BP-Market: Where do you see it going?

Hello Everyone,

I am interested in jumping right into this hobby with a hot, desired morph. I have no problem dropping the loot on a nice BP, but I am worried that in a few months, the morph I buy might be offered for far less than what I bought it for. This market seems to be very unstable, with expensive morphs' prices cutting in half within a short, months/years(?) time.

So BP.net,

where do you see this market going within the next few years?

Will there be a never ending selection of "high-end" morphs that command steep prices? Or will the market be flooded with these combinations, and the prices for them even out?

There is no sense for me to ask the large scale breeders/sellers for their opinion on this. They are concerned about selling their products. So I want to hear what you, the unbiased (or maybe unbiased ;) ) hobbyist has to say.

So let's hear it!

Down like every other market. I do think it will stable out eventually. But as more and more of the desired morphs are produced, the value of them is going to decline. I do think there will floor it will settle on eventually, but for each new morph it will be different.

I agree after a while ther market will hit the rough bottom but what will the prices be will be hard to say. I know snakes like albinos,pied and such are going down I know when I got my 10)% het pieds I had spent about 800+ on them and i can get the hets for less and some low white pied have gone for the what I paid for my hets. It be nice to see the pirces freeze were they at for the low end morphs and at same time people realize they are not throw away pets, just cause they got tire or something of them.

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Originally Posted by SaucyBalls

Hello Everyone,

I am interested in jumping right into this hobby with a hot, desired morph. I have no problem dropping the loot on a nice BP, but I am worried that in a few months, the morph I buy might be offered for far less than what I bought it for. This market seems to be very unstable, with expensive morphs' prices cutting in half within a short, years time.

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Don't breed Ball Pythons then.. You run that risk..Nothing other than learning how to market and deal with the decline.

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Where do you see this market going within the next few years?

Will there be a never ending selection of "high-end" morphs that command steep prices? Or will the market be flooded with these combination, and the prices for them even out?

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I see the market being great!!!

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There is no sense for me to ask the large scale breeders/sellers for their opinion on this. They are concerned about selling their products. So I want to hear what you, the unbiased (or maybe unbiased ;) ) hobbyist has to say.

So let's hear it!

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What do you consider a big investment???

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Re: BP-Market: Where do you see it going?

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I'll let you know after the sub-committee hearings are over...

I am simply looking for information to base my purchase on. :)

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

What do you consider a big investment???

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IMO.....

http://i38.tinypic.com/zo74g0.jpg

Actually it would be more worth your time to buy a moderately priced animal, not a rare highly sought after one. If it's all about the money, it would be more cost efficient to start with spiders and pastels, make bees and sell them. Rather than buy a $5,000 animal who will loose half it's value in a few years. Remember how much a spider cost a few years ago?

^^ and what is that, I thought we were talking about balls here?

It also doesn't help we are in a recession right now. Taking on new pets is a luxury, and luxuries are the first to go for the average person when things get tight. I think when we see the economy turn around, there will be significant benefits for the BP market.

JonV

IMO, One way of looking at it is ,base morphs are dropping considerably over a short span of time as well as some of the double gene combo morphs. I think the lower the base morphs drop, they will indeed drag the combo morphs down in price. As the base morphs become lower and lower in price they become more broad in collections, which inturn creates and influx in the market because combos are "more affordable" for some to produce. I'm positive there will always be very high end morphs on the market seeing that we are in days of triple, quad, etc. gene ball pythons plus combinations are limitless.

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Originally Posted by SaucyBalls

I am simply looking for information to base my purchase on. :)




IMO.....

http://i38.tinypic.com/zo74g0.jpg

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Only reason I ask is you can spend $200.00 on a snake or $20,000.00 .

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Originally Posted by stratus_020202

Actually it would be more worth your time to buy a moderately priced animal, not a rare highly sought after one. If it's all about the money, it would be more cost efficient to start with spiders and pastels, make bees and sell them. Rather than buy a $5,000 animal who will loose half it's value in a few years. Remember how much a spider cost a few years ago?

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I am not so much looking to make money off of this hobby. I do think that having a hobby that generates a little $$$ is nice, but that is not what it is about. I would like to buy a morph that can create some really pretty snakes. I know many beautiful snakes are being created right now, but it would be nice to create a morph that has rarely/never been created. I am trying to look at this from all angles to help accomplish that.

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Originally Posted by stratus_020202

^^ and what is that, I thought we were talking about balls here?

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Potamotrygon "Thousand Island" Leopoldi (It's a freshwater stingray.)

He asked me what I thought a big investment was, so I told him. :P

In addition, I also want to buy a snake that will hold it's worth for a little while. I can imagine it is a bit disheartening to see a snake that you spend a stack of dough on go way down in price.

i look at it in both ways.. and it all really depends on popularity to the younger generation cause that should be our selling target right now.. a kid whose say 7-13 years of age isn't going to be able to drop $1000 on a snake cause it looks cool right.. so i think that pastels and spiders are still great and the price you can get them for now (even though value went down) would be good for say little johnny looking for a ball python.. he gets hit with the bug and is telling all his friends now.. $300 is 'reasonable' or them.. i dunno about any of you guys but where i'm from the average pet store only sells 1 or 2 normal balls.. hopefully if the younger generation gets hit with it at the right time the average pet store might be selling 1 or 2 of your pastels and/or spiders.. its all about getting your little sister to take you and your snakes in for show and tell one day :gj:

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Originally Posted by SaucyBalls

I am simply looking for information to base my purchase on. :)




IMO.....

http://i38.tinypic.com/zo74g0.jpg

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Leopoldi?

oops, beat me to it.
Those ran about $800 last time I checked for adults.

The ball market is dropping faster and faster each year. There are more people interested in ball pytons each year but there are a lot of people that are deciding to breed them as well. Supply is rising faster than demand. This is what causes prices to drop so dramatically. If you are interested in a specific morph that is out of your price range, just wait a year or so and you will be able to afford it. I do not suggest getting into this market to make money, although it can be done.

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Originally Posted by fishmommy

oops, beat me to it.
Those ran about $800 last time I checked for adults.

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The one pictured would sell for well above $10,000.00
Basic leo pups are going for about $1,200.00 atm.


For me, it's more about creating an original morph. It's a long shot, but hey I can dream, right?

I have no problem with the current market not everyone can afford the higher end morphs like myself.

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Originally Posted by SaucyBalls

In addition, I also want to buy a snake that will hold it's worth for a little while. I can imagine it is a bit disheartening to see a snake that you spend a stack of dough on go way down in price.

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Buy out of love, and never look back. (Of course don't spend anything you can't afford to lose.)

ANy snake will drop in value by the time you breed it- that's how the ball market works.

I think your best bet is to get some solid, multi-gene carrying animals and breed them together- you can always sell those, as opposed to single gene morphs that become less sought-after.

Example- you can breed albinos and sell the babies for $150 each in 2 years, or you can breed a ghost pastel to a honey bee and make some sick babies that people will still pay high dollar for.

Hopefully 50 bucks for a pied.

I think that there will always be a demand for the more unusual high end morphs..the simple single gene animals are being produced more. therefor not difficult to source, as a result the prices are dropping.
It is only reasonable to expect the cost of your morph to drop..if you are buying the animal solely as an investment, you will still recover your initial outlay as you will breed the animal for many years returning on your initial investment..if you can not accept the decrease in value..do not buy ;)

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For me, it's more about creating an original morph. It's a long shot, but hey I can dream, right?[/QUOTE]
Your bang on there..my attitude exactly, years of effort but joy if you can pull it off :)

I don't mind the market dropping at all.
as a "new guy" there are still many pastel morphs I want:
male super pastel
male & female buter pastel
just to name a few.

Well are you in this because you like bp's or just out to make a buck? If you like a morph and are willing to pay the price then buy it. But what you are asking is impossible, you want to create something new, that means buying top dollar "rare" morphs, but by the time they are breedable the price will have dropped hugely and chances are pretty high that someone else will already have produced whatever you had planned on anyways. If you want to make money breeding animals isn't the way. If you want to produce some nice snakes for yourself than go ahead.

Bottom line - there probably isn't a ball python out there that's going to meet your criteria of holding its value to the price that you pay today. By the time you breed it and get babies started (if the ball gods even smile on you the first time around), expect that the prices will have dramatically dropped.

Buy something that you like, and don't worry about the market! :)

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Bottom line - there probably isn't a ball python out there that's going to meet your criteria of holding its value to the price that you pay today. By the time you breed it and get babies started (if the ball gods even smile on you the first time around), expect that the prices will have dramatically dropped.

Buy something that you like, and don't worry about the market! :)

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I agree :)