I'm convinced the universe is mocking me, or I'm just torturing myself

[Bogertophis]

Their demand must've skyrocketed then. I looked through older MM listings going back to around 2018 and prices were in the $400, $300, even mid $200 range and most if not all of them appeared to be captive bred.

I looked on Fauna Classifieds and it seems to be a similar story, though I see listings even a year ago that were cheaper in similar ranges as above, but recent posts from this very month seem to be $450 minimum. Strange...

I think current high prices might also have to do with people being out of work due to covid- wanting to work from home now, or being forced to do so? Also, various shortages making costs rise.

And "just because" -some do take advantage when things aren't plentiful. Just remember they're easy to raise. I think MM prices tend to be high- because they have the advantage of being a widely known & reputable platform to advertise from (& it's also easy to find things on).