ASF Price gouging?

A couple years ago I wanted some of these rodents but was simply NOT going to pay $75/trio here in MI. I got some in a trade instead and never looked back. Today was actually my first ever reptile show that we sold at. I put my rats up for $2 each, male or female, any size and sold a grand total of 8 all day. I think folks are entitled to price their animals to get out of them what they put in. I also think there are people who "cash in" on animals when they are a commodity in an area. These rodents breed in great numbers so propagation should not be to difficult. Like my vision or not I don't think asf rats should be hard to come by or any more expensive than other rodents. People told me asf rats would not catch and that made me want to spread the word about them even more. Could I have charged $5? yes since there was no competition and it doesn't sound like anyone has sold asf in Grand Rapids, MI since they first started popping up. Would I feel right about the price...no. I didn't even cover the cost of my table let alone the drive to the show and back. I am satisfied with just sharing what I know about them with others and getting people talking about them.

Weeeeell, I had to be in Albany at the vet's on Monday, so I stopped by the local petstore.....Yeah, they ARE ASFs, but the owner SWEARS that they're mice, "b/c that's what the breeder said they were". We stood there and argued (well, okay...not really ARGUED) but debated. I wanted to make sure we were talking the same language.

I mentioned searching online, and the confusion of why they're actually RATS and NOT mice, but the owner was basically, "oh well, then the name change must have just happened this last week, because the breeder I bought these from says they're mice." J. H. C!!!:zerb::tricho::tricho:

I guess I was enough of a butthead, that she went in the back and brought them out. I told her I just wanted to make sure we were talking about the same furballs. She got two litters, (females were supposed to be open, but weren't) which is better for her, but they're juuuuuuuuuust getting close to weaning size and sooooo tiny. I've lost some mice that were that small, from that petstore. I don't want to pay the $5/ea. and then have them DIE. She's "going to call me" when she puts them out on the sales floor.

If I could get a 1.4 or 2.3, yeah, I'd even pay $5-7/ea. if it meant that in about 3-4 months I'd be able to feed my picky babies and having them EATING regularly.

I think the only way you should call any price gouging is when you HAVE to have the product. I. E. gas, groceries, milk, water...
ASFs are not a "need" for 99% of reptile keepers. I had them once, and I don't regret not keeping them, as I had no luck with them at all, and didn't find my snakes would eat them any more readily than regular rats.
If you can get $15 each, charge it. If you want to breed them yourself and charge $0.25 each, go for it. It's your animal, then you get to set whatever price you want. If I want to say my normal male baby ball pythons are $200 each, then it's my right to say so. If people buy them for that price, then I'd be ecstatic.
Of course.. people won't pay that.. so I don't price them that way. If your local show has people willing to pay $5 each for ASFs then good for them! I paid WAAAY more for my first trios, that's for darned sure.
Just because it's more than YOU would want to pay, doesn't mean it's "price gouging". I wouldn't pay the price for brand name shirts when I can get the same item for a fraction of it... but I wouldn't say the store is gouging me by charging more. I just buy the cheaper shirt.
Same with any product. If you don't like the price of ASFs, then buy mice. Or rats. Or gerbils. Whatever floats your boat! As long as your snakes are happy and healthy and eating, it doesn't really matter.

Hi,

Sweety314,

Maybe the breeder uses one of the alternative names instead as they seem to have a few.

As long as it is the same scientific name and looks the same I wouldn't bother trying to change what he calls them. :)


dr del

I pay $1 per African rat :D ...

$2 on a bad day :(

To be honest around here its roughly $2 for a mouse and $5 for an ASF.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wolfy-hound

I think the only way you should call any price gouging is when you HAVE to have the product. I. E. gas, groceries, milk, water...
ASFs are not a "need" for 99% of reptile keepers. I had them once, and I don't regret not keeping them, as I had no luck with them at all, and didn't find my snakes would eat them any more readily than regular rats.
If you can get $15 each, charge it. If you want to breed them yourself and charge $0.25 each, go for it. It's your animal, then you get to set whatever price you want. If I want to say my normal male baby ball pythons are $200 each, then it's my right to say so. If people buy them for that price, then I'd be ecstatic.
Of course.. people won't pay that.. so I don't price them that way. If your local show has people willing to pay $5 each for ASFs then good for them! I paid WAAAY more for my first trios, that's for darned sure.
Just because it's more than YOU would want to pay, doesn't mean it's "price gouging". I wouldn't pay the price for brand name shirts when I can get the same item for a fraction of it... but I wouldn't say the store is gouging me by charging more. I just buy the cheaper shirt.
Same with any product. If you don't like the price of ASFs, then buy mice. Or rats. Or gerbils. Whatever floats your boat! As long as your snakes are happy and healthy and eating, it doesn't really matter.

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Exactlty!!! excellent post

I got 5 of them from the Hamburg PA Show for 10 bucks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TekWarren

A couple years ago I wanted some of these rodents but was simply NOT going to pay $75/trio here in MI. I got some in a trade instead and never looked back. Today was actually my first ever reptile show that we sold at. I put my rats up for $2 each, male or female, any size and sold a grand total of 8 all day. I think folks are entitled to price their animals to get out of them what they put in. I also think there are people who "cash in" on animals when they are a commodity in an area. These rodents breed in great numbers so propagation should not be to difficult. Like my vision or not I don't think asf rats should be hard to come by or any more expensive than other rodents. People told me asf rats would not catch and that made me want to spread the word about them even more. Could I have charged $5? yes since there was no competition and it doesn't sound like anyone has sold asf in Grand Rapids, MI since they first started popping up. Would I feel right about the price...no. I didn't even cover the cost of my table let alone the drive to the show and back. I am satisfied with just sharing what I know about them with others and getting people talking about them.

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'Cha, I'm lucky. If I ever decide to start up a colony I can get mine for 2 bucks. ;) You really got me interested in ASFs. My mom is going to hate you! :D

You can always make the drive to one of the Wheaton, IL shows. Mice are $.60, small rats are $1 and small adult ASFs are $1 - $2. It's all supply and demand. If the demand is high enough by you to warrant high prices you should start selling them.