Reptile store

OMG so i call this reptile store in highland indiana and ask her what ball pythons they have in she says a spider and a pastel ! I ask is he a super she tells me almost haha ! O wait it gets better i ask her how much is the pastel . Mind you its a male she says 500.00 so i ask about the spider male she says 500.00 i said wow thats kinda high don't you think ? So she says no way thats a really great deal ! WOW so i say well i was on kingsnake and there a lot cheaper there . Now she says im being rude --- RUDE how was that rude lol ! Why does there have to be pet stores out there that try and rob peeps i get so upset when they try to take advantage of peeps that have no idea . OOO wait this is the best the same pet store says he call tell when a snake is sick just by looking at him ? He says he is no VET but he has studied to be a VET but it was not worth it - How to these guys stay in Business ? I invite you to call and ask how much the pastel and spider is i just dont get it but thought i would share my story ! ! ! !

If they are babies, I'll agree with you. But adults (especially a proven breeder) could easily be worth that. We have a male pastel and a male spider as well where I work for 475 but they're proven breeders. So it could be a fair price.

I think it has to be understood that pet stores are retailers. They have to mark up the animals they get in order to make a profit. This is why NORMAL ball pythons usually sell for anywhere between $40 and $70 in pet stores. And members of the public will pay it. And that's ok, pet stores need to stay in business, too.

If someone sells a spider to a pet store for $200 + shipping, that animal is going up for sale for $500. Of COURSE it is. A 50% markup is completely standard. You WERE being rude.
The pet store decided to try something new--offering ball python morphs. They probably don't know much about them, and they invested a chunk in getting them. Those morph are probably sitting there still, because JQ Public doesn't know a ball morph from a corn snake, and doesn't care. It may take a long time for them to sell those animals. It's going to be a while before pet stores will offer ball morphs and expect them to sell--and before breeders are willing to ACTUALLY wholesale morphs to them.

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Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

I think it has to be understood that pet stores are retailers. They have to mark up the animals they get in order to make a profit. This is why NORMAL ball pythons usually sell for anywhere between $40 and $70 in pet stores. And members of the public will pay it. And that's ok, pet stores need to stay in business, too.

If someone sells a spider to a pet store for $200 + shipping, that animal is going up for sale for $500. Of COURSE it is. A 50% markup is completely standard. You WERE being rude.
The pet store decided to try something new--offering ball python morphs. They probably don't know much about them, and they invested a chunk in getting them. Those morph are probably sitting there still, because JQ Public doesn't know a ball morph from a corn snake, and doesn't care. It may take a long time for them to sell those animals. It's going to be a while before pet stores will offer ball morphs and expect them to sell--and before breeders are willing to ACTUALLY wholesale morphs to them.

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No i was not being rude ! there both baby males pastel babys males are going for 75.00 shipped and spiders 200 shipped im not sure where you buy your snakes but that price is way high ! And your missing my point this is not a normal pet store !

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Originally Posted by Haydenphoto

No i was not being rude ! there both baby males pastel babys males are going for 75.00 shipped and spiders 200 shipped im not sure where you buy your snakes but that price is way high ! And your missing my point this is not a normal pet store !

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I don't mean to get everyone stirred up, but you were rude, by saying that a similar animal could be purchased elsewhere for cheaper, and by accusing the seller of too high prices. Yes, those snakes are way over-priced, but you should have just told the person thanks for their time instead of implying that they are ignorant.

Animal pricing is subjective. Your phone call was in poor taste and rude, as is this thread.

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Originally Posted by abuja

I don't mean to get everyone stirred up, but you were rude, by saying that a similar animal could be purchased elsewhere for cheaper, and by accusing the seller of too high prices. Yes, those snakes are way over-priced, but you should have just told the person thanks for their time instead of implying that they are ignorant.

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I didnt i was trying to be nice she is the one that blew up at me ! As for snakes here in the chicago area the pet stores sell Ball Python morphs in most of the pet stores and if you really look you can get great deals ! they sell normals for 29.00 and in a few stores you can get any morph you want but when you say 500 for something that sell for 75 its kinda hard to say that double !

The stores around me want $100-$150 for a Normal! I got mine at 3 weeks old from a breeder for $40(his dad was a pastel)! He has pastels that he sell for $250 but a store would sell them for twice that! Personally, I like the normals better! I just love the black and gold!

The idea is this: You don't walk into a McDonald's and say, "Burger King has this cheaper."

Yep, I'm with everyone else... that WAS rude. If I've got something for sale and someone tells me they can get it cheaper elsewhere, I tell them to go right ahead and have a nice day.

Geez, and you posted their numbers? So do you call around diff breeders and let them know you can get it cheaper elsewhere?

I totally agree with what WolfPsion said. Most petstores have a high markup because they have higher over head. Also bear in mind that silly as it may seem, there are still people out there who don't know our little world of "reptile shows, big breeders, and getting quality animals shipped to your door" exists. They truly believe what is being offered at a petstore, including the price, is all that there is available. All those people know of is that "super kewl BP morph" that they saw pictured in a magazine they were browsing through while wating in line at PETCO.Whenb said type of person sees that animal being offered for sale at $500, that person may just think that's a great deal!! I personally have only seen a spider for sale, and it was being sold at a not-your-typical-run-of-the-mill petstore. It was priced at $550. And if a pastel or a spider sat long enough in a petstore, being fed well, and got bigger, I'll bet the right person would come along and buy it for $500 no sweat. ;)

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Originally Posted by Hulihzack

The idea is this: You don't walk into a McDonald's and say, "Burger King has this cheaper."

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no, but there are some stores that you do. you can walk into petsmart and say petco has it cheaper and petsmart will give you 10% off petcos price. there seems to be a fine line when and where you get to haggle the price and i never have understood it 100%.

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Originally Posted by 771subliminal

no, but there are some stores that you do. you can walk into petsmart and say petco has it cheaper and petsmart will give you 10% off petcos price. there seems to be a fine line when and where you get to haggle the price and i never have understood it 100%.

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That's because large chain stores like Petco and Petsmart have massive purchasing power, and can afford to discount an item here or there. Maybe McD's was a bad example but I think it gets the point across.

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Originally Posted by Hulihzack

That's because large chain stores like Petco and Petsmart have massive purchasing power, and can afford to discount an item here or there. Maybe McD's was a bad example but I think it gets the point across.

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i wouldnt say its a bad example cuz out of all the places that are willing to work with you on price on avg it seems that the smaller mom and pop shops will have more give then most of the big stores. its like they figure more people come in so if you dont pay that price someone else will.

At my reptile store, I never pay the sticker price! They always give the regulars discounts! The more you buy, the more you get cut off!

If someone called me and said my prices were too high and that they could get it cheaper somewhere else, all i would say back is "Would you like your money back?"
~Brandon

It's like being at a reptile show if i see the same animal at the show and the colors are about the same i would go to the guy with the higher priced animal and ask if he can beat his price ! Thats a normal thing to do but to try and say a snake is worth 500.00 and there selling for 50.00 come on i tell you what i have 1 male breeder 1 female breeder pastel ill give you for 1k would you pay no you would not ! There is my point its about how some take advantage of other that was what i was talking about not only that but when you tell me as in him that a snake is sick by just looking at him and he would give him a shot to make him better come on guys open your eyes. Ooooo by the way the shot was 100.00 to ?

It is fine to haggle prices at reptile shows but it is RUDE to haggle prices at a business.

Yes there are some stores that will give you a better deal if you ask but nine times out of ten you can't just walk into a store and tell them its not a very good deal and you will buy it cheaper. You can't go to a grocery store and haggle the price of milk, at a farmers market, you probably could.

I understand what you mean, they are very overpriced, but the fact is, the store priced them that way. If you don't want to buy them, don't call them up and tell them they are over priced. That is rude.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

It is fine to haggle prices at reptile shows but it is RUDE to haggle prices at a business.

Yes there are some stores that will give you a better deal if you ask but nine times out of ten you can't just walk into a store and tell them its not a very good deal and you will buy it cheaper. You can't go to a grocery store and haggle the price of milk, at a farmers market, you probably could.

I understand what you mean, they are very overpriced, but the fact is, the store priced them that way. If you don't want to buy them, don't call them up and tell them they are over priced. That is rude.

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It's all depends on the store ! A big chain will match a small pet store in our area chicago has a ton of small mom and pop stores selling snakes of course im going to haggle . In the end its up to the store but 9 times out of ten i get what i want its all how you talk to them ! I cant wait for tinley show its haggle central there :rolleye2:

I doesn't hurt to ask for deal but to say it's overpriced is rude! If you don't like the price, don't buy it! It's that simple! Don't go to that store anymore, go to the one that's cheaper!

isnt that the guy that got busted by F&W for alligator bigger than 6' he claimed he had in the basement of the store and also for practicing animal medicine without a license?

i dunno if this is the same one but heres a link to the story
http://nwitimes.com/news/local/artic...4a12775c0.html

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Originally Posted by nixer

isnt that the guy that got busted by F&W for alligator bigger than 6' he claimed he had in the basement of the store and also for practicing animal medicine without a license?

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Yes this is the same guy !