Morph Sales

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I think the point is, you should do this as a hobby for yourself, and the enjoyment of owing or breeding. If you want to try and make your money back that is good, but it shouldn't be a priority. Also, I don't think morphs will ever completely crash, as long as people want to own snakes, there will be people that want a cooler, rarer and prettier snake and are willing to spend more for it. Obviously the unanswerable question is, how much more will they spend

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Also there are new and fature Herpers born every day.
I sarted with a Leo and then got the one and the the second one. (BP) and from the pics I got a baby rack that'll hold 12 so I am not stopping there.. LOL

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Albinos and pieds. I'm sold out and continune to get requests just about every day. ;)

-adam

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Theres your answer. I think once pieds come down a little more they'll be sold out everwhere and the demand will go back up possibly raising prices. Who doesn't see the beauty in a nice Pied them alone with albinos are attention grabbers.

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Originally Posted by Larry Suttles

Theres your answer. I think once pieds come down a little more they'll be sold out everwhere and the demand will go back up possibly raising prices. Who doesn't see the beauty in a nice Pied them alone with albinos are attention grabbers.

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I see "someone's" hoping to see a pied this season! ;)

If it weren't impossible to afford one, I'd looove a Ghost Spider....they're like living sunsets. :)

--Kim

Like any business alot has to do with supply and demand. The more people breed the more become availible on the market the lower the price becomes. like the first guy to breed albinos charged alot of money because no one else had one availible. You will always have people selling under and over market price but it evevntually balances out. You also get people who want to make a quick buck and when they don't sell real fast they drop prices to move inventory and prices start to lower if there are enough low sellers following. Co-doms drop faster because they become availible faster and recessives take more time and investment so they won't fall as quickly. Only time will tell what will happen. The important thing is to buy animals because you enjoy them. I look at morphs like natures art which we get to nourish, enjoy and watch grow. Buy snakes because you like having them not cause you think it's a cool way to get rich. It takes alot of effort to maintain groups of snakes and colonies of rats and if you don't enjoy it, it will get old FAST!!!!!!!!!

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Originally Posted by rabernet

I see "someone's" hoping to see a pied this season! ;)

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Hopeful but not real Optimistic. Maybe I'll get a surprise though:rolleyes:

Most morph sales are made to future breeders. Some follow through, many just give up and dump their snakes the following year and loose some money.

To those who keep the ball python morphs and continue their breeding plans, you must keep in mind that this market is supply and demand. By selling to potential future breeders to make your money, the markets supply will raise, thus prices will have to drop. It's inevitable.

No one can see the exact future, but we can take educated guesses based on the other similar business models. What is likely to happen is each breeder will sell morphs to other potential future breeders, each year this fans out much like a pyramid, but it is not a scam at all. You just need to plan out what you expect and be prepared for what may happen.

Now as this pyramids out, more morphs are made. Each season this is compounded. Prices will continue to drop as supply attempts to reach demand. What some people don't understand is that morphs will hit a 'bottom' where the price levels out. This will not make these snakes worthless like some people assume, but yes.. at the point you hit a level and stable pricing market you will be selling primarily to the 'pet market' or 'collectors' and not soley to potential future breeders.

Each season, as the price drops a little, more and more breeders will step out of the hobby and maybe others who considered getting in will change their mind seeing the 'investment' part of the hobby is only going to slowly go down. This will help to stabilize things a bit and keep the price drop slow.

You should not see $100 albinos and pieds. Imported ball pythons in the pet trade, at wholesale prices are really cheap (avg $7 to $10 each) because so many are imported. Captive bred normal balls sell for a good bit more (avg $25 to $50) because they are captive bred and not so readily available. Morphs however can not be bred fast enough to supply the entire pet market at cheap prices.

This is my outlook going into things; I breed what I like, what interests me and my wife. If the market drops little by little, we expect it. If I buy a $3,000 pied and in ten years I am selling them for $500 each to people seeking pets. I will still be enjoying myself, and would have already made my money back so every snake is still a little bit of extra income. Same goes with a $1,500 albino. If I am selling them for $250 each ten years from now because the market has dropped to that level.. who cares. If I like what I do and if I knew this could happen.. It's all good. If I can sell morphs ten years down the road and make enough 'profit' to spend all day doing what I like and still make as much as I would make working for someone else.. well.. I can't complain, right? ;)

Note that these are my opinions. You can agree or disagree. I actually encourange your opinion. This can make for an interesting discussion and we will see what everyone else thinks.

Rick

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Originally Posted by SiscoReptiles

If I can sell morphs ten years down the road and make enough 'profit' to spend all day doing what I like and still make as much as I would make working for someone else.. well.. I can't complain, right? ;)


Rick

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Oh man if that were true I would love it. I'm in university right now for a civil engineering degree specializing in Structural engineering. I have another year and a half left and I hate it. I don't hate the actual work. I hate school. I'm in 6 courses right now and I'm nearing the end actually classes end today and I have 6 exams over the next 12 days. :rolleye2: If I was able to make a living at breeding ball morphs I would do it. Don't get me wrong many people do it. But for me I put so much money into my education I wouldn't be able to get into the morph scene for awhile. Ah but one can dream.

People talk about Lessers, Mojaves, Spiders and other dom/co-doms and are so surpised to see the prices drop so much. I think that Pastels should be a good gauge for all dom/co-doms. How can a Lesser retain a value of 10x a Pastel when they are the exact same as far as being able to reproduce. If you had the ability to produce 20 Pastels in one season, you also have the ability to produce 20 Lessers in one season.

I just think that all dom/co-doms will end up in the same general price range, varying by maybe popularity. Recessives will all be in the same general price range, varying by popularity and remain a little higher than dom/co-doms, and the price drop will happen a little slower.

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Originally Posted by Griggs2121

People talk about Lessers, Mojaves, Spiders and other dom/co-doms and are so surpised to see the prices drop so much. I think that Pastels should be a good gauge for all dom/co-doms. How can a Lesser retain a value of 10x a Pastel when they are the exact same as far as being able to reproduce. If you had the ability to produce 20 Pastels in one season, you also have the ability to produce 20 Lessers in one season.

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But you have to look at how long it took for the pastel to get to under 1K, it was a much more gradual process. There were a few reasons that doms/co-doms took a price plunge this season, it was not only because they are easy to reproduce.

-Evan