My GOD! Do prices usually slice in half every year!!!!

At the Anaheim show a few weeks ago I was looking for a Lesser male - the prices ranged from $350 - $750!

prices sliced in half on the way to the other side of the convention center!

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Originally Posted by Isis

Is anyone else just plain heart wrenched about these prices?!

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It is simple supply and demand, no one should be surprised by the drops in morph prices.

Eventually all BP morphs will even out at just above normal prices. Take a look at corn snakes, the fact that you can get multiple recessive gene animals for under $40 is a testament to supply vs. demand.

Supply of morphs grows ridiculously fast. Demand grows as well, but not anywhere near as fast. For every person who produced 6 albinos last year, do you think there could ever possibly be 6 more people who decide to spend $800 on an albino?

Don't forget that the ball python hobby is a pyramid scheme. Know your place on the pyramid and be happy with it. If you're not happy, then either get out or move up. I'm personally happy having no plans to make money on my pets ever, that is why for me this is a hobby and not a business, and why I have a job to pay for it.

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Originally Posted by scutechute

prices sliced in half on the way to the other side of the convention center!

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Hahaha. I'm waiting on my lesser male but I got him for 400 from Adam. I think last year I saw them going for about 700.

But as supply and demand goes; not long ago double traits were the in thing, now people are going for triple traits, and this will continue until we get snakes with just about everything under the sun in their genes. Every time one of these snakes it bred you end up with a handful of traits in the mix and could get multiple trait snakes out of it or you could get a lot of single trait snakes.

As people breed and create single trait snakes the price goes down, obviously, and as was stated before this will continue until they are around normal costs.

How about Mojaves? They were 450 up a year ago and just recently I got my female for $180, less expensive than my male!

I think it has to do with the economy being so bad, hobbies and the like are considered luxury goods--when it gets better, the prices will probably go back up.

If ya got the money, now's a great time to be buying.

You really think prices will go back up? I think the general agreed price will stay the same (common cost) while perhaps the individuals will sell for more, but I doubt the prices are all going to jump 50$ on account of the economy getting better.

If anything the rate of price reduction will reduce, or better yet stop.

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Originally Posted by Oxylepy

You really think prices will go back up? I think the general agreed price will stay the same (common cost) while perhaps the individuals will sell for more, but I doubt the prices are all going to jump 50$ on account of the economy getting better.

If anything the rate of price reduction will reduce, or better yet stop.

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I actually think it would, because when the economy gets better, people will have more money to buy and would be more willing to buy as well. Considering the ball python market is based on supply/demand, more people buying means the prices will be driven up.

Of course it's possible for the breeders to respond by producing more and the prices will go back down again. I'm sure some breeders have cut back the past two years in response to the crashed economy and if it gets better they'll produce more again.

I thought the prices I've been seeing were pretty ridiculous too, and more because they're willing to sell the morphs at a lower price in order to have customers even consider buying.

Just my opinion, but no one can read the future.

I dont care what people are listing their animals for. After that price drops thread, my YB is not going to be sold for less than 120, and my 900+gm pastel male, high blushing, low yellow isn't going to go for less than 150. I am not going to take part in this price drop frenzy. Im fine keeping them as pets, and they might be part of a project later. Screw the economy, you gotta spend to mend!
Here's the animals just to show what's going for what...


Natural light no flash pastel:
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs246...._2317266_n.jpg
His yellow can not be captured in any photos I take, which is a real shame, because he DOES look way better.
YB

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs137...._3425981_n.jpg

That butter in the pics section of mine that i recently piced up, He is a proven breeder i got for 450. THEN, even better, i picked up a male albino at that show for 300...i couldnt pass that up. But its very sad considering i'm hoping to produce some next year

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

It is simple supply and demand, no one should be surprised by the drops in morph prices.

Eventually all BP morphs will even out at just above normal prices. Take a look at corn snakes, the fact that you can get multiple recessive gene animals for under $40 is a testament to supply vs. demand.

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I think we're still several years from that, especially with recessives. But yeah, once people start breeding homo x homo and producing several clutches of all pieds, and so forth their prices will drop.

But even with corns, new genes and new combos still fetch a high price (for corns), and with bps that is where it will be at: double and triple recessive morphs, and triple and quadruple co-doms.

I remember when I first got into the hobby in late 04, pastel females were listed on some breeders' websites for $2000. Hahaha, I remember that because I found a waaaaay old picture with a price that was dated, which I had printed out because I was "i wish..."ing a while back. But in any case--yeah. Sometimes I look at the prices and want to cringe at the way they've plummeted.