling too. It may be rude of me, but I'll politely walk away at that point. If someone inquires about the animal, ask some questions, shows interest, and then ask if the price is negotiable, I'll work something out if it's possible, but this seems more the exception than the rule. A well informed buyer is just that, somebody that can properly handle a transaction. Be it a child or adult, that attitude comes with maturity IMO.

I haven't had a transaction in which I felt the seller needed permission from the parent, yet. I don't know if my filtering process above has worked well or not, but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it and report back, lol.

Plain and simple 18 year's of age have some knowledge of the animal being purchased, The only way there getting if there not 18 is with parent consent in writting

i actually bought a snake from a 14 year old a few weeks back. he had been emailing me from his mothers email, so i assumed i was talking to her. when i went to meet this person it was a goofy looking kid. well i went and looked at the snake and the rest of his collection anyway (i figured why not, i drove all this way). he had a home made snake rack (awesome quality, i was gonna ask him to build me one, lol) his snakes were very well taken care of, in good condition and the snake i bought off him is very healthy and eating great. to draw an end to this story i was very surprised. this kid was very responsible and more than capable of caring for his snakes. but i still wouldnt knowingly sell one of my animals to a child.

I rarely encounter kids trying to buy stuff without their parents... I did have a 6-7yr old grab a tarantula off my table and try to trade it to me for a gecko, though I had to politely decline

wait.... he stole it from you then tryed to trade it back to you?