So where did you get your start?

Everyone has to start with no fauna rep or sales. Where was your first sale made? Have you given someone their first chance to start making a name for themselves?

I've been wondering how difficult it is to sell babies when you first get started breeding. I imagine if your an active forum member that will help when it comes time to sell because people get a sense of how and who you are from your posts (after a while and depending on what you post). I would think that if I could get a few sales from forum people, and they are willing to leave me feedback, that that would get the ball rolling for fauna, kingsnake, and sales from my own (future) website.

I can't breed for a few years still but just something I've been wondering. Reputation is everything in the business after all.

I think this is a great idea!! Unfortunately I don't have anything to contribute, but I'll be looking forward to these posts :)

I really really hope my sales dont depend on my forum activity as I am kind of a ghost most of the time. This is the first year I will be planning on selling and I was really hoping that as long as I am honest I will be able to sell some of my snakes. Hopefully if you provide enough pictures to leave no doubt of the quality you should be fine (atleast I hope that is true). Always provide more than what the buyer wants and you should be off to a great start.

I have a suspicion that I prompted this thread xD

My first sale was actually a trade with coredelong here on the forums. He was kind enough to give me a try. Everything went smoothly! I've done a lot of sales locally too. Most of my feedback came from non-snake selling things like buying feeders or selling cornsnakes to local families. I just built it up from there. Clearly I'm still new with my first babies just now getting their first meals so I've got a long road ahead of me. My hope is that my reputation as well as my appearance here on the forums will help in some way. Most importantly, customer service. It goes a long way if you can make the buyer feel confident that your animal is the BEST. Answer questions (no matter how annoying/dumb they may be), show pictures, go above and beyond!

As far as helping someone out, I'd love to be that person to give them a push in the right direction. But, in order for me to do that, you have to embelish many of the same qualities of a seller that I think are important. If you are a first time seller and you don't answer my questions or send me pictures, then no, I won't buy from you. But if you take the time to make me feel confident in my purchase, then chances are I'm going to buy from you.

There are a lot of factors that came come into play here. Some are factors that we are aware of and some are more subtle and subconscious. My true test will be when I put my babies up for sale. I can't say for sure how easy/hard it will be until I've really tried.

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Originally Posted by BHReptiles

I have a suspicion that I prompted this thread xD

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lol actually yes. I've been meaning to ask but your post reminded me. Thank you for the reply! Makes perfect sense and good luck selling your babies. :)

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Originally Posted by Marrissa

lol actually yes. I've been meaning to ask but your post reminded me. Thank you for the reply! Makes perfect sense and good luck selling your babies. :)

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I'm a very logical person and I like to trust my gut instincts. If things make sense and my gut doesn't tell me to flee, I'll buy. If something tells me to steer clear, I do.

I like this thread as I'll be hoping to produce babies in a couple of years from now. I kinda feel as a no name new breeder I'll have to sell any snake for cheaper then the reputable breeders are selling for to even get noticed by people/ think to buy from me. Maybe that's just me though

Another way to start building rep is through trades. As initiator, it's proper for you to ship first. It's an easier way to get your foot in the door as the risk lies almost solely on you. When using this method it's important to find someone already with a good reputation so you can feel more at ease. Hopefully they will post up some positive feedback on your packing and reliability and coming from a reputable person it'll carry even more weight. I'm a stickler for quarantine, long ones at that, so I wouldn't personally do this more than once a year or nothing would ever escape the quarantine room - I'm picky about where my animals come from and how many are introduced to my collection.

I do think consistent activity on the various forums/communities helps. I was introduced to my local breeders fb group through someone I met as I went flying into my local reptile store in a blind panic when I finally saw Bubbles sitting on eggs (a swear my brain just went right out the window). This person happens to be very active locally and was impressed with my husbandry, so when I proposed a trade for one of my babies to someone else, he actually vouched for me (unbeknownst to me at the time). And the person who did the trade happens to be on Fauna and left me a good guy thread. If I wasn't both meticiculous with my husbandry and active in the local community things wouldn't have worked out so well I think.

And I would buy from people who I regularly see posting on here as well if they didn't have any fauna feedback, but it makes a difference when you see past posts of them getting/raising/breeding the animals. I would be more hesitant to buy from someone who isn't a regular poster and has no feedback elsewhere.

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Originally Posted by Badgemash

And I would buy from people who I regularly see posting on here as well if they didn't have any fauna feedback, but it makes a difference when you see past posts of them getting/raising/breeding the animals. I would be more hesitant to buy from someone who isn't a regular poster and has no feedback elsewhere.

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lol...I think I have every new addition and every clutch I've ever hatched documented here. :P This forum was one of the very first places I landed when I first got interested in bp's...in fact, I think this place is responsible for my addiction...;)