Very good perspective on pricing animals for sale

[mschmied]

I came across this in another thread and thought it gave a very good perspective in my mind on the ball python market and what should drive the prices. It isn't long by any means so please if intend to breed at some point check this out. You don't have to agree with this opinion but you should at least hear it out.

Thanks guys!

http://ballpythonbreeder.com/2009/04...price-animals/

[babyknees]

He's got some great points. Good read!

[iCandiBallPythons]

Colin Weaver is a great guy.The topics he covers and his insights are great in my opinion

[rubenjames]

i agree

[ClarkT]

WOW!!! What a great read! Great understanding of what's happening.

I sure wish everyone would listen to his advice and follow it!

Anyway, thanks for posting that!

[Crawly's Mom]

As someone who is just getting into ball pythons and beginning to buy a few to prepare for breeding in the future, I have no idea who those people are he recommends speaking to. Is it wrong for me to look at pricing on kingsnake.com to try and figure out what a reasonable price on a morph is? I intend to go to the Phoenix Reptile Expo in November and all I have to go off of pricing wise is kingsnake.

[ClarkT]

Did he ever get the site up and going? Or was this just a frustration rant and he gave up on the idea?

This writeup should be spread throughout the BP community like wildfire! I hope everyone that reads it will share it with everyone they know in the breeding business, whether hobby, or profit.

[mschmied]

As someone who is just getting into ball pythons and beginning to buy a few to prepare for breeding in the future, I have no idea who those people are he recommends speaking to. Is it wrong for me to look at pricing on kingsnake.com to try and figure out what a reasonable price on a morph is? I intend to go to the Phoenix Reptile Expo in November and all I have to go off of pricing wise is kingsnake.

I think mainly what he is referring to is the prices people set when they post snakes for sale online. When you go to a show most likely the prices there are less than you will see online due to the lack of a shipping cost. Again, there are always exceptions to a rule. But his article is meant to preserve the pricing on some of these animals. Eventually prices will fall as certain morphs become more and more common, but the trend we are seeing is racing at an alarming rate. It really boils down to if you are producing quality animals or not. If you are then eventually they will sell because quality and a good name trumps all.

[mschmied]

Do a google search of some of these breeders he lists and you will be able to see what these animals are going for and be able to contact these guys. And when it is your turn to post your animals online or you are at a show you can properly value with quality being the main driver. This is an expensive hobby to get into and people need to realize that. Getting into this just because you see dollar signs is not a reason to be doing it. Because of this we have seen people letting animals go for significantly less than market value just to get some return off of it all. If you can't afford it then don't do it. Period. Ball pythons and the ball python market is a lot different than any other good out there. The way these animals increase in value with age contradicts most anything on the market other an antiques.

[Slashmaster]

Undercutting is definitely an issue. I see it on online games all the time. Something may have a high market value, then someone undercuts that, then the next person undercuts that, then the next... it's a nasty cycle until the product is virtually worthless.

It's sort of a mantra in the US, at least, that businesses NEED to compete with others and reducing prices is the way to do it. If Big Breeder has their snake for $500, Average Joe knows his name doesn't command the respect that Big Breeder has, so he has to sell for less. Maybe he puts it up for $450. Then Average Jane sees Joe selling for $450, and thinks - if the customer sees my price at $450 and Joe's price at $450, I have a theoretical 50% chance of a sale, but if they see my price at $425, they're more likely to come to me because it's cheaper!

Walmart mentality, I think. And the cycle continues.

I really do like his example about the fake snakes going up to manipulate that market. I bet that would affect things, especially if he claims to have constantly incoming stock. At the same time, I think if he didn't have the snakes there wouldn't be any pictures of said snakes, making the ad look less reputable. But then again, if all he has to state is "they're sold out, sorry," there would be no pictures for them anyway.