cost comparison btween quality pet shops and herp shows

[zukeeper]

This may be a touchy subject but I hope not . I'm not looking for actual dollar amounts, but in general , are reptile expo reptiles less expensive than petshops ( not petshop chain stores) or does dealing with a breeder that keeps track of linage and has all history/records for their pets command a higher price ?
Obviously I have never been to one , all shows are 3 to 4 hours from me , so I was just kind of wondering what I was going to be looking at ( planning on going to one in Indy soon) didn't want to be sticker shocked lol.
( looking to get a bearded dragon and would love to find a nice Hogg island boa)

[Powerspythons]

As a general rule, pet stores are in the business to make money(therefore we should not bash them for trying to do so), and where do petstores get their reptiles but from breeders, now most pet stores are able to buy reptiles at wholesale price..so therefore it CAN usually come out to about the same as at a show...HOWEVER, if said pet store intends to take advantage of first time buyers who dont know that they can buy direct from breeders(aka my local petshop)...then they'll probably jack up the price. ALSO occasionally at reptile shows some breeders will give you deals on pairs or trios or sometimes just throw in a normal cause they want to get rid of it and that will usually make reptile shows the place to buy from..IMO...But really the reason that I go to reptile shows isnt for the prices or anything its mainly for the atmosphere...I mean you go to these places where you're instantly surrounded by people who all love reptiles and share that passion(or atleast are interested in them) and its just a great place to be if you love reptiles!...Now this is all based on my personal experiences with my local pet shops/reptile shows, I'm not saying that it is the same way everywhere.

[Dragoon]

you can get a better price from a show rather than a store. not just because a store is a business, BHB is a business, but because the increased cost to pay for the store and the costs of running it. Utility bills are massive in stores, as an example best buy stores can have $30000 per month electric bills and need to cover that. a pet store wont have that extreme of an issue but animals ie. fish die easily and need to cover losses like that. the high prices at shows come from the breeder effort to raise the rare phenotypes.

[girlundertherainbow]

Pet shops, the good ones.. (the bad ones I'm not getting into at all since I would not consider that an option for a snake, or anything)
are there, I think, to offer snakes to those who don't care about pricing.. are about impulse buying (which can go along with the not caring about price), and those who just don't know better.
Like someone just getting into snakes. who care, but doesn't know until AFTER they spend $150 on a normal BP that they could have gone to a breeder who has excellent stock, and gotten a normal for a fraction of that.
Shows consist of ppl in it for the love of the animals for the MOST part. People who do it because they like working with different species,morphs,etc..
and they cater to those same people. people who are knowledgeable (for the most part) so for the most part, animals at shows are going to be at very competitive prices. They'd have to be, because breeders/collecters will be there that know their stuff and aren't going to pay 300x the "going rate" for something.
In a pet store, someone is going to come in and purchase that $150 dollar normal BP in a heartbeat because it's their first snake and they've done no research.

[OhhWatALoser]

The pet shop around me wholesales most of their snakes from BHB and thus has to jack up the price. they were selling a spider for 600 when they were going for 300 so I don't think its much comparison. at least in my experience.

[LizardPants]

Well good pet shops are few, and far between.

[RonBillingsley]

If you are only considering the price factor, and nothing else, then a show/expo would be your better bet.
But there are a few more things to consider:

Let's say you go to the Indiana Reptile Expo in Noblesville. There you will find private breeders, vendors who buy and sell imports, and several people who on a monthly bases decide to get a table and sell their personal animals that they no longer want.
Basically a board selection of vendors and herps.
Take the private breeder. He comes and sits up with Bearded Dragons that he personally produced. You can ask him questions that a pet store can not answer.
Hatch date? Lineage? What they been feeding on since birth? All kinds of info that only the person who actually produced the dragons can answer....
The vendor that imports animals. He can tell you which country they came from, how long they been in the country, what meds if any they have been given for enternal/external parasites, etc.
A pet store will be very limited with information.
Another point: I don't know many pet stores today that give any kind of guarantee on the animals they sell. Most have a policy of NO REFUNDS.
At the expo, several to almost all of the vendors have some kind of guarantee.
24 hours to 1 month. Something else to consider.
But, in closing, I believe Pet Stores have their place in our hobby. They are on the front line in bringing in New Hobbyist. The "impluse" buy. This is where 99% if new people in the hobby see their first Herp for sale. Onlly then do they branch out and search out shows and expos.
In either case, I hope you do attend a show close to you and come out and see what wonderful place it can be. But I also suggest you visit any close by Pet Stores to see what they have as well. To price compare and make a judgement call on where to get your first or 50th Reptile.....