Now here’s a penny auction with a different kind of offering, some people are afraid of these live animals. Snakes! Ball pythons to be exact. Turns out that BallBids.com has been offering a variety of ball pythons bred by the owner and from other snake retailers since late 2011! Who knew?
A very active ball python community on the Internet has been discussing the site for quite some time now too, so far there’s over 40 pages of forum posts and a bit of controversy.
Of course, many of the forum posters have been quick to call the site a scam, since it operates on the pay-per-bid penny auction model and many snake enthusiasts haven’t been familiar with penny auctions until BallBids.
The owner of the penny auction went on the popular Ball-Pythons forum to respond to skeptics only to be banned after posting 4 replies.
Zack of BallBids posted this response to a forum thread.
“It is not new if you apply it to every industry but new to this industry. A main difference in this site opposed to others is that people will be able to pick up something from the rewards store with there rewards points. Unlike any other penny auction we give back 5 percent of each purchase. That is more then credit cards…and there is no limit. What we have done is created something that can clean up all the excess snakes that people would normally sit on when not sold, and giving it back to the community. Best of all we buy them outright. This act will circulate the industry and stimulate growth to people who wouldn’t even consider buying a morph. It truly is a win win. The only catch is that we only do top quality and known lineage. So tell me, if you got a morph for 95 percent off and paid 30 dollars to get it you would not be happy? I know I would:-)”
“What differentiates us from the typical penny auction website is the fact that we give back 5% of the value of all purchases in the form of Reward Points, which can be redeemed for other prizes in our Reward Store (The selection is slim now, but it will be developed shortly).”
There’s even a “Say NO to BallBids fanpage on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Say-NO-to-Ballbids/149886288452749. Looks like there’s quite a bit of drama and controversy surrounding BallBids.
We decided to contact the page’s creator to find out what sparked the creation of the site, he told us:
Back in Dec 2011, I found out about Ballbids. A penny auctions for snakes. I keep snakes and we are always fighting for our rights to keep them. A lot of people in the reptile community did not or still do think that using a penny auction for live animals are a good thing for this hobby. Before Say No was created, we wanted to know that at least he was legally able to run a penny auction and people were asking if they were and if they needed a license. Well they said they did not and that they don’t need to prove nothing and started to ban and delete all negative comments. I was asked by a few people to start Say No to Ballbids which I did. We found out that they did not have proper licenses which they were shut down. And had to refund money. For the 6 months they were shut down, they moved their LLC to Missouri. Then they started to claim 6 months later that they wasn’t shut down and the emails that we have got were fake.
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=290982&highlight=Ballbids. [He wasn’t kidding about a lot to read, there’s actually 172 pages about BallBids!.. Whoa…]
Yes it is a lot to read but it pretty much gives the whole story, from the start. It also points how Ballbids react to negative publicity. ”
And everytime a snake doesn’t get bids where they will take a loss they either say that we have attacked the site, or they have network issues. The last 3 ended with the same network issues. All 3, they wouldn’t of made a profit.”
BallBids has auctioned Butterscotch Ghost Ball Pythons, Honey Bee Ball Pythons, Albino Ball Pythons, Killer Bee Ball Pythons and more, retailing for $200 to an upwards of $1,000.
Thinking about bidding on BallBids? Do you know how to care for a Ball Python? “How do I take care of a Ball Python?
Taking care of a Ball Python is much easier than you may think. Since they do not require large areas, an adult ball python is just fine living in a 41 quart tub with a lock lid, or similar type holding facility. Sub-adults can live in a 28 quart tub, and hatchlings are just fine in a 12 or 15 quart tub. Just add Bedding, a Water Bowl, and a Heat Source.
A Hide Box is recommended.
As for the Substrate, (bedding) Coconut Husk works well for absorption, but other options are available.
A Hygrometer will assist with knowing the humidity level in the tub.
As for the Heat Source, a Heat Pad with a Thermostat is reccomended.
Make sure you have a quality Thermostat. How you control your heat is a huge factor in the health and well being of your ball python.
A crock dish for water is imperative. Make sure to give your snake fresh water every 2 to 3 days.
Keep the humidity at 50%. Keep their ambient temperature at 80 to 85 degrees. The hot spot (the area being heated by the heat pad) should be around 88 to 91 degrees.”
BallBids’ snakes ship in USPS boxes, and unboxing videos from winners can be seen under “Winner Videos” on their site.
Is BallBids.com a legit penny auction site? Do you have experiences bidding there? Discuss this site with us and post your reviews and experiences in the penny auction forum.
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Marty April 10, 2013, 1:09 pm
Ballbids has been attacked by the hate group of SayNoToBallbids not only on FaceBook but their supporters have also attacked the server. I have posted evidence in the forum on this subject, please read.
Amanda Lee April 10, 2013, 1:15 pm
Yikes will take a look…
Marty April 10, 2013, 3:39 pm
Ballbids has auctioned off over 50 ball pythons and every winner has been happy and have submitted winner videos of unboxing. SayNOToBallbids wants you to believe Ballbids is a scam, but if you ask the winners, or just go to BallBids FaceBook Page, you can read for yourself the comments of participants. This hate group also has been posting on ScamHunter and other similar sites (where anyone can post anything and it is NOT checked or verified) that Ballbids is a scam. Ballbids has over 4300 likes on their FB page and over 16500 active members registered on Ballbids website.
Shaun April 12, 2013, 11:04 pm
The proof that he has on the page is falsified screenshots of a conversation that never happen. Say No has never done anything illegal which includes hacking or attacking the site. 2 people came to my site and said they did and was banned the moment they said they did.
McPhearson April 12, 2013, 8:24 am
I have been watching the ballbids fiasco since the beginning. Reading the above threads will show the immaturity of the people running the show. It’s not just saynotoballbids that believes ballbids is a scam, it’s most of the ball python community. I’m tired of hearing about all the ballbid members but yet they can’t sell anything that they could profit from, the same auctions that continually “experience problems.”
Megan April 12, 2013, 1:23 pm
HA! I bet your likes and friends have dropped down after the last 3 auctions were shut down mysteriously! And how many other auctions before that! It might not be a scam, people might actually be getting the snakes, but that doesnt mean this is a legit website or penny auction site. The people running it are out for one thing and one thing only…money. They are not going to take a loss on a snake, so if they dont get enough money or bids (probably due to the ever increasing failed auctions) they will close it and say they had technical issues. I have watched many auctions, even tried to use the 5 free bids they award to every new member…but the auctions would freeze with a second left and then be over with a miracle winner! SO sketchy!
Mike Reed April 12, 2013, 9:46 pm
What Marty doesn’t tell is how every negative comment is deleted from there Facebook page and the poster is banned. They claim no proof is ever provided of their wrong doing but each and every time a screen shot is posted as proof, it gets reported, removed and the poster gets a timeout from Facebook. Nearly half the 175 pages on fauna are Marty and Mark spouting the same hate filled accusations over and over to bury any valid points that are made. For a week after they posted on Facebook that the site was down, it still showed to be running and even showed a winner for the auction that failed three times in a row. Does this really sound like an honest operation?