Prices down?

[snakesRkewl]

Simple, supply and demand is showing you that we have far far too many breeders for far too few customers.

[Crazymonkee]

Simple, supply and demand is showing you that we have far far too many breeders for far too few customers.

Ya know I understand this. Coming from showing and breeding GSD it is a completely different world.
With dogs people are told not to breed just to satisfy curiosity (I want an offspring of my great pet dog, witness the miracle of birth, etc).
Here it seems every time someone has a normal that's a lil different they are told to breed it and see what pops out.
Not saying it's wrong but if everyone and their brother are breeding these snakes prices are bound to drop

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

[BHReptiles]

I'm going to play devil's advocate here for a moment, so no one shoot me for it...

What about those of us who are willing to sit on prices because we have quality animals but we are new to breeding. Are you saying people SHOULDN'T be breeding just to breed and we should monopolize the people that have made a real business out of it already? Don't we all have to start somewhere?

I understand that more breeders = more animals = less demand = less cost for the animal. However, I don't think it's fair to group ALL new breeders into the category of people who shouldn't be breeding. For example, this last season was my very first season. I bred my animals because I love them and I love genetics. I didn't do it for the money or just to breed. However, I don't personally feel like I shouldn't be breeding just because someone on the forum said not to so prices go back up.

I hope that makes some sense. although I agree with much that is being said, being a new breeder kinda puts me in an awkward position in this discussion so I wanted to just throw out the other side of the argument. There are two types of new breeders: ones who care and ones who are in it to make a buck. I think all of what yall are saying applies to those who just want to make a buck. But for those of us who are new and DO care, I don't think we should be lumped into the same category.

[Productmur]

I'll second that, BHRep. I am also new to breeding (so new, in fact, that I haven't even started--and won't for another year yet!). I have been watching prices plummet year after year (it's particularly bad for corns, where the cost of shipping is oft times more than the snak itself!), and I know that I very well may not be able to home my snakes for the prices that I value them at in the coming years. But I won't lower them to the general market for sure (I do plan on having certain deals for both children and teachers--I want people to be educated about these animals, not fear them. But that's a different story.), even if that means sitting on them until I find the right buyer.

But I'm not in this for the money. I have very particular goals for breeding, and hope to better the animals I work with. I would like to make a line of stargazer-free sunkissed corns, for example. As I get more and more interested in ball pythons, I find I would love to try to breed out their problems as well--make a wobble-free spider line, fix the whole mess of problems with the super black pastels and cinnies. I, too, am a lover of genetics, and of puzzles. :3

I hold myself to high standards--in care, tracking, feeding, etc--because I want to produce quality animals. I have no name to ride on; in the future, I'm going to have to convince people to buy from me in a flooded market. It won't be easy, but it'll be a whole hell of a lotta fun, and I'm looking forward to not only working with the animals, but meeting other crazy herpers like me.

So, no, I don't think every new breeder is going to trip up the market; but I think they didn't mean it that way, either. At any rate, please don't hate us newcomers--if anything, teach us.

[Crazymonkee]

I'm not saying that there shouldn't be any new breeders, without them the hobby would die out. But if 10 people by x normal and it looks a lil different, people say... well breed it and find out... that's probably 5 people who are gonna go out and do it that had no intention of breeding before because curiosity over rides the fact that it is probably just a normal.
I hope you see what I am saying. Plus there are the ones who only see $$$ signs and normally get out of it pretty quick

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

[ROACH]

I always look through the craigslist and am amused of how everyone will ask a large amout of money for a normal BP. I just saw one on there that was asking for $200 for a 3 month old normal plus 1 hide, 1 water bowl and a heat light. AND the tank had a crack in it. They were saying it was a value of over $300 and the snake was $150 alone.

[bcr229]

I always look through the craigslist and am amused of how everyone will ask a large amout of money for a normal BP. I just saw one on there that was asking for $200 for a 3 month old normal plus 1 hide, 1 water bowl and a heat light. AND the tank had a crack in it. They were saying it was a value of over $300 and the snake was $150 alone.

Most likely because that's how much the big box store charged for the snake + setup.

[MrLang]

At the MA expo yesterday, very few people were having sales of BPs. The prices were so low on some animals - just crazy. I was guilty of very low prices myself, yet sold nothing. People panic when they can't sell anything and drop their prices until people see a deal that is 'too good to pass up.' Facebook sales and Auctions are having a negative impact on the prices of animals - NERD's auction of a Lesser Enchi male finished at 300 bucks last night. People see that and think that's the new market price for the combo... very volatile. I think right at the end of the season here is when this happens the most. People who have bred a long time have suggested that if you hold firm on price and wait until the spring, no new animals are hatching and people are hungry to spend holiday cash. I think there is an annual cycle to the prices that we are experiencing the bottom of currently.

For single gene males, these will continue to drop in price indefinitely until all of the basic morphs are in 'pet' range. For a retail store, pet price is around 100 bucks. For expo/breeder and hobbyist markets, that seems to be in the 25-50 range as witnessed with normals going for 25 bucks in the community. There is no good reason why a dirty pastel male would go for more than that eventually since it is unlikely anyone would purchase to breed. Multi-gene combos are pretty clearly the future of the hobby. People breeding combos that result in a lot of single gene animals are in for a rough ride moving forward. Recessives and Homozygous (supers) are a good way to ensure multiple genes on your babies and hopefully help them to command a price that allows them to maintain value higher than the cost of keeping and feeding them.

[King's Royal Pythons]

On the other hand, right now is a great time to add new genes to your breeder stock

[sho220]

On the other hand, right now is a great time to add new genes to your breeder stock

Cup half full... It's buyin' time!!!