I've never purchased a morph at a show (unless you count my cinnie that I first SAW at a show, but purchased online later).
Because I have a very firm idea of the look that I want for any particular morph, it's rare that I find the qualities that I'm looking for at a show.
I've purchased nice normal females at shows, and used to love the late spring when sellers would have some nice well started CH females to choose from for unique looks.
Everyone I've purchased online from thus far have been members here as well, so I've gotten to know them over the years and see how they keep their animals through their participation here.
Two of my aquisitions in 2009 were a result of the breeders posting hatch pictures and my going "I WANT that animal!" and immediately PMing them to see if they're going to sell that animal or hold it back (my lesser male and my YB female).
And I found my albino by asking an innocent question "how was your season last year?" and them sending me a link with pictures of some of the animals they produced last year. As soon as I saw a picture with a few albino's, I immediately contacted them back and begged them to sell one to me (reduced pattern, high contrast).
Animals just sort of "happen" for me. When I decide I want to add a new animal to my collection, I know the "look" I want, and I'm willing to wait for that "look" to come along. Fire is next on my list, but I'm very picky about how they look too, so I'm just waiting for the right fire to cross my path.
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