Posted by:
John Q
at Mon May 1 08:56:12 2006 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by John Q ]
So, My votes
>1 Is it pressure from new laws? no
For a small number of individuals, yes.
>2 Herp burn out, fad is dropping
with a lot of people that are
not the long term herpers? yes
In my opinion, yes and no. I'm into the hobby for the long run. I have seen breeders come and go over the last 12 years. They leave, sell out, and there's always somebody to fill their vacancy. Some of he resellers have done some damage as well as the quick buck artist and scammers.
>3 economy yes
YES. I did breed a couple of clutches of the more common stuff, amels and snows. I sold to a couple of local shops as well as singles to someone that just wanted a pet. I would sell for as little as $10. Shipping went up so high, in many cases it was cheaper for them to just go to a local shop. Feeders have gone way up also. It's better to just get a 10 gallon tank, make a screen top, and start a colony of 1.3. $1.50 for an adult mouse in many shops. Buy in bulk, add shipping, and in some cases it was more expensive than buying in bulk from some local breeder. I stopped going to some shows, gas, number of hours of travel, parking, entry, lunch, etc. Just about any deal ended up costing as much as buying online when I added up all the expenses. Not as much fun but the bottom line was it was cheaper when I was shopping for a specific snake. No guarantee that I would even find it at the show.
I would say that the economy is a big factor in slowing down sales, in determining what is worth breeding, attending a show, buying online, etc.
>4 I'm GASP, wrong? no
?
>5 Others
During the time that I have been in this hobby, this time of year has always been slow. As far as online sales go, from late November to the beginning of May has always been slower. Local shops may do well over the holidays but I never had very many sales during that period. Then you have tax time. Some of us owe money, others still have not gotten their tax return. Many of the big breeders are too busy at this time of year to participate in the forums. Other than beginners sharing in the excitement of their first ever clutch or first clutch of the year, the other post by seasoned breeders are just a way to let everyone know what they will have available this year.
In the next few weeks when eggs start hatching, this will all change. As soon as something new pops up, a long term project shows results, etc. The forum and classifieds will be much more active.
Just my opinion.
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RE: SURVEY, Sales/forums seem very slow. WHY - John Q, Mon May 1 08:56:12 2006