buying tarantulas abroad

[jasonannal]

Hi evryone my name is Jason and have been keeping tarantulas for over 10 years . I currently have approx 120 species of slings and adults , i have bred 2/3 species in last couple of years with good results and have been a member of bts for many years.
I go to the main show every year without fail as love to see what is going on in the hobby,but very rarely do i actually write on here but thought i had to try and speak to other people in the club or hobby to see if i can shed some light on a very dissapointed member of the tarantula hobby.
Me and my girlfreind have for the past few months been trying to purchase a p.metallica from wherever we could find one as really want one for the collection, we found someone in cameroon and to cut a long story short we got ripped off no spider and no money back either about £225 all in so not good i trusted this man like i did all tarantula people but now i am severly doubtful of anyone else because of whats happened.
I know people will say i was daft for doing it but have bought a lot of spiders over last few years with no probs until now im still looking for p.metallica but dont know how to trust what total strangers are telling me after the last experience .
I will say if anyone has any dealings with carlos rippo from cameroon dont bother!!!! hes a liar and thief!!!!!!!
And ive just been speaking to someone in austria petra her name is but i googled her name and shes on a blacklist in germany to do with tarantulas so wont be sending any money .
IF ANYONE CAN HELP ME TO FIND A P.METALLICA AND CAN PROVE I WONT GET CONNED AGAIN PLEASE REPLY.
Sorry to moan but very big lover of all things tarantula and am very very downhearted by being conned in this hobby!!!!!

[Dan Kennard]

Sorry to hear that mate. There are several P. metallica scams originating from Camaroon, and it's well known within the hobby that it's best to steer clear from them.

Most people in the hobby are decent, and legitimate. However, you're not the first person to be scammed, and unfortunately won't be the last.

In regards to where you can get a P. metallica from, they occasionally pop up here and there. The RFUK forum seems the best place to find them. There have been a couple of sacs in Europe during the last couple of months, so you should see them filter through to the UK, however, you're looking to be paying around £80+ per sling in that case.

I have a breeding pair on the go at the moment. Got really close on the last attempt, but the male was a bit on the useless side. Didn't get an insertion for about 3 months, and as such, the female was too far into her cycle. This time seems to be going much better, and with any luck, I'll have some up in a few months.

[Eduard Johan Hijmensen]

why even risk sending spiders in this cold weather. just wait for the BTS show in May.
there you can see the spider before buying (and even have it sexed.)

and meet all the spider freaks all in the same day. what more do you want?

[wayne balcombe]

Hi jason,

i've come across Juan Carlos Rippo in the past, stating he is doing research in cameroon and has P.metallica for sale at what seems like a really good price, i was tempted untill he used the phrase "payment via western union" thats when i became suspicious, i asked a few of the guys on here about it before i commited to anything and all said the same thing............... dont touch it with a barge pole!

It is such a shame that there are people out there prepared to swindle people out of money over these spiders but i suppose there will always be dishonest people around anything of high value.

My advice to you woud be to buy face to face, that way you can see what you're getting and exchange the money in person for the merchandise.

The sheer desperation that some hobbiests have to acquire this species for their collection has led to prices being inflated far beyond the actual value, thus people are prepared to pay almost anything for them.

I think for myself i will be waiting untill a few breeders have a successful mating and fertile sac and purchase a few pairs for breeding at reasonable prices and hopefully if more people do this and concentrate on the captive breeding of these spiders for the right reasons instead of financial gain, prices should start coming down.

[Kurt Baird]

I think for myself i will be waiting untill a few breeders have a successful mating and fertile sac and purchase a few pairs for breeding at reasonable prices and hopefully if more people do this and concentrate on the captive breeding of these spiders for the right reasons instead of financial gain, prices should start coming down.

+1!

I think at the moment posting is a risking business whether or not the T is coming from somewhere else in the UK due to the cold weather.

Your best bet might be to get in touch with some of the German collectors though, if you're that desperate for one.

[Peter Lacey]

someone is currently selling some on T-store for what relates to £67

[Peter Kirk]

I'm with Eddie on this one - why not wait until the BTS Show and get one (or more) for a more reasonable price and that you can see before you buy??

[Phil Rea]

I'm with Eddie on this one - why not wait until the BTS Show and get one (or more) for a more reasonable price and that you can see before you buy??

Absolutely agree

P. metallica do come up for sale fairly regularly, so good luck obtaining one, and sorry to hear you got ripped off.