Poecilotheria Metallica...................

[wayne balcombe]

I have just been offered 3 P.Metallica juvies, 2 sexed as female and 1 male for £170. the spiders are 3-3.5inches l/s. is this a reasonable price?

i do not have a massive amount of experience with the buying and selling of poecilotheria sp. and although P. Metallica has been on my wish list for quite some time i don't want to pay over the odds.

any response would be welcome.

[Dan Kennard]

I have just been offered 3 P.Metallica juvies, 2 sexed as female and 1 male for £170. the spiders are 3-3.5inches l/s. is this a reasonable price?

i do not have a massive amount of experience with the buying and selling of poecilotheria sp. and although P. Metallica has been on my wish list for quite some time i don't want to pay over the odds.

any response would be welcome.

That's a pretty gppd price... I'd be weary myself, as the market price for slings has risen over £70 again, so 2 females & a male for £170 seems a bit too good to be true.

[Ryan Simons]

Can you even check the sex of a pokie while its a sling?

[Dan Kennard]

Can you even check the sex of a pokie while its a sling?

Yup. It's highly dependent on the person's experience in ventral sexing, but metallica are quite easy to sex from a young age

[Ray Hale]

Is the seller a reputable dealer. Do you know him ( or her) and if so do you know of anyone who has bought from them. Are they in the UK. Nothing wrong with dealing with Europe but with delays in the post you may have a problem. If all is as it seems then its a good price.

Ray

[wayne balcombe]

hi ray.

i've had an email back from the dealer, he states that hes in camaroon carrying out research at the moment, he seems geniune but want me to transfer payment to him via western union, he believes the spiders will arrive safe within 48 hours.

on pondering this i've decided not to take the chance, it doesn't feel right and reeks of a scam, i'm a little disheartened as i've not seen any of these for sale anywhere else and it is on my wish list though not as disheartened as i would have been if i'd taken the chance and lost almost 200 quid.

as dan said earlier, too good to be true.

[Craig Mackay]

Sounds like it could be a scam, probably best not to risk it mate.

[Phil Rea]

hi ray.

i've had an email back from the dealer, he states that hes in camaroon carrying out research at the moment, he seems geniune but want me to transfer payment to him via western union, he believes the spiders will arrive safe within 48 hours.

on pondering this i've decided not to take the chance, it doesn't feel right and reeks of a scam, i'm a little disheartened as i've not seen any of these for sale anywhere else and it is on my wish list though not as disheartened as i would have been if i'd taken the chance and lost almost 200 quid.

as dan said earlier, too good to be true.

Don't touch it with a bargepole. If you see the words Western Union and Cameroon in the same message or advert it will be a scam.

A quick internet search reveals this :

Hello
Actually i am very happy with the interest you have in my metallicas.
below is a little about me and how i will be shipping them over to you,
I will be shipping them from Cameroon.
I am presently in Cameroon carrying on some research works.I'm a Medical Entomologist at the University of Buea , Cameroon .Entomology Department and Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit. My research involves insects of public health importance, including mosquitoes that transmit arboviruses (including West Nile and Lacrosse encephalitis) and parasites that cause lymphatic filariasis. Projects address pathogen-vector interactions at the organismal and molecular levels to explore factors that control vector competence. Surveillance projects involving mosquito and tick-borne diseases in Cameroon will be ongoing..The spider will take between 24-48 hours to be delivered to your address and i will be using a heat pack container to post the spiders to you. So you don't have anything to worry about.The total including postage and delivery to you would cost 120 $ for 2 spiders,meaning that the cost price for one is 60 $ below are some pictures hope you will like them, i can ship the spider lings over to you tomorrow if only you agreed with all that i have just told you, i wait for your soonest reply,

Coincidental, don't you think?

[wayne balcombe]

funny that phil, its almost word for word the message i recieved earlier and i see my gut instinct was correct...................... i dont suppose the signature on the quote you just added was Juan Carlos Rippo??

[Peter Lacey]

Ive seen this multiple times
unfortunately those who parted with their money never saw any spiders
but they did receive requests for more money.

come back Ester Rantzen all is forgiven

[Phil Rea]

funny that phil, its almost word for word the message i recieved earlier and i see my gut instinct was correct...................... i dont suppose the signature on the quote you just added was Juan Carlos Rippo??

The message that I found didn't contain a signature Wayne, but I've seen a few examples with different names and different high value species offered

[wayne balcombe]

i figured as much.

i will just have to keep my eyes and ears peeled untill a genuine oppertunity arises to get hold of these spiders.

thanks for your input guys.