I totally agree with what WolfPsion said. Most petstores have a high markup because they have higher over head. Also bear in mind that silly as it may seem, there are still people out there who don't know our little world of "reptile shows, big breeders, and getting quality animals shipped to your door" exists. They truly believe what is being offered at a petstore, including the price, is all that there is available. All those people know of is that "super kewl BP morph" that they saw pictured in a magazine they were browsing through while wating in line at PETCO.Whenb said type of person sees that animal being offered for sale at $500, that person may just think that's a great deal!! I personally have only seen a spider for sale, and it was being sold at a not-your-typical-run-of-the-mill petstore. It was priced at $550. And if a pastel or a spider sat long enough in a petstore, being fed well, and got bigger, I'll bet the right person would come along and buy it for $500 no sweat.