I think it has to be understood that pet stores are retailers. They have to mark up the animals they get in order to make a profit. This is why NORMAL ball pythons usually sell for anywhere between $40 and $70 in pet stores. And members of the public will pay it. And that's ok, pet stores need to stay in business, too.
If someone sells a spider to a pet store for $200 + shipping, that animal is going up for sale for $500. Of COURSE it is. A 50% markup is completely standard. You WERE being rude.
The pet store decided to try something new--offering ball python morphs. They probably don't know much about them, and they invested a chunk in getting them. Those morph are probably sitting there still, because JQ Public doesn't know a ball morph from a corn snake, and doesn't care. It may take a long time for them to sell those animals. It's going to be a while before pet stores will offer ball morphs and expect them to sell--and before breeders are willing to ACTUALLY wholesale morphs to them.
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