Reptile Show Etiquette and Questions from a Newbie

[Artemille]

Glad you made this thread, I hope to go to my first ReptiCon or two this year and had these exact questions.

I have an odd question: how do you haggle? I mean I know you're trying to get a lower price, but I guess how do you know how low to ask for, do you go a little lower than what you actually expect for "wiggle room", do you have a strategy, how do you bring it up or ask... I've never haggled for anything, I always feel rude or timid even though I know there's no reason to. But if it can save me on a few animals...
(Like as not I'll probably still have the fiancee do it.)

That's why you want to go to a reptile show with a general idea of what you're looking for and what it's value is. Know what a quality specimen looks like and that people will generally ask more for a cleaner, brighter, larger, etc animal. Some sellers will outright offer you a lower price if they see you staring at something for a while. Otherwise, make a reduced offer, I've gotten away with a 16-33% reduction. Some buyers will make especially good deals if you're getting two or more animals. Show that you're really interested in the animal and that you appreciate it's appearance. Don't start pointing out flaws on the snake or you'll just insult them on their stock.