Haggaling?

Hey Guys im planning to pick up a female mojave hatchling at a reptile show soon.What would be a resnable price to haggle the the breeder down without offending him/her.What would be a good price for a mojave female.And lets here some succesful haggaling stories, whats the most you have haggled off a retail price:gj:

The best advice I can tell you is look at what they go for online (minus shipping) and see if you can afford one. Most people won't tell you what they paid cus that's a little personal. It can start problems for breeders. So if I were you I'd look at what they go for and gauge yourself.

i would say $250-300 or up depending on her look age and weight.

but in all honesty, i think haggling in general is offensive to a breeder. sure they might price a snake a little higher then normal but if that snake was really worth the price then why would you try to bring it down, bringing it down kind just means you do not believe she is worth that much but to someone who bred her or had for a long time might think she is wonderful and worth a lot more.

i don't know that is just me i guess.

[do not even know if i made sense....i never do most of the time. hard time getting my thoughts out by typing]

The price on Mojaves seems to be dropping daily, but last time I checked females go for around $200-240? So I think you could negotiate a bit lower, since reptile shows are the perfect place for haggling! The vendors are especially flexible in the final hours, but you also risk losing out on the available Mojaves by then.

My most successful haggling story? I went to the San Diego show last year, and was specifically looking for a HOT female Stimson's Python (to breed with my male). I passed a few that were unremarkable, and then came to a table with a few really nice Stimsons. This one gal in particular caught my attention - she was about a year old, with the most beautiful coloring & these amazing yellow eyes. I think he was originally asking $250, nearly double what he was asking for the others, since she was "special." I bargained with him for about 10 minutes, left to think about it, and came back to haggle some more... ended up getting her for $175, if memory serves. Not bad, eh? :gj:

I think she was worth every penny!

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...3/P1020368.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...3/P1020385.jpg

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Originally Posted by pinkeye714

but in all honesty, i think haggling in general is offensive to a breeder.

i don't know that is just me i guess.

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I can tell you from experience (see my story above), they do NOT find it offensive - in fact, I think it's almost expected at reptile shows! Maybe it would be tacky at a shop, or if you were contacting them online... but the expos are a different story, and as I said above, they're especially willing to bargain at the end of the weekend. Come to think of it, I've never paid full price for a show-purchased snake. ;)

Animals like that are always going to be pretty firm in the price. I seriously doubt you will be able to get one for less than what they are asking. Plus you have to realize that they paid good money to produce the snake. The cost of the parents and all of the housing and food expenses really adds up.

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Originally Posted by Lolo76

I can tell you from experience (see my story above), they do NOT find it offensive - in fact, I think it's almost expected at reptile shows! Maybe it would be tacky at a shop, or if you were contacting them online... but the expos are a different story, and as I said above, they're especially willing to bargain at the end of the weekend. Come to think of it, I've never paid full price for a show-purchased snake. ;)

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i think i just feel rude ahah. like i am telling them that their snake is not worth so and so $$ you know?
i don't think i would even be able to start the haggle process. maybe you can couch me? ^_^

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Originally Posted by pinkeye714

i think i just feel rude ahah. like i am telling them that their snake is not worth so and so $$ you know?
i don't think i would even be able to start the haggle process. maybe you can couch me? ^_^

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LOL... I'm Jewish, so I guess it's in my blood. :rofl:

I think as long as you're not making an insulting offer, the show vendors are usually willing to budge. Offering $50 for an albino retic will get you slapped, but asking "is that the lowest you can go?" on their original price is usually worth a shot. That's actually a good way to start the conversation, since it allows them to open the bidding (so to speak) - and also tells you quickly if they're willing to bargain.

P.S. If anyone's still doubting they lower prices, just do this little experiment... visit a herp expo in its opening hours, and then go back in the last hour of the last day. Compare prices of the same snakes, and you'll typically see they have dropped!

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Originally Posted by Lolo76

LOL... I'm Jewish, so I guess it's in my blood. :rofl:

I think as long as you're not making an insulting offer, the show vendors are usually willing to budge. Offering $50 for an albino retic will get you slapped, but asking "is that the lowest you can go?" on their original price is usually worth a shot. That's actually a good way to start the conversation, since it allows them to open the bidding (so to speak) - and also tells you quickly if they're willing to bargain.

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gah, lets try this in person ahah.
i am Mexican, i should be able to do this! XD
even the thought of it makes my stomach wanna poo. like seeing their face like this :mad: i would go :O sorry and walk away :(

They would probably just laugh. :gj:

I don't think haggling necessarily means you don't value the snake that much; for some people, those extra dollars might be a serious monetary strain. Obviously if you're too poor to actually care for an animal, you shouldn't purchase it at all, but snakes and the like tend to be much more expensive up front than they are to maintain. Plenty of breeders understand this.

Technically, I haggled my own BP down to free =P I work at a major pet retailer, and at the time I was looking to get a snake, the ones we had were new and had come in with various issues due to botched shipping. They were on the mend with our treatments, but I wanted to get a problem-free snake if I could. So I went to a local reptile shop that was having a deal where, if you essentially purchased the entire setup for an animal--terrarium, bedding, hides, etc--you could get a reptile worth $50 or less for free. Their normal BPs were $55, and when I first called them and asked if they'd still be willing to let them be a part of the deal, they said that the owner was likely to be very firm with the price.

I went there anyway and found a little stunner of a normal (stunning to me, at least =P). We talked for a bit and I mentioned that I'd love to buy all my stuff from them, as this was my first snake and I needed a setup anyway, but if the BP couldn't be a part of the setup deal then I'd likely purchase one from my place of work. Buying the snake and everything with my employee discount would have beat buying full-price from their shop, but if the BP was free then the total cost would beat both of the former. I'll admit, I felt like a jerk when I presented my case, but as a college student it's practically law for me to be cheap, haha. However, they seemed perfectly happy to let my snake be part of the deal when I explained all this, and I didn't get any feeling of resentment or offense from them. So I bought all my stuff there and my little girl was free :) (Though I've looked at their website, and the deal is still going on, but their BPs have gone from 55 bucks to 45 . . . so if I'd bought from them now this wouldn't have been an issue. Ah well!)

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Originally Posted by Angiebeast

I don't think haggling necessarily means you don't value the snake that much; for some people, those extra dollars might be a serious monetary strain. Obviously if you're too poor to actually care for an animal, you shouldn't purchase it at all, but snakes and the like tend to be much more expensive up front than they are to maintain. Plenty of breeders understand this.

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For me, it's not really about "I can't afford those extra dollars." I just LOVE a good deal, which again you can blame on my being Jewish. :D I also think an expo just asks for haggling, whereas I'd be less likely to try that in a pet shop (or private breeder's home/site).

I just sold my first clutch last year, and one buyer did bargain a little. I was selling a full setup with the snake, and he offered about $5-10 less than my total asking price. I accepted their reasonable offer, and was not insulted in the slightest... even threw in some extras (accessories) to seal the deal!

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Originally Posted by Lolo76

For me, it's not really about "I can't afford those extra dollars." I just LOVE a good deal, which again you can blame on my being Jewish. :D I also think an expo just asks for haggling, whereas I'd be less likely to try that in a pet shop (or private breeder's home/site).

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Yeah, there's definitely that too :) I don't think trying to save a few bucks is so terrible, so long as it's reasonable on both ends.

Breeders also will be much more keen to haggle if you are buying more than one snake from them.. I don't know if that's an option for you or not, but it would help the haggling part. You could probably get a much better deal if you are willing to take two snakes off their hands!

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Originally Posted by purplemuffin

Breeders also will be much more keen to haggle if you are buying more than one snake from them.. I don't know if that's an option for you or not, but it would help the haggling part. You could probably get a much better deal if you are willing to take two snakes off their hands!

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That is true! At the San Mateo Expo last year, I was purchasing a female ghost-motley corn for $50... then I saw a little granite boy (corn) out of the corner of my eye, and said "oooooh, I love his skull head pattern!" The seller responded with "I'll throw him in for another $20." Done, done and done. ;)