If it's too good to be true....

[wolfy-hound]

Personally, I've seen(personally heard from breeders both big and smaller) really bad opinions on anyone who's lowering a price to WAY below market value. Is it going to crash the market? No. Is it going to give you a poor rep to people you may want to purchase from later on? Yes.

If you're advertising albinos at 1/3 the price(using the example), then someone might ask about your cheap albinos, find you're already sold out(because say you only had a couple for sale) and go to the next person with albinos. When the price is normal, they'll whine "But So-So had them for $100!!" And that seller/breeder is going to be annoyed because his snakes are worth more than that and now he's got some people who've seen the ADVERTISED price of $100. Will he still sell HIS snakes at his price? Most likely. Will he have to field whiny people who don't 'get it' that not everyone will offer ridiculously low prices for whatever reason? Yes. I've had to answer emails the same, declining lowball offers and hearing "But I could get one from XX at $X!" It's annoying.

If you NEED to sell a few animals in order to make a purchase or make some bills, etc. that's not the same as just pricing ALL your produced animals at 1/3 the market price. Most people understand getting in a bind and needing the extra cash and moving some animals quickly.

Myself, I won't buy from someone cutting all their prices ridiculously low. I don't want to support someone who doesn't value their animals. I also don't want to support anyone who is making more of the entitled whiny cheapo 'breeders' who expect every price to be slashed to nothing for no reason. I don't mind a deal. I don't mine a price being higher or lower than market. But just slashing the prices to WAY below market just "because" will lose me as a buyer.

Many of the same people who are all pleased to see a price drop crazy low are then the first to start shouting about how "unfair" it is that by the time THEY produce animals from their cheap ones, the price is in the toilet and they won't make tons of money. Well... what do you expect?

If you want to be "just a hobby breeder" and want to sell your animals fast and cheap, just wholesale them. You'll have them all gone in one or two batches, you'll get paid and only have to make a couple shipments and be done with hatchling season. Then you can concentrate on your holdbacks and any new animals you've purchased. You will ALSO build a reputation with sellers that you produce nice quality animals without any stigma as to pricing at all. AND you won't have to field 500 emails all whining that the price isn't low enough, you should take 20 more pictures and can you do payments for the next 5 years and can they have the snake for free because they "reely reely want 1 reely bad!!!!" (actual email, I swear)

Also, deals between friends don't ever count in "advertised prices". That's a private sale. It's like trades, you might value something you want more than what you have and it's then a "fair trade".