Side Bar Top Main Page Top
You are here: Home > FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this site all about?

In a nutshell, speciestrader.com is a classifieds site with a difference. The idea is that instead of classifieds being posted arbitrarily, they are listed by scientific/latin name. Your buy and sell listings persist until you decide you don't want them any more. Buyers can list anonymously and be emailed when a seller has what they want. Sellers can see how many buyers are waiting for a particular species.

It's designed to be quick to use and quick to list species.


Does the site provide a mechanism for trading, like ebay?

No, speciestrader.com does not get involved in any transactions or disputes. You can think of it like a "yellow pages" or "telephone directory" devoted to species.


Is it really free?

It certainly is!

Why use scientific/latin names?

Scientific/Latin names are great for uniqueness! Common names aren't really suitable because they differ from place to place and one common name can represent many different species. We do have a common name search where we do our best to associate common names with scientific/latin names. And you'll notice that you can assist us by suggesting them. However, by insisting on listing by scientific/latin name, it hopefully gives more confidence to buyers that they will get exactly what they expect. Obviously there are no guarantees - the species could have been misidentified - but every little helps...


My animal/plant type is not listed...

That doesn't mean we don't list the species you are looking for. We simply don't know about the type yet. Try searching by scientific/latin or common names for members of that type.

Remember... a species doesn't need to be listed already for you to sell or buy them. You just need to know the scientific/latin name so you can be the first to list it.

If you're looking to buy... click here to set up a buy alert, enter your email and add the species names you are looking for. If someone lists for any of those species you will be informed by email.

If you wish to sell... click here to set up a seller account. It's free and you can list all your species, regardless of whether we've already heard of them!


I can't find [insert name of species]...

That doesn't mean we don't list it. We suggest...

  • Check the spelling - there may be alternate spellings.
  • Search for Genus only - this may help you find alternate or mispelled species.
  • Search for Species only - this may help you find species that have been reclassified to a new genus.
  • If you know a common name for it, try our common name search box.
  • Try and find out if it is known by any other scientific/latin names - these names can change as new scientific evidence comes to light.

If you still can't find it, it needs adding!

You can do this as part of a buy alert or a seller registration.


How can I help?

We're glad you asked... ;)

Promotion

The most help we need is with promotion. For a site like this to work well it's important to have as many sellers, buyers and species listed on it as possible.

Tell people you know...

Tell your friends and fellow forum users about us.

Link to us

Have a look at our banners page. There are different banners to choose from and the code to use them.

Alternatively, you can link to specific page by using the "Link to this page" on the side bar.

Suggest Common names

One way is to help us build up a knowledge of common names for as many species as possible. You can do this by visiting type, genus and species pages and clicking the "Suggest common names" link. Try to ensure that you make the correct distinction. For example...

  • The term "Snail" relates to the Type "Gastropods"
  • The term "Giant African Land Snails" relates to the Genera "Achatina" and "Archachatina"
  • The term "Tiger Snail relates to the Species "Achatina achatina"

Privacy

Buyers' email addresses are kept entirely anonymous. When sellers list we will inform the buyers - not the other way round.

As sellers you can choose what informaion is made public. This can be changed at any time via your profile settings.

Side Bar Bottom Main Page Thin Bottom