InsectNet forum

I just read a bad trade post about some scammer on the pointless and useless website called facebook, I coudn't care less what happens on
facebunk or to it's users. This Insectnet site exists for a reason, it's not a fly by night gathering place for people who need to hide out
in what is obviously a decisive and questionably oriented platform. You get ripped off on facebunk, cry to it's operators.
I can spot a scam in a minute, and take logical and intelligent steps to prevent having my money stolen. People who have been
banned here, are the ones that gravitate to other platforms looking for victims.

This may not be farsebook, but it's clearly susceptible to scams.

Scams, mostly responding to WTB ads, have skyrocketed in all collectible markets. Mostly new users, but on more than one focus forum they've hacked the accounts of long-term, respected members and then post WTS.

In many cases, it's greed. There are plenty of red flags yet somebody just has to have that thing at half price, so much so they'll F&F money, never ask for proof of life, never research the purported seller, etc. It's hard to feel pity for those who ignore everything to save a few bucks.

Facebook is a great tool for entomology, many of us are using it including me. Some Insectnet members have found us thanks to facebook.
This said, facebook is NOT a safe place to purchase insects, I can list more than 100 scammers hunting there on the entomological community.

If you are looking for some serious suppliers, just look at our Insect Supplier lists. Most of the best suppliers are there !

I suggest from the Insect Suppliers webpage https://insectnet.com/suppliers when one of the suppliers links is clicked, open it in a new window; general web commerce operation says NEVER replace "your" window with another one.

Part of the challenge is for the rare & obscure. If you look at the inventory of the US suppliers, it's "same old". Europeans offer far more variety, and a far higher portion of the rarer species. Even still, many very rare species aren't available (or, often available) via retail; thus he who takes the risk gets the rarest.

And again, greed. Simply, collectors are willing to take risk to save a few dollars. Of course, when they fail to perform due diligence they still cry when ripped off. The retailers generally have reputable sources, but they get ripped off too, they have to account for that in the retail prices.

Farsebook has about zero care to control fraud; at least insectnet polices the ads as much as possible. As a community in general, inclusive of insectnet, it's strange that known fraudsters are tolerated; there have been serial con artists in the firearms community, and the community has responded in two manners: research and accumulating documentation for law enforcement, and when that fails, a face-to-face "talk" with the criminal. Why the insect collecting community tolerates serial fraud, and exposing new collectors to a known fraud, is beyond me.

I've no interest in buying specimens, so it's rather interesting to sit back and watch all the fraud and crybabies.

I have to say that I have made trades with peopke from Facebook and I hadn't have any kind of problems with them,I can say that I have even repeated the transactions and the only hazard is the post service.

Miguel wrote: ↑Wed Aug 17, 2022 9:37 am I have to say that I have made trades with peopke from Facebook and I hadn't have any kind of problems with them,I can say that I have even repeated the transactions and the only hazard is the post service.

That may be all well and good, after I made the original post, I did have some second thoughts about the desire of another hobbyist wanting
to warn others of a bad actor, and that is laudable, as it was, I let my initial reaction stand, as that site which is the subject, is in fact, a completely
different platform with it's own issues.
Kevin