Am I getting ripped off?

I have a few hatchings I have bought but I wanted to buy some breeder females to breed this next season. I am in contact with a person that sent me he's selling a few breeder size females the two im interested in are killer pied (1540g) for $1500 and an Enchi het pied (1569g) for 1000 comparing how much hatchings are I thought the enchi girl was way over priced I was gonna offer like $700/600 than the pied offer $1200 I dont want to get ripped off just let me know if my offers for them are good! thanks in advance !!

Personally I'd get references about this source. Nothing to do with value of the snakes, but some ppl might rip you off (like selling a "breeder" that's past their prime) & some won't. So it's impossible to guess the value of these particular snakes with so little to go on.

the enchi is proven he said laid eggs last year in June and and he didn't say if the pied is proven or not I just want a general opinion like if they are proven and around 4 or 5 years old how much is a reasonable price

Is there a health guarantee? Have you seen them in person, or is this just online? Seller's reputation makes a huge difference, IMO.

Not everyone values animals the same way- either as sellers, or buyers. How badly they want to sell them & how badly you want to own them, etc.

Strictly business-wise, are they likely to produce for you as you expect?

I have not seen them in person. its just a local breeder in one of our Facebook groups. I will ask some more questions such as age and how many clutches they produced when I meet up with him ill be able to see if they are healthy and would have no problem pulling out. you have any other suggestions on how I should determine if its worth it and figure out how much I should be paying?

It's a really subjective thing- I know you want an easy answer but I'm sorry, there just isn't one. Big name breeders with lots of satisfied customers can charge a lot more than unknown breeders, obviously, because their good reputation makes it less risky to buy from them. Not everyone is honest about the age or history of animals they sell, but you can always make an offer & let them either accept it, reject it, or haggle for a counter-offer. Needless to say, if you see mites or any health issue, run.

You can't tell everything (health or history-wise) by just looking at a snake either- it's not easy to estimate. Some people inflate the price they ask because they think or hope they can get away with it- or because that's how much they owe someone else. It's not a great economy right now either, if I had to guess I'd say the economy is in your favor if you act ready to walk away. But I'm not into buying or selling BPs at all- maybe others here can offer you some opinions too, but without more info & seeing them, it's hard. Have you compared similar snakes on Morph Market?

I used to know a guy (who shall remain nameless here) that was in the business of importing/exporting/breeding & selling high end herps, & he once told me how crazy he thought the amount of money that people are willing to spend on these animals was, "because after all, they're living creatures that can just get sick & die" too. Safe to say he was someone who "bought low & sold high". So anyway, I'd just say buy with caution, price doesn't always equal the value. And remember there's plenty of other snakes around too- these aren't the last ones available. They might be a great deal too? Only time will tell.

that actually helps me more than you know! thank you so much im new into the market I just want to have some snakes to breed and enjoy the process not really into it for the "investments" thanks again!!

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Originally Posted by Hannesreps

he's selling a few breeder size females the two im interested in are killer pied (1540g) for $1500 and an Enchi het pied (1569g) for 1000 comparing how much hatchings are I thought the enchi girl was way over priced

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Comparing pricing to hatchlings isn't really a good thing to do IMO. an adult proven breeder has years of growth and care put into. Just something else to keep in mind.