Buying online vs Show

[The Night King]

We are looking for our first BP. We are in the process of getting the habitat setup properly ahead of time based on the sticky thread in the husbandry section. Great info there!

We are not breeders (maybe everyone says that at first) so sex is not that important. We are looking at different morphs and probably will stay at $200 or below for this one. We have Repticon Atlanta coming up in a couple weeks and were planning on attending that to look for the BP.

There are are so many beautiful morphs! We are not dead set on one. I love the Pied, my 6yr old daughter is fascinated by the blue eyed leucistic. We also love some of the sugar, pastel, spider axanthic morphs. So beautiful!

Is there any benefit as to buying online from a reputable breeder vs at a show? At the show we were thinking we'd get to talk to the breeder directly, see the snake first hand, handle it a bit and possibly even get better deals at the show on the second day perhaps.

We see a few on morph market that are nice also but weren't sure if we are better off just waiting til the show.

Any thoughts? I know the show doesn't come super often....it'll be nearby in three weeks.

[ckuhn003]

We are looking for our first BP. We are in the process of getting the habitat setup properly ahead of time based on the sticky thread in the husbandry section. Great info there!

We are not breeders (maybe everyone says that at first) so sex is not that important. We are looking at different morphs and probably will stay at $200 or below for this one. We have Repticon Atlanta coming up in a couple weeks and were planning on attending that to look for the BP.

There are are so many beautiful morphs! We are not dead set on one. I love the Pied, my 6yr old daughter is fascinated by the blue eyed leucistic. We also love some of the sugar, pastel, spider axanthic morphs. So beautiful!

Is there any benefit as to buying online from a reputable breeder vs at a show? At the show we were thinking we'd get to talk to the breeder directly, see the snake first hand, handle it a bit and possibly even get better deals at the show on the second day perhaps.

We see a few on morph market that are nice also but weren't sure if we are better off just waiting til the show.

Any thoughts? I know the show doesn't come super often....it'll be nearby in three weeks.

I'll be at the same show and attended the last one w/ the same intentions as you. I used my time as mostly an information seeking experience and getting to see all the morphs up close. It wasn't until I was ready to leave that I found the snake that I wanted but it was a little bit older then I wanted and was fed on live food so I left (was very hard to do) empty handed. Luckily, I found a great breeder online who had the same snake (younger and an established F/T eater) and I could not be happier. If you plan to buy at the show, make sure you do your research on the breeders beforehand (list posted online) and ask a lot of questions. In my experience, it was clear who the 'reputable' dealers were at the show. As for price, it's hard to comment on deals because I was more concerned w/ finding a BP that verified my desire to be a 1st time owner with a breeder w/ a good track record rather then a 'good deal'. Good luck!

your daughter sounds like she has good taste. I think the blue eyed leucistic BPs are beautiful!! Not sure how much they cost!

If you want some advice on buying online, you can't go wrong with Garrick at royalconstrictordesigns.com. He's as good as they come.

[GiddyGoat]

+1 For Garrick if you go online. I'm a first time owner and had a great experience with him.

As for pieds, I'm not 100% sure on this but I've seen them priced at like $200-350 (for the normal pieds that is) Blue Eyed Lucys, I usually see them priced at over $300, a lot of the time in the $400 range, even $500, but I could be wrong on that as well.

I've never been to a show so I can't give you any advice there, but I hope all goes well! Good luck!

[Sunnieskys]

I Got boople at a show. I wanted hands on. I wanted the snake to choose me and boople did in a big way. I also got to talk to the breeder, ask all my questions and bond with my girl. Can't get the hands on online. To each their own and either way you get a snek. Lol

[EL-Ziggy]

You may have good luck at an expo if you're looking for a BP. There's usually quite a few BPs at the Atlanta Repticon. I tend to stay away from expos and prefer to buy online mainly because I'm afraid to bring home those dreaded mites and also because they don't usually have the snake species I'm most interested in.

[Ax01]

i have bought at both expos and online. u save on like $50 shipping and handling by guying at a show. that's pretty cool. but the shows can be busy and chaotic, so sometimes vendors very busy. they may be answering questions from many possible buyers at any moment. sometimes u don't get to talk to the breeder, but one of their helpers.

one time resisted buying at the show. 2-3 weeks later, i called the breeder to f/u on the animal i was interested in. the breeder still had the BP and was within an hour drive of me and i was able to his facility and buy directly.

[SDA]

Matt Gambrel from Olympus Reptiles recently had a little rant on his youtube channel that got me thinking. Now this is just based on his opinion and my feelings about it as well. That is that while you may feel getting the cheapest at an expo or online may be a great deal it might not be the best option or the best thing for the hobby.

He goes into it really well and while I understand a free market economy, I think getting a snake from the best breeder who offers a healthy snake and great service is far more important than saving a few bucks by buying from someone who just wants to offload a morph.

Just my 2 cents.

That's not to say anything about husbandry items. Last day at expos are amazing for getting steals on enclosures and decor items!

[bcr229]

If you plan to buy at the show, make sure you do your research on the breeders beforehand (list posted online) and ask a lot of questions. In my experience, it was clear who the 'reputable' dealers were at the show.

I can't stress this enough as most expos do not vet vendors to ensure they are reputable; anyone who can pay for a table gets one. I wrote this up a while ago on how to research sellers: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...g-Herps-Online

[ckuhn003]

I think getting a snake from the best breeder who offers a healthy snake and great service is far more important than saving a few bucks by buying from someone who just wants to offload a morph.

I couldn't agree more w/ this statement. I would rather pay more up front for a healthy snake and great service then struggle and potentially pay out more in the long run if I didn't get exactly what I thought I was getting. And this is in no way a bias against expos because I found a few breeders there who I felt really comfortable with; they just didn't have the snake I was looking for.

[hollowlaughter]

What I did was go to two shows in a row to personally vet breeders indirectly before making purchases at the second show. Beyond online checkins, I went and saw how they kept the animals at the show, how they interacted with prospective customers, etc.

$200 probably excludes a lot of what you listed in the OP in terms of morphs, unless you somehow luck into a great deal on a pet-only (for whatever reason) animal. Some will give discounts if you follow their FB and pay for the snake before the show. So on.