Not that I'm an expert so it doesn't mater but I agree on your points.



The only think I have to add is that I think perhaps last year there was a lot of peer pressure for breeders to hold an artificially high price given the large supply. That pressure is still there this year but the number of breeders finally became too great for it to keep them under control. If the price fixing hadn't been taking place for so long the drops would have been more steady each year rather than the big one between last and this year. As pointed out last year's investors should still come out fine but this is an example of why fake prices (i.e. not determined just by supply and demand) aren't good.



There is nothing wrong with holding back babies that are worth more to you than the going market price (an example of the original breeder’s demand for them) but to keep animals you would gladly sell at a lower price (at which they would actually be demanded) just because you are afraid of the scorn from other breeders should you advertise that lower price is helping to maintain an artificial fixed price. It’s a loose loose situation. You don’t get to sell snakes, very few people who want snakes get to buy them, and the ones that do are discouraged when they suddenly take a big drop to the actual free market supply and demand price.

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