our local store just calls them garter snakes too
but two of the sales clerks know me well enough to ask me stuff
I expect more from people who sell over the internet because one cannot see or handle the snake before purchasing
of course this expectation in not often met
when I do buy from internet sellers I don't know, I try to get some email dialogue going to get some sense of the person before I commit to a purchase
I also use the BOI on faunaclassifieds.com - with a couple of grains of salt
(I've bought from people who had bad feedback, if the person with the complaint seemed like an idiot)
it's always taking a chance though