I know someone who paid a crap bucket full of money for a pair of drymarchon rubidus.
Both snakes have tell tale signs of inbreeding.
But they are truly gorgeous animals. Sold by a breeder who maintains a truly gorgeous website...and breeds for aesthetic qualities...and who takes fantastic photos.
Investment quality animals, photographed with an investment quality camera.
Now, I never sold my drys for nearly as much money...even in a more rarified market.
I didn't have a fancy website.
...and I imported my animals myself.
...and my photography skills suck.
...and my animals have paired subcaudal scales - like a drymarchon should.
My female don't egg bind.
My animals don't have a tendency towards eye infections.
But the name of the breeder with the fancy website and the slick photographs regularly commands more money for his animals than I ever did - even in an age when most drymarchon species were truly rare.
...and to the Google crowd he is an expert on the species.
Why are his animals worth more - in a crowded market nonetheless?
Answer that question and you've answered the OP's original post.
The big names can sell alot of CRAP based on star power.
Their OPINIONS often dictate what the aesthetic basis for snake is - be it species or morph.
There was a time when I worried about what would sell and why it would sell. I have pretty much stopped producing animals, and enjoy the hobby much much more.
There are a lot of unsold ball pythons on the market. The market rewards aesthetics first, health second.
My humble opinion is that the last thing the world needs is more unwanted ball pythons neonates, bred by a person who has no "stick" in the hobby. No offense OP, but this market is unlike any I've seen in the last couple of decades. I'm pretty much sick of people advertising quality when their animals are anything but.
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