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

[Slashmaster]

I guarantee you that there are plenty of people in your area that would be willing to pay you MORE then they would pay to the big breeders because you are local to them. They can meet you in person and look at your animals. They can ask you questions and get one on one customer service in person because you are THE local breeder.

I agree with this part. I'd rather pay 25% on top of market price to be able to go to my local reptile specialty shop or local breeder and look at the babies they bred themselves than order off the internet. There are too many variables for me to feel comfortable doing that (shipping, DOA, not being able to see it, the breeder being out of state, etc.). I'm sure there are other buyers who feel the same way in your area

[buddha1200]

Why do people put such a spin on common marketing techniques? Does Rolex screw the little guy because they don't sell diamond and gold watches for the price of a Timex at Walmart?

YOU price your animals however you think best. Why not give them away for free? Not everyone can afford $25 for a snake...should they suffer or be "screwed" because they happen to not have that much money?

i breed tropical first also and i have giving away plenty of offdpring to people that cant afford,i would give away a snake in a heartbeat to someone that would appreciate it.
i also would probably pay over market value for a snake i like,but does that mean there is a market in my area for that certain morph(no!)as i said before it depends on the market in your area,the petsmarts around here dont get balls because the dont sell,my local petstore still has the same normal juvies they haf for a while,an a few local breeders have had the same snakes advertise for a long time.
dont get me wrong if your area alllows you to charge higher prices,the by all means make your money,but any business has to adjust their market

[Jessica Loesch]

I'm guessing you meant tropical fish.

The fish market sucks.

[buddha1200]

I agree with this part. I'd rather pay 25% on top of market price to be able to go to my local reptile specialty shop or local breeder and look at the babies they bred themselves than order off the internet. There are too many variables for me to feel comfortable doing that (shipping, DOA, not being able to see it, the breeder being out of state, etc.). I'm sure there are other buyers who feel the same way in your area

i agree with that part too,i would rather deal locally,but none of my local breeders had what i wanted.

[snake lab]

@mike the average person who buys a normal baby from petco has no idea of kingsnake or the market. This is why they buy them. If they knew about the market then they would know they were getting screwed and would also know that they could get one for 12 to 18 bucks. Or they are complete impulse buyers and had no intention of buying one till they walked in there. I do agree with you about not undercutting yourself.

[buddha1200]

I'm guessing you meant tropical fish.

The fish market sucks.

thanks for the correction.
just like in certain areas the bp market sucks,and in certan areas its great,thats how the world works,whats a good business in certain places may not be good in other places.
dont get me wrong i love bp,s and would keep them regardless even if i never breed them,but if your purpose is to breed to make money you have to adjust to your market.

[Mike Cavanaugh]

i would give away a snake in a heartbeat to someone that would appreciate it.

And there is nothing wrong with that. I have done it a few times... but I can tell you this much... they got a normal. NOT a $500 snake. LOL, even my mom... when she got one, do you know what she got? A male normal.

i also would probably pay over market value for a snake i like,but does that mean there is a market in my area for that certain morph(no!)

I assure you, assuming your listed location is still your location, there are PLENTY of people in your immediate area that would be more then willing to pay for quality animals. I know that for a fact.

@mike the average person who buys a normal baby from petco has no idea of kingsnake or the market. This is why they buy them. If they knew about the market then they would know they were getting screwed and would also know that they could get one for 12 to 18 bucks. Or they are complete impulse buyers and had no intention of buying one till they walked in there.

Wrong. There is absolutely a dollar value for being able to find an animal and look at it an animal in person, and be able to buy it and take delivery immediately. Not everyone paying higher then internet prices at petco or petshops is unaware of kingsnake or the market. Not even most or average. I for one have NO problem buying a ball python at petco or the local pet shop for higher prices. Does that mean I am getting screwed? Does it mean I am an impulse buyer? Absolutely Not. It means there is good reason for being willing to fork out the extra bucks for that snake immediately.

[buddha1200]

if its a fact,then why dont any petstore around sell bps except one and they will only sell normals,because and i qoute"our average customer doesnt know what a morph is"the owner(who i deal with in fish)even went with me to hamburg(bought 8 normals to sell at his shop)he still has all except one and is selling them for 25,maybe in norfh jersey the market is better,but in south jersey the market sucks

[snake lab]

And there is nothing wrong with that. I have done it a few times... but I can tell you this much... they got a normal. NOT a $500 snake. LOL, even my mom... when she got one, do you know what she got? A male normal.



I assure you, assuming your listed location is still your location, there are PLENTY of people in your immediate area that would be more then willing to pay for quality animals. I know that for a fact.



Wrong. There is absolutely a dollar value for being able to find an animal and look at it an animal in person, and be able to buy it and take delivery immediately. Not everyone paying higher then internet prices at petco or petshops is unaware of kingsnake or the market. Not even most or average. I for one have NO problem buying a ball python at petco or the local pet shop for higher prices. Does that mean I am getting screwed? Does it mean I am an impulse buyer? Absolutely Not. It means there is good reason for being willing to fork out the extra bucks for that snake immediately.

Yes it does mean your getting screwed cause if you knew the market then you would know the animals at petsmart are usually imports fresh out of the crate. petsmart and petco are not going to buy your 40 dollar normal captive bred babies and sell them for 80 bucks when they can buy them for 12 bucks or lower and sell them for 80 bucks. If you are trying to get these people to believe the quality is better at pet stores then from the breeder then good luck with that. I used to sell babies to pet stores. I would get baby balls for 8 bucks a piece by the hundred bags along with bags of emperor scorpions and 6 dollar savanah monitors freshly imported and sell them straight to the pet stores. I know what they buy. I stopped wholesaling and import flipping years ago but its still the same racket. You are net getting quality at all when you buy from big box pet stores.

[Mike Cavanaugh]

Yes it does mean your getting screwed cause if you knew the market then you would know the animals at petsmart are usually imports fresh out of the crate. petsmart and petco are not going to buy your 40 dollar normal captive bred babies and sell them for 80 bucks when they can buy them for 12 bucks or lower and sell them for 80 bucks. If you are trying to get these people to believe the quality is better at pet stores then from the breeder then good luck with that. I used to sell babies to pet stores. I would get baby balls for 8 bucks a piece by the hundred bags along with bags of emperor scorpions and 6 dollar savanah monitors freshly imported and sell them straight to the pet stores. I know what they buy. I stopped wholesaling and import flipping years ago but its still the same racket. You are net getting quality at all when you buy from big box pet stores.

LOL, how did I know this was coming... another explanation of how experienced you are.... While at the same time proving once again that you really don't have a clue.

So let me get this right... BECAUSE some petco snakes are imported, that means that if I find one that sparks my interest enough to pay the high petco prices, I am getting screwed? Oh yeah, and it means that I don't know the market too? Does this same logic apply when I decide to pay $300 for a female pastel from a local breeder on craigslist because she looks special or perfect to me? Am I getting screwed and don't know the market again because I am not paying the $150 kingsnake price?