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Question: Getting uneasy feelings about seller

Foxypaws

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Hi! First post here...thought it would be a better one than this, darn it. Long story ahead, so bear with me!

A few months ago I set up my first axolotl tank. About a month ago I decided to start looking for an axolotl to put in it. I began looking around, trying to find a good, reputable online breeder since my local pet stores rarely ever have any.

I found some photos of a GORGEOUS axolotl on reddit. They told me that they'd bought from a breeder on Instagram. I began looking at this particular breeder and decided that they were the one for me.

Now the color that I wanted was pretty uncommon I think. High white axanthic. I messaged this breeder and asked if they had any. She kind of skirted around the question and started talking about her wild types and such. Fine. I told her that I was actually looking specifically for a high white axanthic. She directed me to some beautiful axanthic coppers that she would have ready in about a month. I chalked it up that she didn't have any high white axanthics, but I did love those coppers so I told her I'd take one.

I asked her if it would be okay that she ship through FedEx, since that's where I work. I could take nearly a full day off of shipment time by having it come through my warehouse. She said that this would be okay but would cost me extra. I agreed to this and paid her.

A few days later she put up that coveted high white axanthic that I wanted. I was sorely disappointed to say the least. I had asked her if she had any! Several times! But that's okay.

Come shipment day, she told me she'd have to delay. I said okay. She tried to convince me to buy a second axolotl to join the other one. I told her that I wanted to wait and see the gender of the one that I had before buying a second (I don't want to breed) and she offered to exchange it for another if it ended up being the gender that I didn't want. I politely declined.

Today she sent me the tracking and it was 3 day shipping through USPS! I paid her $20 for 2 day shipping with one service and she paid $13 to another service. I asked her what happened to FedEx and she was confused and said that she always ships through USPS. She acted like we'd never had this conversation.

I ended up screenshotting her conversation of telling me/charging me for it and at that point she began to spout apologies, tell me she'd been sick, and offered me a refund of the difference it would cost.

I'm excited for my baby axolotl...but also hoping now that he will get here okay and be the expensive color that I paid for and not something else because she 'forgot' to give me the right one.

Am I just being overly paranoid with this? This is my first axolotl purchase and so far I don't feel like I've had a fantastic experience.
 

michael

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Always pay as a purchase through paypal or credit card. If their is a problem you can demand a refund. All axolotl keepers are eccentric. Hopefully your breeder is just bad on organizational skills and good on axolotl keeping.
 
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