If it's too good to be true....

[meowmeowkazoo]

That's a fantastic article. Thanks for posting!

+1. That was a really interesting read, thanks for posting! I think anyone who plans to breed ball pythons (or does breed them) can benefit from the stuff that Colin Weaver writes.

[JLC]

You may make people mad, but you would also be making a lot of peple happy

Not exactly. If you have two or three albinos (for instance) to sell and you choose to sell them for a fraction of their market value...then "you may make people mad but you would also be making two or three people happy."

And really...in my discussion, and in the others I've seen that I agree with, it's not a matter of making anyone "mad". It's a matter of what kind of impression you want to give to your customers. Do you want your customers to think there's something wrong either with your business, your personal life, or the quality of your animals that you must sell them for so low? Or do you want your customers to see a businessman/woman who is firm in their conviction on the value of their animals and their business?

[buddha1200]

So heres a question.
Being a new breeder i should hold an animal for a long time because i am scared to sell it for less than everyone else?

to me that brings up more questions.
1.will it be worth the prices to you later(after feeding and all other related cost)
2.i personally would buy larger snakes(but alot of large snakes dont seem to sell)
for example every show i have went to,hamburg,oaks,white plains,reticon,all the larger snakes seem to sit,but the hatchlings sell better.
3.what is a reseanable amount of time not to sell an animal before you discount it.
4.also certain areas the market is not as strong as others(there are breeders in my area that have been advertising the same animal for over 5 months now) on fauna and kingsnake,so the animal is getting bigger but it wont even sell for the hatchling price(which brings me back to point #1)


you cant sell a 2010 honda for the prices of a 2011 honda(even brand new)thats just not business, just me 2 cents

[wolfy-hound]

Cars are not the same as snakes. A Honda is a Honda, exactly the same Honda, even though there's new ones on the market.

A snake is bigger and therefor closer to being breed-ready after a year. You're not only selling the snake, you're charging extra because you're buying TIME. Time that you personally don't have to wait for the snake to grow.

With males it's not as predominant as females, but males can sell for more if they're "breeding size".

[buddha1200]

[QUOTE=wolfy-hound;1672214]Cars are not the same as snakes. A Honda is a Honda, exactly the same Honda, even though there's new ones on the market.

A snake is bigger and therefor closer to being breed-ready after a year. You're not only selling the snake, you're charging extra because you're buying TIME. Time that you personally don't have to wait for the snake to grow.

With males it's not as predominant as females, but males can sell for mor

But if they dont sell at that price(i have been to hamburg 3 times and have seen some off the same adults for the same price.)so is market prices worth it all the time,becuase breed ready size dont seem to matter.
Then when the over all price of that morph drops,you still ended up having to it cheaper any way(in the long run)
So when is discounting exceptable,or is everyone just afraid to go against the big breeders,because thats who sets the market prices anyway.

So it seems like most just gives the politically correct answer.

[wolfy-hound]

It's nothing to do with "politically correct". There's nothing wrong with SOME discounting. It's talking about slashing prices to ridiculous levels.

I see larger females snapped up. Other than normal females which are cheap, morph females seem to sell quicker, the larger girls always go first. Unless they're marked up crazy high(over market prices), adult and subadult females have always seemed to go faster than hatchlings in my personal experiaince.

Might not be what you've seen where you go, but that's what I've seen myself.

[buddha1200]

It's nothing to do with "politically correct". There's nothing wrong with SOME discounting. It's talking about slashing prices to ridiculous levels.

I see larger females snapped up. Other than normal females which are cheap, morph females seem to sell quicker, the larger girls always go first. Unless they're marked up crazy high(over market prices), adult and subadult females have always seemed to go faster than hatchlings in my personal experiaince.

Might not be what you've seen where you go, but that's what I've seen myself.

Also goes back to what i said about the market in the area you are in,hamburg and white plains are huge shows,and i have seen some of the same breeders everytime(morphs and normals)on the same breeders tables.

[JLC]

So heres a question.
Being a new breeder i should hold an animal for a long time because i am scared to sell it for less than everyone else?

Why scared? This is what gets to me about these sorts of questions and arguments. The question/discussion begins with the assumption that NO ONE who is relatively new to selling animals can compete with the "big boys" without slashing their prices.

It's a FALSE assumption. That is what I (and others in this thread) have been trying to get across.

There shouldn't be anything to be scared of. If you DO find the market truly "scary" then maybe it's not the hobby/business for you. Anyone planning to sell animals should also plan for the contingency that they don't move as fast as you'd like them to.

Regarding pricing....set the prices that YOU think YOUR animals and YOUR business are worth. And be confident in the prices you've set and the service that you offer your customers. If you believe you need to have lower prices for whatever reason...then set your prices and stick to your guns with conviction. It's MY personal belief that if you have quality animals and offer quality service to your customers, then you won't NEED to have lower prices....but if you WANT to offer lower prices, do whatever you think is best.

[buddha1200]

Maybe scared is a harsh word.
So if i think my pastels are better qaulity,do you think i could sell them at a show for 250 when everyone else is selling them for 150(no!)
i myself will pay for what i want,but everyone does not have that luxury,everbody including myself will always look for deal first,then weigh our options about that deal

[buddha1200]

Btw,higher price doesnt always mean better quality.
I went to shows for 2 years before i purchased my first bp and have seen plenty of high price averge bps.