Tips for buying long distance

I'm trying to come up with a list of ways people can protect themselves when buying a bird long distance and having them shipped. Obviously it isn't ideal but a lot of people find themselves in a position to consider it. However I always have a hard time coming up with thoughts on how people might be scammed and thus how to avoid being scammed any suggestions?


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Here goes with number 1 LOL

1) buy from a recommended or known breeder.

A lot of it I think comes down to just common sense and street smarts. Buy from somebody who is known, do your internet research up and down, make them send pictures, do reverse image searches on the pictures sent or ask for highly specific pictures to know they arent picked from somewhere else, always have a money trail - ie dont send cash via mail use something thats documentable like paypal or chase quickpay. If youre buying off craigslist, the things to look for may be obvious or very subtle - person does not initially list location, then when asked says across the country or when asked if you can come see the bird suddenly says they arent where they were supposed to be, check the area code on their phone number, never send money first ever on craigslist - you come see the bird and do the business in person.
Some more subtle things are no name of the bird, or no specific species in ad - ie " red macaw for sale" and then very vague descriptions that usually dont add up, also commonly in broken english. I dont care what ad it is, if you use Craigslist, demand a new picture of the bird with a piece of paper with a "code", ie send them a message saying please send me a picture with the bird and put a little piece of paper with the following code so I know this is really you, for my safety: TJCG77. It takes literally 30 seconds to snap a cell picture and upload it to enail, if they say no, move on. Ask for detailed descriptions as well, like diet, birds name, history, etc.
Also, if youre buying long distance, the seller should have a normal mode of shipping, ie they will say, I usually send my birds Delta overnight, the price is whatever, is this what you would like? First of all, quote the price yourself to see if the person is truthful, and second, if they dont seem to know how to ship and ask you, then back out.
Never send money first unless you have found evidence of the person being reputable. With the internet, this should be easy - if its not, then something aint right. Any reputable breeder will have reviews online or you can ask here. You can ask them the give you some references, but Id shy away from this because they can give you phone numbers of people in on the scam.

If you follow that first step with the picture code, you really cant go wrong, unless its a set up for a robbery. In that case, again you must use common sense. If they ask you to come alone, or ask, "will anyone be with you?" Thats a red flag. Youre buying a bird, its not important who youre with. With that said, always bring a friend along and have a cell phone. I carry a knife everywhere I go, but this is up to you, I do walk through some rough places. Also, if they have the price listed for say $2000 and you offer $1000 and they immediately say yes - why are they suddenly saying yes to HALF their asking price? Thats not right. If you show up and things dont seem right, drive off. Would you rather get robbed or be safe? Even if youre not 100% sure, dont take the risk, and if it was legit, the person will understand. I have never bought birds from CL but imagine these are some scams to look for as rhey are with other things. Im very observant myself and have been shot at and knives pulled so Im a little more vigilant to the signs than many but usually youll get that little sense like hmm, thats strange. Even if it doesnt strike you as scam, if something seems off, move on.
To sum it up, ask for a picture with a personalized message, look for details, search for reputation, watch for any sudden changes or any inability to answer questions, pay attention to details, and make sure everything is in context. If you smell fish, run!
I think these are all good for people looking to buy online.

The photo with the code is a great idea.

I have great moral ambivalence about parrots as pets. They are so intelligent, and require such emotional support, and they live so long. I think, what kind of person gets a parrot? One, a young person who is captivated by the beauty and wonder, has the time and energy to devote to the bird, but whose life is just beginning. There are so many factors - the arrival of children, human partners who aren't compatible, job changes and moves. Many of these parrots will be rehomed. Two, an older person who has the time, the money, and the temperament to be a stable long term home for a parrot, but who may well not outlive them. Those birds will be rehomed when the owners go where the bird cannot follow. People who are in the midst of life, who already have kids and families and busy lives might either correctly judge the needs of the bird and the available resources, or might underestimate the needs, maybe not have enough time to devote to research, and will either not get a bird, get a bird and realize it was a mistake in which case rehomed, or things might be good. There are so many ways in which human lives become incompatible with the parrots' needs, and so few cases of perfect lifelong harmony.

There are so many unwanted parrots. There are so many parrots in "refuges" and rescue situations. There are so many parrots in basements and closets because they scream too much to have in the TV room but are too valuable to give away. There are so many starved, neglected, abused, suffering parrots in the world. It is as wrong to keep them as pets as it was wrong to keep humans as slaves. I know the argument that the captive trade keeps the gene pool going to let the species survive if it becomes extinct in the wild, but the species is going extinct in the wild because the parrots are worth so much money to poachers. If the birds had no resale value as pets, they would not be worth poaching, so wild parrots won't be trapped, have their feet glued to sticks as bait birds to attract others with cries of distress, have their nest trees cut down and half the babies die during the process, not be jammed neck first into plastic water bottles with the bottoms cut out or taped up or drugged and stuffed into tires or any of the myriad torments imposed by smugglers who only care that enough birds survive to make a profit.

It is a terrible, horrific business, the business of poaching live parrots for sale into the pet trade. I see no ethical solution: if parrots are expensive and can be kept as pets, the poaching will continue. Parrots will never be cheap, because they can't be produced in vast quantities. It isn't possible to stop poaching because the space to police is so vast. Even parrots bred in captivity by good people and placed into carefully vetted homes will live unnatural lives, lives without the love and companionship of their own mate, without a sky to fly in, without a flock of their own kind, and eventually, most almost certainly, die in captivity or be shuffled from home to home.

All of which is leading up to the suggestion that the best way to get a parrot, if you must have a parrot, is to adopt one from a rescue, or from someone needing to rehome one, and not support the pet trade by buying babies. Go find an older bird, one who needs love, maybe they pluck feathers or don't talk or they bite or they are hormonal...things that humans did to them that make them unattractive to humans. But that isn't going to happen...and the pet trade isn't going to stop, so respectable, ethical breeders are the next best hope. To buy a bird long distance, buy from one of these responsible, humane, ethical breeders or else go to the website of a respected parrot rescue. Petfinder is a great source for all kinds of animals, including birds, who need loving homes. Going through a verified channel like this protects you from scams, cuts down on the number of birds stolen and resold, and helps the rescue free up a spot for another bird.

When I go buy tires, the dealer charges me a disposal fee. It's required in some places, and helps prevent dealers dumping tires illegally. I wish every parrot sale came with a mandatory Rescue Support fee, that went to feed and house unwanted or unadoptable parrots in decent, safe environments. Our poor Gus - he's 14 years old, on his third home, doesn't talk, has behavior issues, has special medical needs, and will likely outlive us. We put him in the will and theoretically he will be taken care of, but it's really out of our hands whether people do right by him or not.

So well said Loko and Kentruckienne!

We have never gone wanting for an Amazon! The numbers offered over any given year is frightening.

As a General Statement: Rehome locally! Spend time with the Parrot. Find a Parrot that wants to be with you!!! Let them choice you! We choose to take on the unwanted, but that is our choice! There are way too many Parrots that with proper care, Love and Understanding will make excellent members of someones forever home! There is just no reason to go across North America looking for a Parrot!

Sailboat is right. Adopting a rehomed bird that chooses YOU, you are way more likely to have a bird that loves you than if you bought a hand fed baby. It's like any kind of love, would you rather meet your true love in the neighborhood, or buy an expensive mail-order spouse from a catalog?

Thank you for the replies, particularly Loko who had so many great suggestions!

Where and how to acquire a parrot will always be a hot topic for debate, but I respect the opinions stated here. I'm not looking to acquire another parrot, but at this specific moment, like I said, I'm making a list of the ways a person who has decided to buy long distance can protect themselves.


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If anyone wants a bird checked out in the reasonable distance from Louisville KY I would be glad to help.

The problem I have with getting a bird from a rescue.
Hoops. LOTS of HOOPS you have to jump through before they decide you are "acceptable".

I can understand the reason for this but that does not mean I will put up with multiple visits to my home by strangers. Multiple drives long distance to see the bird you are interested in. Classes on how to care for a parrot when you already know how and have been doing it for 30 years.

I have looked into rescue birds and all these things are the things no one mentions when talking about getting a rescue bird.