Reptile Pricing, selling, and the market

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Originally Posted by jim020cricket

Your essays are making me need reading glasses ;)

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LOL...you should read all my emails and PM's...LOL.:)

Another Thing We Need To Think About Lower Prices Is If Prices Never Fell 99% Of Us Would Not Be Able To Afford These Awesome Creatures. I Dont Know About Jerry, Jim , Or Any One, But There Is No Way I Could Of Afforded A $25000. Albino When They First Hit The Marcket 10 Years Ago. Thank God For Breeder Who Had The Funds To Buy Them And Produce Them And Sell Them On A Mass Scale. Wich As We Know Drives The Price Down.

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Originally Posted by BALLISTIC BOAS

The only peps that do not want lower prices and are fighting are greedy breeders who only care about their own bank accounts and disguies it as PROTECTING THERE INVESTMENT.

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That is total cr@p.

First of all, I'm not a "pep", I am a person ... grow up and speak English!

Second ... Anyone, and I mean anyone that is breeding and selling investment animals or that plans to breed and sell investment animals should (if they are even reasonably intelligent) not want lower prices. If you are taking money from a customer for an investment animal and you are not doing what you can to support the market for that customer than you are a crook.

Personally, I am at a point where I could not care less what the market does ... I have an AMAZING collection of big $$$ ball pythons ... I've made a TON of money on the ball python market ... if it all ended tomorrow I'd be up well over 5000% of my initial investment over 10 years ... to put it simply, I won ... there is NOTHING that I need to be "greedy" about.

So why do I care about prices you ask? .... For my customers ... Over the last ten years I've sold to hundreds, maybe even over one thousand people ... good people ... teachers, electricians, housewives, computer consultants .... not big breeders, but "little guys/gals" just getting started .... people with kids, homes, families ... they gave me money for snakes that I produced and almost every single one of them did so with the intention of breeding those snakes and making some type of return on their investment ... They could have invested their hard earned dollars in real estate, or the stock market, or CD's, but their passion for animals drove them to ball pythons, and they trusted me with their investment money .... I don't know about other people, but I personally want to see EVERY SINGLE ONE of my customers make money from the animals that I sold them and do so for as long as possible. I take it as a personal responsibility to do everything I can to make sure they do so ... and if that means standing on top of a table at the Daytona expo and yelling at the top of my lungs about support the market, then that is what I'll do.

What the idiots that are selling for less (or buying for less) don't care about is the little guys ... the people that are just getting started .... the price droppers want to make their money as fast as they can and get out ... I'd rather see my customers making good money for the next 25+ years! This thing doesn't have to be a race to the bottom ... it could be a marathon where EVERYONE gets a chance to build a nice collection of animals and put money in their pockets … but unfortunately, many idiots are too impatient, too immature, and not business savvy enough to know how to get it done right.

It makes me sick to see people that are calling themselves "breeders" celebrating low prices and getting excited about how fast we can see this thing hit the bottom .... What do you tell your customers? Give me your money and good luck with your investment - HA HA HA? Well in my opinion, you're a @ss.

This "peps" doesn't want lower prices and it has nothing to do with greed ... it has everything to do with doing the right thing by the people that trusted me with their hard earned investment dollars.

Cry all you want about what everyone else “out there” is doing … if you’re giving them your money, you’re guilty too.

-adam

Adam, I just want to breed and sell snakes. I didn't know I was responsible for buying my future customers an H2 in a year.

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Originally Posted by BALLISTIC BOAS

Adam, I just want to breed and sell snakes. I didn't know I was responsible for buying my future customers an H2 in a year.

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Its clear that you didn't read what Adam posted, don't get what he is saying or don't care enough about your customers to do the right thing. Any of the three are disturbing in their own right.

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Originally Posted by BALLISTIC BOAS

Adam, I just want to breed and sell snakes. I didn't know I was responsible for buying my future customers an H2 in a year.

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It would be personally just wonderful for me if I heard from all of your customers that paid you good money last year, or the year before that... and then I would also like to know how many return customers you have...

The level of customer service you're exemplifying with that statement is just astonishing to me.

You don't feel, in any way, that you're RESPONSIBLE for what your customers do with the snakes that you sell them? That's pretty sad, man. :colbert:

Wow...Adam,
Personally speaking, and I read your last post numerous times.

IMO, we will help everyone in anyway possible when it comes to their snakes husbandry, feeding, housing, breeding, supplies, accessories, other breeders, price, car pooling to a show, have lunch, etc, etc, etc. Regardless whether they buy from us or not.

But, we will not be held accountable for anyones investment, stocks, bonds, business or Ball Python prices. Those that invested in Ball Pythons or stocks or real estate did it well knowing the possible risks! I'm sure you've done well for yourself and hope your good fortune continues well into the future. Those that bought snakes with expectations of retiring next year as millionaires, good luck and I wish you all the success.

But, I am not going to be told who I should buy from, what I should pay or what I should sell for (high or low), simply because this is what it is based on certain expectations of a select group.

This is my final post on this subject.

As for returning customers and/or satisfied customers associated with lower prices. I have yet to read a single complaint about MKR from their customers on the bargains they got. Not even from the customers who bought from them last year or the year before or any year for that matter.

If you look at the thread about MKR on this very same forum with the poll about "would you do business with MKR after their reduction in price"...over 44% stated they would gladly do business with them. Every thread about them has as many supporters and actual satisfied customers Vs upset competitors, investors and others complaining about the dump.

Would I buy from MKR? As long as they continue to meet my needs with quality animals, service, and price....Yes! If they start delivering crap and/or slack on the service, NO!

If this makes me a negative in some of your eyes, so be it!

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Originally Posted by ssscales

As for returning customers and/or satisfied customers associated with lower prices. I have yet to read a single complaint about MKR from their customers on the bargains they got. Not even from the customers who bought from them last year or the year before or any year for that matter.

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Okay... let me use this example as a way to make my point...

I go to Joe Schmoe (name withheld to protect the idiotic) and buy a Megaball (morph type withheld to protect the insane) for $6000 this year. I know that many others are buying the same morph from Joe Schmoe for that same $6000 this year.... and many will reproduce it next year... So the demand will go down, and the price will also... Then, I reproduce the Megaball next year... and I get SO excited about selling it to recover my investment.... I made 2.2 of them, so I figure I can hold back 1.1 and sell the other pair for $6500 to recoup my investment, and make a couple bucks that first year. RDR's selling 'em for $5000/ea, NERD's selling 'em for $4500, 8Ballpythons is selling 'em for $4500, hell, even MKR's selling 'em for $4000.... but Joe Schmoe Reptiles, in their infinite wisdom, wants to CORNER the Megaball market, and so he offers 'em up for $2000. He makes a lot of new friends.... but all his old customers, it wouldn't seem, would be too happy with his pricing.

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Originally Posted by ssscales

But, I am not going to be told who I should buy from, what I should pay or what I should sell for (high or low)

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Who told you anything like that? .... Give me a break.

I guess having a sincere appreciation for the hard earned money that people are investing with me and my business and wanting to help them make as much money as possible for as long as possible is bad thing now?

Sorry, I'm just not a "take the money and run" kind of person ... I really do care ... If that makes ME a negative in YOUR eyes, then so be it.

-adam

[QUOTE=Adam_Wysocki]Who told you anything like that? .... Give me a break.
Yet, you have clearly stated below that anyone who does not buy at a set price is in the wrong, hurting the market, idiots and flat out crooks. Did I read this wrong?

I guess having a sincere appreciation for the hard earned money that people are investing with me and my business and wanting to help them make as much money as possible for as long as possible is bad thing now? Not at all, I think it is wonderful that you take such passion and congratulated you numerous times for this. But, I will not be cornered into paying higher prices or who I buy from. I understand you are protecting your investment and your customers, but ridiculing others who do not line up....

Sorry, I'm just not a "take the money and run" kind of person ... I really do care ... If that makes ME a negative in YOUR eyes, then so be it. Never said it did, on the other hand you clearly stated that anyone buying low and looking for a bargain is an idiot, wrong and even crooks...why? Because of the assumption they are going to take money and run? You're making a pretty big assumptions and making accusations that everyone is in this with the same incentives...all because they saved a buck?

This is it for me, you guys can take this a part as you wish and continue the fight.