Ebay wants to have live animal classifieds

celestialrags

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Ebay wanted replies on placing live animal classifieds alot of rescue people are all against it, saying puppy mills will take advatage. They can take advantage any where and it is up to a buyer to research the "breeder" people also say that no "legitamate breeder if they exsist" would place an animal on it. I would, I love my animals, but I need to advertise some where, and Ebay is no different then local papers or other on line classifieds, while I would screen a buyer thoughroly, I would not just let my kittens go to the highest bider. I am not a BYB just because I use local papers, just because some one calls doesnt mean i would sell to the person, I have questionairs, and check vet references too. So, if any one has an oppinion or a "respectable breeder" would like to give an oppinion that not all of us or puppy mills, the link below will take you to the board, please give an opinion, whether you like the idea or not. I just don't think it is fair for rescue people to say no one but puppy mills would place ads. I would place ads in all sorts of classifieds, but it's my responseablity as much as the buyer to screen people who apply and decide whether they are exceptable or not. Im not really sure it's a good idea or not, just irratated with rescuers thinking if you don't get a rescue or you buy or breed a pure bred then you are a bad person.


http://forums.ebay.com/db1/thread.js...=1134879831779
 

gayef

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I was also alerted to this - but chose not to chime in with my two cents. The reason I chose not to was because I don't think ANYONE, rescue, breeder or whathaveyou should advertise on eBay. There are other, more legitimate methods of getting your cattery's name out there and to promote your kittens. Live animals just should NOT, IMO, be put on eBay.
 

tnr1

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Originally Posted by gayef

I was also alerted to this - but chose not to chime in with my two cents. The reason I chose not to was because I don't think ANYONE, rescue, breeder or whathaveyou should advertise on eBay. There are other, more legitimate methods of getting your cattery's name out there and to promote your kittens. Live animals just should NOT, IMO, be put on eBay.
I agree..if ebay wants to help with the adoption of animals..they can simply link Petfinder. There are certainly enough groups that offer this service.

Katie
 
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celestialrags

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Originally Posted by gayef

I was also alerted to this - but chose not to chime in with my two cents. The reason I chose not to was because I don't think ANYONE, rescue, breeder or whathaveyou should advertise on eBay. There are other, more legitimate methods of getting your cattery's name out there and to promote your kittens. Live animals just should NOT, IMO, be put on eBay.
I don't know, I guess, I didn't add a reply on ebay, but thought I would post it here so every one against (which most are) or for it can have the chance to give feed back at Ebay, it's a pretty serious topic and every one should beable to give an opinion. If you are against it, you should put in your two cents because you seem to be very knowledegable and may point out a good point to some one that is for it, and be able to change their opinions, I would take serious concideration to some thing you say, and if you feel strongly about it, mabey people will give it more thought , like me, I want to get my cattery name out there, but will want to consider better ways that wouldn't get me known as a BYB.
 

gayef

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Originally Posted by celestialrags

... I want to get my cattery name out there, but will want to consider better ways that wouldn't get me known as a BYB.
Advertising on eBay would be the fastest way to sew the label of BYB in your camp clothes IMO. If you haven't already, check with your registry association to see if there is a sponsored cat club in your area - and join it if so. If not, why not start one?

You can get a listing on the Fancier's Breed Referral List for a small yearly fee - I get a lot of inquiry from that, or PetProfessor is another good one and it is free to breeders. And my personal favorite is, of course, Meowhoo.com - it is inexpensive and gets a lot of hits.

Speak with your vet about placing an ad on their bulletin board in the waiting room, or at the local grocery store or community building.

If you don't already have a web site, get one made or make one yourself. There are ways to get it listing in the search engines so that it appears towards the top of the listing - that is also another good way to attract prospective buyers.
 

sandtigress

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I got my two boys from a "classified ad" on a well-known breed website. It was an easy thing to type in the breed I wanted, find the page, and click on the "Available Cats" or "Classifieds" page to find kittens. I think that's a much much better idea than Ebay, which I think would breed a "kitten to the highest bidder" mentality, even if individuals such as you did not promote such an idea.
 

beckiboo

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It seems to me that if breeders listed on E-Bay, buyers would be able to see how many litters they sell. I believe good breeders sell a limited number of animals, where the BYB would be easily spotted by the number of animals available, and the numbers sold over time.

I was trying to look for a Newf puppy on-line, and I haven't been able to tell how the buyer can find a good pet quality animal. Many of the breeders ship, so how would I know what the parents were like, etc. E-bay would have the same prob, but at least (I assume) you could look at if they sell one litter or 6 litters per year. And you would get feedback from previous buyers.

I won't post an opinion at E-bay, because I am not a breeder. And by the time that service would be up and running, I'll probably have a pup. As for petfinder, they do list a lot of rescue dogs, but not all. Our local shelter only posts a fraction of the animals available. It hurts to think the large black puppy I want may be wasting away in a shelter, unwanted. I wish they would take the extra time to list ALL their adoptable animals!
 

purr

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I like the idea of having a way as easy as ebay to find breeders, because some breeds are extremely hard to find--especially locally. There is a way for you to make an auction that only accepts pre-approved bidders, so if they did that and people sent them a message about it, they could ask all their questions and approve that person to bid. They could also skip the auction part entirely and just do a purchase "auction", so there wouldn't actually be an auction. I don't know if you can set it to pre-approve purchases, though. I suppose they could set a Buy It Now price of what they wanted for the animal, and approve the person so they could do the BIN.

It would be like any other electronic way of advertising/selling animals. The breeder could put all their information on the auction page instead of website, or link to a website or photo gallery if they wanted. Being able to see previous buyers' feedback would be a great benefit to using ebay to find pets.

However, I think ebay's interest is to make money, so I have a hard time trusting them to make the right decisions in policing the auctions. Therefore, it would probably do more harm than good. I certainly don't think ebay's actions would be motivated by their love of animals and guided by what's in the best interest of those animals.

It's still a nice idea. A website as popular as ebay, that had feedback, and screened their breeders and let the breeders screen their buyers would be great.
 

bullit

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I was trying to look for a Newf puppy on-line, and I haven't been able to tell how the buyer can find a good pet quality animal.
I have never had a problem finding a good ethical breeder of dogs or cats that I am interested in. The first place to start is the breed clubs in your state. They have contact information of members. When I contact a breeder and if they do not have puppies or will not have any for some time,they will usually tell you which breeders do have puppies. AKC has lists also of breeders and clubs. There are many small good ethical breeders that do not have websites and never advertise. You can find these breeders by breed clubs. I found a whippet puppy by talking to an italian greyhound breeder.

The problem with ebay is that you would get people who feel they could make money selling puppies or kittens this way. It would be just like selling in a pet store. I am almost certain that no ethical breeder would put their animals on ebay. I,personally would never buy an animal unless I saw the breeder face to face.
 

kai bengals

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I think this would be opening a can of worms and isn't overall a very good idea.
I certainly don't think Ebay's heart is in the right place. They're just looking at another avenue to generate cash.
If this were to be implemented, I think it will only shed more negative light in the breeders direction. Sure, there will be some positive transactions that work out with all parties being happy. But each negative one will be scrutinized under a microscope and all sorts of accusations will be made.
The whole idea of kittens & puppies being bid on, doesn't sit well with me either. That's what happens to cattle before they go to the slaughter house.
(I know, radical analogy, but that's what came to mind).

If this idea kicks off, I'm pretty sure most of the established breeders will stay away. For what it's worth, I hope Ebay cans the idea post haste.
 

beckiboo

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Originally Posted by joecool

I dislike the idea. Breeders could easily start new pseudonyms, and have 20 sold each on 20 names!


I think breeders, if they are going to sell online, should use their own website, or one devoted solely to dogs and cats.


Just my
That is very true, Joe. And Bullit, I have started looking at the breed club. I just am not getting a good feeling by looking at little blurbs of newfs ranging in price from $450 to $1500 on line. I certainly don't need show quality, but do not want to support a puppy mill. I would be just as happy with a mixed breed oops puppy...but don't want to encourage someone to make a quick buck by breeding their purebred to any dog they see.

I also joined the dog forum, and do have plenty of time to find the right animal. After reading all the posts, I can see that E-bay is really not a good solution for live sales.
 

semiferal

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I think a key point is being missed here. Most people have no idea that there is a difference between a respectable breeder and a BYB or even puppy mill. They don't have any idea that advertising multiple different breeds is a red flag, for example. And if someone is seeking Ebay out as a potential source for their new pet, I'd take that as a sign right there that the person really doesn't know what s/he is doing.

Respectable breeders and rescues already have plenty of avenues to advertise their animals. Ebay will just give another forum for BYB's and puppy/kitten mills. That's not a good thing at all.

I agree - for Ebay, this is all about the money.
 

talon

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I chimed in on the forum with me "NO" - I really think if they do this - I will stop using eBay - and I am an eBay-oholic.
 
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celestialrags

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I know the whole animals on Ebay is probley a bad idea, but it's not like they are going to hold auctions and the animal goes to the highest bidder, it's a classified ad, place your ad for a fee. Of course they are in it for the money, they aren't doing a service out of the good of their hearts so you can get want you want through them. Any one who sells a cat (savannah bengals, ect) are making money they may be breeding for the good of the breed, but they still want to make money, dont tell me that a litter of kittens sold for 900 and up for a pet or 2500 or even worse up to 3000 for a kitten and your not making money. Thats a good one. Arent savannas going with breeding rights from 3000 to 6000. ya but you dont make any money, right?
 

goldenkitty45

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Sorry but I would never use Ebay to place LIVE animals - I want to screen these people in person - not across country. When I was breeding my rexes, I met every person my kittens went to - none by "mail".

Personally, I think its not a good idea at all!
 

sharky

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I think it is a horrible idea..

Where I live every year there is a charity acution and the lps donates a dog to be auctioned... For at ltaest the last three years the dog has not gone with the bidder and 2 out 3 went to a home with little doggy care knowledge... This is small scale I wouldnt want to see it on Ebay scale..
 

kai bengals

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Originally Posted by celestialrags

I know the whole animals on Ebay is probley a bad idea, but it's not like they are going to hold auctions and the animal goes to the highest bidder, it's a classified ad, place your ad for a fee. Of course they are in it for the money, they aren't doing a service out of the good of their hearts so you can get want you want through them. Any one who sells a cat (savannah bengals, ect) are making money they may be breeding for the good of the breed, but they still want to make money, dont tell me that a litter of kittens sold for 900 and up for a pet or 2500 or even worse up to 3000 for a kitten and your not making money. Thats a good one. Arent savannas going with breeding rights from 3000 to 6000. ya but you dont make any money, right?
Please don't rope the bengal breeders in with the savannah breeders. I'm not even breaking even, no where even close. Sure would be nice to break even, but I don't care, because I enjoy doing this.
The food bill alone is $400 a month to feed our bengals. I'm not going to list all the other costs involved, because you can get a real good idea from that figure, how we're not making a penny.
 

gayef

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Originally Posted by celestialrags

... Any one who sells a cat (savannah bengals, ect) are making money they may be breeding for the good of the breed, but they still want to make money, dont tell me that a litter of kittens sold for 900 and up for a pet or 2500 or even worse up to 3000 for a kitten and your not making money. Thats a good one. Arent savannas going with breeding rights from 3000 to 6000. ya but you dont make any money, right?
I would imagine there are certain breeds which do command a higher price and I suppose that those breeds with fewer breeders actively working with them would be the ones that could get away with it. However, that all now being said, ~most~ breeders (and by breeder, I am using the TRUE definition of a responsible, ethical person making informed, educated choices in their program) absolutely do not make a ~profit~ from breeding. There is a distinct difference between making money and making profit. Yes, by selling kittens, we do "make money". However, most if not all and then some of that money goes right back into the cattery and expenses. It is NOT profit. Profit implies making more money than you spend.
 
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