Beware of fake hisser ads on eBay!

nepenthe

nepenthe

Third Instar
As the saying goes, "If it looks too good to be true..."

This seller has been posting a number of questionable ads on ebay for live insects at suspiciously low prices.  It looks like several of their hisser listings are just portentosa hybrids or morphs, like this poorly spelled listing for "grandieri":

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Tiger-Hissing-Cockroach-GROMPHADORHINA-GRANDIERI-Feeder-Mixed-Size-Nymphs/323288073454?hash=item4b457884ee:g:IcEAAOSwL7ta~eIm

Correct me if I'm wrong but that looks like regular portentosa to me!  I've tried reporting some of the seller's listings but eBay doesn't seem to care.  Be careful!

 
Not sure if they're grandidieri or not, but they definitely do seem to be a black morph of something. lol

Regardless, I completely agree that this is an unreliable seller and he has in fact been ousted from many invert Facebook groups for his bad reputation. 

 
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Ahh interesting.  He's also violating other listing practices so he may not be around long if eBay decides to enforce them.

 
Just curious... which policies? I'm not well-versed in eBay's guidelines. Probably should read up on that... I just assume eBay is like the wild west — anything goes. ?

 
Products are listed in inappropriate categories and with terms that violate category rules (for example, the mantises all ship regular post instead of one-day, which the category requires). Looking at this dude's ebay store again....it seems like these mistakes could be out of ignorance but something just doesn't sit right with me.

ebay used to be really strict about only allowing feeders to be sold but it looks like they've gotten a bit more lenient (fish seem to be okay now for whatever reason, but tarantulas still aren't?).  Still, I'm pretty sure a lot of invert listings violate their terms, like all the millipedes being sold as feeders. Unless there's a site wide crackdown, I doubt anything will happen to you :)

 
Gotcha. It's the first I've seen of him ... which is strange, because I tend to keep a pretty close eye on the ebay roach market. Must be his bad spelling and incorrect categories. And yeah, I've noticed a lot more people trying to pass off a range of things as "feeders." I guess everybody eventually gets eaten by someone. 

Thanks for the heads up!

 
Hahah!  Should try that out sometime.  "For auction, 8 week old schnauzer feeder puppies"

I did get temporarily suspected for not following their rules, but I managed to get away with it for a while before they cracked down on me.  In my defense I thought the rule was rather open to interpretation... a knock off monopoly board game I don't see promoting violence as they claimed.  

 
He now has Platymeris for sale as a feeder ... Maybe you can start listing your slings now. ?

 
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