BUYERS BEWARE OF - Page 2

Ellis Park

Very true.  I have purchased GSD's from both Germany and Serbia before and have not had any problems with the sellers until now.  Unfortunately one bad apple spoils the bushel.

I know more or less how it works as I have joined my breeder friends meeting several dogs at the airport, but I would like to know more how exactly does this whole thing really go. You transfer the money to the seller's bank account, and then he usually sends some person to fly the dog to his new destination, and the new owner (the buyer) receives the dog at the airport ?

Ellispark, that may be how it's typically done in the dog world where you're at, but it's not the way it's usually done elsewhere.

Sometimes, a buyer knows or finds someone who is making a trip to the general vicinity where the dog is located, and that person is able to bring the dog back on their return flight as extra baggage; then there are times when someone engages a broker to go over to Europe and find a dog for the person, or goes themselves so they can see the dog in the fur. 

More typical when it comes to dogs being shipped from Europe to the USA or Canada, though, is for the buyer to send the seller payment for the dog [usually the full amount, plus the shipping & other costs as agreed on]; then the seller is supposed to ship dog [usually as cargo], unaccompanied by anyone, to the North American buyer. The seller provides the buyer with all the flight info, if such is actually booked and the dog is actually shipped out, and then the buyer gets to the designated airport and hopefully an airline kennel arrives with a live dog inside, and if the buyer dealt with an honest seller, the dog is actually the one the buyer was expecting to receive.

It's extremely easy for someone to be scammed this way; in fact, I think it's more surprising that there aren't more people conned out of their money completely, or victims of a 'bait and switch' where the dog that arrives bears no resemblance to the dog they agreed to purchase. I think most of the European sellers are decent, honest folks, regardless of the country in which they are located, but there are always going to be the thieves among us, no matter what the activity or occupation.

A person can go the escrow route to ensure shipment and health of the dog.

At one time Oli was going to start offering escrow services. I am wondering if members might be interested in having a service like this?

I wonder what South Africans etc do when they import from Germany or Eastern Europe ?  Unless they are all SO rich

they always go over themselves ?  Seems to me they and countries a simillar distance away are in much the same boat

as Americans.  I would think the W Indies is somewhat similar, except they mostly seem to buy British dogs.  We, of course,

don't really have the problem;  very rarely hear of people getting scammed, as if you can't afford to go in person, you can't

afford to buy and maintain overseas dogs.

hexe, thank you for providing so much useful information, highly appreciated. it's the first time that I hear that a dog flies all by itself :/ here there was always a person to meet the buyer/seller with the dog at the airport.

GDS Admin, how exactly can we use this escrow service ? and how does it work