Buying imports / Risky business - Page 1

I am blown away by the large amounts of negative experiences as describes by buyers. There must be a better way to safe-guard
ourselves from would be scammers, thieves and bait & switchers. We all can't afford TOP dogs from the BIG kennels but can afford nice
animals at a fair price. Why aren't we forcing these smaller kennels to use some type of escrow service? Ok, well maybe they won't want to use it but I will
keep my hard earned money in my pocket...... Once you sent that 3k via Western Union it's gone and now you have to pray to get what you paid for.

What do you all think????

i don't think the top dogs from the big kennels are really that much more expensive than average decent dogs from average decent kennels TBH, also depends on what you call a top dog which is by no means unanimous.  not talking the sunday classifieds or the pet shop dogs which are less expensive but top pups from top kennels all seem around the $1500-$2000 mark roughly speaking in working lines at least. a small percentage of total import costs, of course a green/started/trained/finished dog will be more dollars accordingly.


the relatively small differences in price seems not to be the motivation for risking your dough on purchasing from questionable breeders from questionable parts of the world.

why people so flippantly import from high risk people and high risk places is beyond my understanding - maybe i have had to work to hard for my money.

Well I think it's bs how they do this to people looking for dogs, we all work hard for our money and just to have it stolen from us isn't fair.i have a lawyer Germany  who said cases like this are cut and dry either money or a good dog. I'll let you guys know what happens in my situation . I know they have substantial amount of buyers but you would think they would have more respect for them and what they are producing.. 

Interesting topic.

A few years ago there was a similar discussion. A few responded with ways to help. I had a pretty good setup. Find your dog, send the money to a vet in Germany. Have the dog taken to the vet and have the vet check the dog, check the paperwork, check to see that the dog is as represented. If all goes well the seller leaves the signed paperwork behind and walks out of the vets office with the money. Dog can stay at the vets office until picked up or taken an hour away to GK for shipping.

No one was really interested.

Think about it. The type of people that send money to someone they don't know for something they have never seen because it sounds like a good deal really aren't the type of people that are smart enough to protect themselves from what they do to themselves are they? There's just something that sounds sooooo good about sending a couple thousand dollars overseas to buy something you have never seen from someone you never met,,,that people get sucked into it. They just can't help themselves. Never mind it has risk involved, just throw caution to the wind and put a couple thousand in the mail. I know it tempting. Just send that money you don't really want to someone you don't really know, but it just sucks you in. You have to do it. You can't resist. Poof it's gone........

Nothing left to do but let everyone know just how stupid you were as all the other stupid people did on PDB. Nothing better than to be broke and miserable by yourself. Might as well let the world know too.


 

Be a smarter buyer!.

I think look at a bigger picture.. it is not just smaller kennel= crook that is BS.  There is far more turmoil and hunger (yes for staples) in many other countries right now then your mega news quip tells you. Even European countries are having taxes impossed over night and land practically stole from people ...PEOPLE are hungry.. people who are hungry are not making all the money.. similar to drug trafficing.. you think the mules are making the money off scamming you?  Patronize people and companies you can approve of..it is hard to know that sometimes..but take time to learn more before jumping over the bridge because someone says ooooh its such a nice dog(????)  s

Interesting this article in the FCI newsletter... and I wonder if people would write them and or SV or entities/ kennel clubs etc to inform them of the so called *Rip offs*  TH

http://www.dogdotcom.be/en/Welpenhandel.aspx 

OOOP there are reliable sources and American third parties that are honest and reliable who facilitate such things with good and honest endings. 
 

If I were in your situation - guys from overseas , I would get on the plane and fly to see the dog I am interested in in person.I wouldn´t send the money to people I don´t know unless I had good references from other people I trust.

I have two German import males that come from two different small kennels. The first I purchased through a reputable American breeder who regularly imports for herself as well as clients. The second was imported by a breeder I met in training club. What should you take from this?

1. If you don't know the country or the language, you have to know someone trustworthy on the inside.

2. You have to take the time and energy to develop friendships and associations with German shepherd enthusiasts.

3. It is better to pay a little more up front and get fairly close to what you want (no such thing as a perfect dog) than to save $1000 (or whatever) and get ripped off.

4. Or at least attend some local shows/trials. You may eventually befriend a person with a good reputation who can use their expertise to get you the best dog for YOU.

5. Make sure that you are being realistic about the type of dog you want, and educate yourself. You may think you want a certain thing. This is why people often give up dogs that end up being too much for them to handle. You should not consider an animal that will challenge you way beyond your abilities.   

 

I would only import through a breeder who imports for themselves and offers an import service; sometimes they already have litters and adults they import for sale which is even better to me. If I didn't like any of the puppies or planned litters you have the option of turning to the import litters instead.