The REAL reason for dropping prices?

[muddoc]

But even then, that pastel male should be able to sire 20+ eggs in his first breeding season, half of which are pastels. Theoretically, in your first year you could make all your money back and still have the snake for many more years.

I think it's weird that people are dissapointed they may not make their money back in their very first year. I can't think of a single business where the owner expects to turn a profit his/her first year.

JonV

I also paid a LOT more for my first spider and albino than what they are going for now.

Even so, no matter what you paid back a few years ago, you will make back the money put into purchasing them.

I guess I should have made myself a bit more clear. I too have spent much more on ball pythons than they are worth today (i.e. $20,000 for our first Pin male). However, I am not crying about it, nor do I think that I am losing money on any project that I have bought into. In fact, the first year that my Pastel bred, he bred 4 females. None of those females took or produced eggs. Yet, I still know that he will breed for years to come. The same happened with my Pin male. He decided not to breed until he was 20 months old. I have not made my money back from that purchase, however, he has more offspring coming this year, and I would bet money that he is still producing in 5+ years.

What I didn't convey in my first post is that it gets aggravating to think that you pay a guy $1000 for an animal to find that the guy you bought from drops his price faster than the market calls for. Then next year, when you produce some of said morph, you can't sell them because your original supplier is under cutting you. With all of that said, all I am saying is do your best to support the guys that help to stabilize the market, as they will be helping you in the long run. Sometimes it may cost you a bit more, but I guarantee you will appreciate it in the future.

I take no offense at anything that was posted, but rest assured that I have been around long enough to have watched the drastic changes in the market, and never expect to make my money back in the first year. All I have ever expected out of an investment in a project is to make my money back over the LIFE of the project, which is a very attainable goal with the Ball Python Market, even in this day and age.