Market "crashing"- your take on the future

[angllady2]

Ok don't even get me started.

I know a couple who decided about 4 years ago, that breeding ball pythons was the way to get rich quick. They bought a number of morphs, investing a good deal of money, and began the process of raising and breeding them. In the meantime, the limited market surrounding our only decent reptile show began to get a little saturated, and buyers started slowing down in their purchases. Naturally, the usual rumors of the market crashing began to circulate. I was patient however, and eventually all my snakes sold for good prices. This year, they had their first good batch of babies to sell, and went to the first few shows with little result. I told them to expect that and be patient. Of course, they were all doom and gloom and woe is us! So what did they do? At the last show we were at, they were all but giving away their babies. Double genes and singles. It was pitiful. Naturally, brokers and flippers were right there to offer stupid low amounts for snakes already so underpriced it was sickening. And they were only too happy to sell, because as they put it, "If we don't sell them now, they'll never sell." I was so mad I couldn't see straight. Thanks to these morons giving away their animals, not only did I not sell any of my snakes, but they now ensure that people at the next show will be expecting everyone to match those stupid low prices, or they won't buy. I've never seen a decent breeder stuck holding onto snakes for season after season unless they wanted to, but you could not tell these dummies anything. Two shows of not selling out in five minutes, and they had given up. I tell you, if I had had the money, I'd have bought everything they had because I could easily have tripled or even quadrupled my investment. One guy I remember bought a pewter, a cinnamon yellowbelly, a cinnapin, and a cinnamon enchi all for $75. And I'm not kidding. It was so stupid. And even now, they have no idea how much they hurt everyone else at that show by their idiot stunt.

So buy your single gene dominant morphs and breed them to normals if it suits you. But for the love of Pete, know what to expect when you go to sell the babies! Don't ruin everything for the rest of us because you didn't make a fortune in the first 15 minutes.

Gale