Ball Python Market Crash/Flood.

Has anyone else thought of this subject? With so many people out there trying to breed, many for the wrong reasons. How long before the market gets so flooded with poor quality animals and cheap almost "puppy mill" like animals? I would really like to get into breeding, but I can't care for hundreds of snakes one day without some help or at least some income.

If the market crashes or gets too flooded it could become super difficult to actually sell those quality animals you worked so hard to produce. Those are my thoughts, what are yours?

my thoughts are let them breed crappy animals, the good ones will always look better and shine through, plus theres enough serious people to keep the "good" market going

smart ppl will buy smart and breed/sell/buy high quality animals and the same goes for the not so smart, or ignorant or the ones who just dont care, to breed/sell/buy low quality animals. every industry where things are bought and sold end up that way.

There are a couple threads related to this you might find interesting -

Nearing the end of guaranteed genetics

You freaking numnuts! I'm not a flipper!

Kelley Bluebook of Ball Pythons (And a link to an articule specifically relating to a hypothetical 'crash' to the ball python market

Very good perspective on pricing animals for sale (and a link to an article)

What do you think of BP pricesgoing down year after year?

If it's too good to be true..... (more conversation on pricing ball pythons)

Most people who buy ball pythons directly from breeders do so because they want high quality animals. If people didn't care what their animals looked like they would go to Petco or Petsmart and pick up a normal for next to nothing. People who produce crappy animals tend to bury themselves. I don't worry about it (not that I am producing large amount of animals right now). Reputation is everything when it comes to this business. I would rather pay the full market price on any ball python as long as it comes from reputable breeder. If I'm looking for a specific morph I would pay $1000 for something from a big name, than $500 for the same animal that looks garbage produced by joe blow.

Lets put it this way. Everyone want's to breed. If I am looking to get an animal to reproduce for me, I am going to want something that I can sell at market prices. If I'm paying half price because the animal looks like crap, than I am going to expect that I will only get half price for any of the animals produced with those genes. It's all about the profit margin.

What I do worry about is tons of people flooding the market with high quality animals.

I think there is a market for both. People breeding low quality bps also buy from others with low quality and people that just want a pet will buy cheap. Breeders of high quality also buy high quality and so will serious collectors. Most the time people that buy low quality because it's what they can afford! I don't care if I have to save for a year to get a great example of the morph I want! Don't forget, what you may think is ugly or low quality is a treasure to someone else! One man's junk is another man's treasure!

one thing you must understand is that the market wont crash, it will just open a new market.
we are 95% breeders that only sell our high end stuff to other breeders. at some point (lets use pastels as an example) you will have so many of a morph that no other breeders demand them. then they hit the "pet store trade" at this point the money wont be the same but the market will be stronger. you will start seeing pastels,spiders and albinos in petstores at prices affordable to the average customer who will be willing to pay for them. no normal non breeder is going to spend 1000 on a snake not to breed it. so the price has to drop to about 50-100 bucks wholesale so the pet store can sell it for 100-200 bucks.
so as one market slows another will open. just not at a price point we would all like to see.
but honestly i dont see the market "crashing" i had all my snakes sold almost as soon as they hatched this year. normals included. lots of people still buying high dollar snakes as well. lots of new combos out there as well keeps the interest up.
so market will slow but not stop. if your worried about not being able to keep or sell hundreds of snakes....then dont breed hundreds. sell off half yuor collection and use all that money to buy 1 good male. you ll be better off.
adam jeffery