Whats up with this?

[kthulhu]

I went to the show in Marlyand yesterday and was pretty shocked at some of the prices...50 for a yellowbelly male and what I thought was really surprising was 350 for spotnose males. This was from a relatively large breeder as well. Maybe I haven't been paying enough attention to prices and what not, but man, don't people put any value on the animals they produce? I know I shouldn't get hung up on prices yada yada but it kinda sucks when people, especially people who are well known within the community dumb on morphs to what I can only assume is to make a quick buck. Oh well, guess I can only keep trying to breed quality animals and try to "bring down the market" lol. Sorry for the rant, but it was bothering me lol.

[Inferno]

corn snakes anyone???? that is the way it is heading....

[anendeloflorien]

corn snakes anyone???? that is the way it is heading....

Yeah, that's been said quite a few times before but I think that we will always see real high quality co-doms commanding a better price than a lower quality animal of the same morph. However it is just supply and demand! I believe that there is always going to be a high demand for designer morphs and some of the higher end recessives. Plus you have to remember that there are new morphs and combinations being produced every day!

To the OP in general the price on a male is always going to be much lower than a female (at least on lower end morphs) just look at the price difference between a het pied male and a het pied female! Het male is usually around $75-100 but a female will run you $5-600+ for a baby!

[Jenn]

I went to the Manchester Expo this weekend and was a bit disapointed too. It wasn't the cheap prices, but rather the lack of nice morphs available. Seems like everyone had spiders and bees (although none as nice as mine), and lots of normals. Aside from that I only saw a couple of mojos and a few albinos. Oh well, at least I came home with as much money as I left with (not counting gas)!!!

[Freakie_frog]

Two words
SELECTIVE BREEDING! Its like Nike use to say.. JUST DO IT!

[AndrewGeibel]

Two words
SELECTIVE BREEDING! Its like Nike use to say.. JUST DO IT!

Nike doesn't say that anymore?

[anendeloflorien]

I went to the Manchester Expo this weekend and was a bit disapointed too. It wasn't the cheap prices, but rather the lack of nice morphs available. Seems like everyone had spiders and bees (although none as nice as mine), and lots of normals. Aside from that I only saw a couple of mojos and a few albinos. Oh well, at least I came home with as much money as I left with (not counting gas)!!!

I don't know it's all in how you look at things. I mean I saw some real nice BPs at that show too, like you said though, lots of albinos, spiders and pastels but not much else. Though I did see a couple of really nice cinnies that I was soooooo tempted to pick up lol. I didn't see a single pied there not that I would be able to buy one but I just love looking at them . I still came away with a wicked nice little albino king, a sweet ghost corn and an anery het opal corn so I was happy.
Look, as long as there is a market for ball pythons (and I think there will be for a long time with all the people that love them) there's going to be changes in prices. As things become more readily available, like the pastels, YBs, spiders etc.... the price will go down! I mean look at some of the older ads on Fauna, only 4-5 years ago spiders were selling for upwards of 20 thousand dollars!

[J.Vandegrift]

I saw quite a few male YB's in Daytona for $50. I do think this is a little too cheap, but it is kind of hard to justify a high price for them anymore with all of the CH YB's that come in every year. I did just finally break down and bought one myself. I paid a little more for mine because it is a really nice one. I figured for the price why not. I am going the long way (yb male to normal female and raise up the female YB offspring) to make a few ivories just because I like them and had an extra space in a rack. Even though by the time I produce a ivory they will probably only be a couple hundred dollars they will always be a sweet morph.

[JasonG]

Supply and demand.... Then throw on the effects of the economy...

lol

[josh@outbackreps]

I went to the Manchester Expo this weekend and was a bit disapointed too. It wasn't the cheap prices, but rather the lack of nice morphs available. Seems like everyone had spiders and bees (although none as nice as mine), and lots of normals. Aside from that I only saw a couple of mojos and a few albinos. Oh well, at least I came home with as much money as I left with (not counting gas)!!!

A Lot of Vendors dont bring much high end to Manchester because it doesn't sell there. We had 600 snakes on our tables (about 45 of them ball morphs) and sold about 150, all were less than $200ea, most were less than $100 ea. We did good $$ and more than most other dealers there, but also sold a lot of low end balls, and colubrids. A Lot of high end morphs are not selling so not as many people are taking them to shows, and stressing them out.
Also a lot of animals are being exported so the market is drying up. This winter prices will go back up, and sales will be better. The wholesale market is already going up in price, about 2 months early this year.

Just my 2 cents.