I have never haggled in my life for a snake. Is it even possible to do so?

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Originally Posted by angllady2

As a buyer and seller both I can offer a few things to keep in mind.

1. Know what you are looking for and what market value is. Keep in mind a 500 gram snake is worth more than a hatchling.

2. Be sincere. If you like what you see, tell the vendor/breeder so. Tell them what it is about a certain snake or snakes they have that catches your eye versus someone else's animal.

3. It never hurts to ask for a discount, the worst they can say is no, but PLEASE be aware of how much of a discount you are asking for. Don't see a snake for $800 and ask if the breeder will take $300, that is just plain rude.

4. Don't try the old, " This guy over here has XXX morph for $xxx less than you, will you meet that price?" If that guys snake is so fabulous for that price, BUY HIS, don't insult me or my animals by comparing my top notch stock to his bottom of the barrel junk. There is a reason his are so cheap and still haven't sold you know.

5. Cash in hand generally speaks louder than a check or payment plan that is true, but don't be afraid to ask for a payment plan if you need one. Especially if you have a nice size deposit in your hand.

6. Don't be afraid to ask questions about the snakes you see. If the breeder has three spiders and 2 are one price and the other is $75 more, ask why. Maybe there is something there you can't see right away. If you see a really nice looking example of a certain morph, ask how the breeder achieved his results. Breeders like to talk to interested people, and interested people may just end up getting a discount they would not have gotten 15 minutes ago.

I've done haggling from both sides, and I will tell you, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't but if you do it right, you will pretty much always make a friend.

And just to throw this out there: At a show I vended, there was a really sweet lady and her husband looking at my pieds and hets. It seems that she, much like myself, had dreamed of making pieds of her own. We talked for quite a while, and she decided she wanted to get at least a het pied female from me to get her foot in the door so to speak. She was so much like I was a few years back, it made me all sentimental and mushy. I made her a deal, not the other way a round. I offered her a male and female het pair, each from a different mom so she could feel safe about breeding them, for $150. Granted, I was asking that price for just the female, so she got the male I was asking $75 for for free, but to me that didn't matter. Maybe I could have gotten more for them, maybe not. But to see the light in her eyes when I told her my offer, and to hear her say she just couldn't that it would not be fair to me, and to see the tears when I told her how now that my dream of making pieds had come true, I was only too happy to make someone else's dream a little bit closer to reality. Well, that is why I do what I do. She came back to my table at least 6 times before the day was out, grinning from ear to ear and trying not to cry. Everyone she knew at that show had admired the babies and congratulated her on the first step towards making her pieds. That my friends, is what this is all about.

Gale

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This type of sale also promotes word of mouth advertisement and return customers... Great story Gale!

I've haggled for most of mine. A few came from auctions. I feel I got a great deal for all of mine because I thought they were worth what I paid. I bought 2 snakes from one vendor at the annual big show in Daytona this past year. A Lithium $200(f) and a lesser $90(m). Neither were hatchlings, and I was inquiring about the Lesser. I asked how low he would go, and he responded with $75. I asked if he would take $240 for both and he agreed. I also bought a bumblebee from him earlier in the year for $230 when he was asking $250. Don't be insulting, but remember, the worst anyone will do is say no.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by angllady2

As a buyer and seller both I can offer a few things to keep in mind.

1. Know what you are looking for and what market value is. Keep in mind a 500 gram snake is worth more than a hatchling.

2. Be sincere. If you like what you see, tell the vendor/breeder so. Tell them what it is about a certain snake or snakes they have that catches your eye versus someone else's animal.

3. It never hurts to ask for a discount, the worst they can say is no, but PLEASE be aware of how much of a discount you are asking for. Don't see a snake for $800 and ask if the breeder will take $300, that is just plain rude.

4. Don't try the old, " This guy over here has XXX morph for $xxx less than you, will you meet that price?" If that guys snake is so fabulous for that price, BUY HIS, don't insult me or my animals by comparing my top notch stock to his bottom of the barrel junk. There is a reason his are so cheap and still haven't sold you know.

5. Cash in hand generally speaks louder than a check or payment plan that is true, but don't be afraid to ask for a payment plan if you need one. Especially if you have a nice size deposit in your hand.

6. Don't be afraid to ask questions about the snakes you see. If the breeder has three spiders and 2 are one price and the other is $75 more, ask why. Maybe there is something there you can't see right away. If you see a really nice looking example of a certain morph, ask how the breeder achieved his results. Breeders like to talk to interested people, and interested people may just end up getting a discount they would not have gotten 15 minutes ago.

I've done haggling from both sides, and I will tell you, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't but if you do it right, you will pretty much always make a friend.

And just to throw this out there: At a show I vended, there was a really sweet lady and her husband looking at my pieds and hets. It seems that she, much like myself, had dreamed of making pieds of her own. We talked for quite a while, and she decided she wanted to get at least a het pied female from me to get her foot in the door so to speak. She was so much like I was a few years back, it made me all sentimental and mushy. I made her a deal, not the other way a round. I offered her a male and female het pair, each from a different mom so she could feel safe about breeding them, for $150. Granted, I was asking that price for just the female, so she got the male I was asking $75 for for free, but to me that didn't matter. Maybe I could have gotten more for them, maybe not. But to see the light in her eyes when I told her my offer, and to hear her say she just couldn't that it would not be fair to me, and to see the tears when I told her how now that my dream of making pieds had come true, I was only too happy to make someone else's dream a little bit closer to reality. Well, that is why I do what I do. She came back to my table at least 6 times before the day was out, grinning from ear to ear and trying not to cry. Everyone she knew at that show had admired the babies and congratulated her on the first step towards making her pieds. That my friends, is what this is all about.

Gale

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I had a similar experience but from a customer pov. Over the course of at least 30 emails I was a quoted a price that made me feel like I was taking advantage of them. I had to remind myself that THEY gave me the price and if they were losing money on the project or doing poorly in general I would NOT have been offered it. They realized my passion after a slew of questions and dozens of emails (having a few things in common speaks volumes too). Everyone of my transactions has been pleasant and I would buy from each and every breeder I've dealt with again. I have not been on the breeding and selling end of the spectrum yet but late 2015 or early 2016 I'll get my first clutches into an incubator. I have some pretty big plans and am looking forward to producing some awesome stuff.

I aways haggle on anything I'm trying to purchase unless I'm in a retail store. So yeah, I get deals on snakes. It's been my experience that a lot of people will price things a bit above what they are willing to sell for anyway, expecting that they may be talked down a bit. The process is pretty simple. Seller put a price on said item, buyer makes an offer, seller counters, and so on until a deal is struck or the buyer gives up. It really does help if you know the market for what you are buying though. And not everyone can be good at it, I have a friend who has me do all that for him, he just hates it and I usually get him a much better deal than what he can manage on his own. Here is my personal process for buying: find snake I want, look it over, check sellers price, decide the max I'm willing to pay, take a guess how low seller might go and make that offer. Then the back and forth exchange begins. Either we agree on a price or we don't, just be polite and be willing to either walk away or pay the best price the seller will give. I've gotten things for less than my personal max, and I have also decided I wanted something more than I thought and paid more.