Buying online (thoughts)

[HermitCrabCHICA]

Don't order hermit crabs online. I have never bought live things online and neither should anyone else. Shipping live animals!? Hermit crabs are fragile creatures and need lots of things they will not get while being shipped. What if you could order a puppy online? Would you order a puppy online? I wouldn't. So why should you order a hermit crab online?

[aussieJJDude]

I've brought over 10 different shipments online, and only have had one bad experience where they didn't include a heat pack due to being really hot up north and my area had a cool zone. Now, I'll always demand a heat pack regardless and even the seller admitted their mistake.

It's no different to buying an animal in store, they have to be shipped (often multiple times) before they hit to store and still have to be 'shipped' to your home. I just cut out the middle man, which in my mind, makes times less traumatic on the animal.


And yeah, you can buy puppies online, in fact many pure-bred dogs you buy online and I know a couple of people thats had their pure-bred puppy shipped from airport to airport.

It's 100% a personal decision, but I don't feel it's right for one to say no one can buy off-line. Some may not have choice and when done in an appropriate manner, the risks are low.

[wodesorel]

And yeah, you can buy puppies online, in fact many pure-bred dogs you buy online and I know a couple of people thats had their pure-bred puppy shipped from airport to airport.

It's 100% a personal decision, but I don't feel it's right for one to say no one can buy off-line. Some may not have choice and when done in an appropriate manner, the risks are low.

For once, I think we disagree. The amount of online purchased puppies that die has been increasing every year to the point that (legit) animal welfare groups have issued warnings over it. Both in transit during shipment, and after they get home because the "breeders" are scammers and are sending very ill dogs out.

The same can be true for hermits and other animals. There are very few companies that care about the animals they mail and are only concerned about the money they make. There are several companies that have absolutely awful reputations for sending dead and dying animals in the wrong mailing conditions, but because they have a flashy website and have a huge selection, people keep right on buying from them. They really are basically scammers at this point and it's working because it's all hidden away behind a screen and they can control the narrative.

Yes, mailing of crabs can absolutely be done safely if the time and effort is taken to make sure it's done correctly, but that takes away from the profit. (Although in the US I'm still not sure that our mail system has caught up enough to make it safe enough. There are still major issues!)

[HermitCrabCHICA]

I totally agree

[curlysister]

It might be one of those things that varies between countries. My sister bred her CKC registered Wire Fox Terrier three times. Once was not successful, but the other two times were. All three times, she sent the female to another province by plane, to be bred. Some of the puppies were sold in province, but some were sold to other provinces, and were shipped by plane. Not mail, mind you, but airline. There were absolutely no problems whatsoever. She also made absolutely no profit on her puppies, LOL, but that was not the point of the breeding.