Reptile & Amphibian Forums

On average how do you sell your babies? I'm looking for %'s here. I know its not exact, but just to get an idea. Word of mouth%, classifieds%, web-site%,pet stores%....ect...ect. Thanks!
Chris Hall

I'd estimate about 75% of mine go to people I know - I'm a softy and I have a tendency to give my friends real good deals so they hit me up around ovulation time. Some of my babies I've consigned thru friends that are starting up their own reptile shop that needed some inventory. I give away a lot of the low end stuff - which thus far is pretty much what I produce. The rest usually get sold via one of the reptile forum classified sections.
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Tosha
JET Pythons

Reptile shows/expos, we do about 18 shows a year, about 50%, a lot of people check out our site and then come to the shows, we like the shows, we enjoy meeting and talking to people and getting a feel for their husbandry skills. Word of mouth, 25% people we've sold to send people to us. Other local breeders, 25%. This is a rough estimate, never really kept track. We have never advertised on any of the forums, I think we will this year.

Rich

I had 14 clutches last season and I sold/traded everything I wanted to except for about 9 animals that I held back. I produced albinos and hets, mojaves, lemons, cinnamons, vpi axanthics and hets and some 50% possible het desert ghosts I held all of those females back. Hope this helps
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Damian Macioce
www.strongholdreptiles.com

mostly sold through kingsnake and that other website...or traded.
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Michael Enriquez

Word of mouth - 5%
Kingsnake classifieds/my website - 50%
Pet Stores - 45%

Just guesses, but probably not far off...I sell almost all of my normals to petstores...

So just curious because I may have some normals myself down the road. What do you ask for them for petstores? They sell them for 79 bucks around here...so is 25 resonable? Less? More? Just want to make sure I am not cheated or cheating folks.

personally i think pet stores should pay 40 for normals captive bred/ born but most will sell cheaper so you have to see what they are offering and decide if its worth it to you if not hold out--thats what we need to do to get what these animals are really worth
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GOOSEBALLS

lamina1982@hotmail.com

Theres to many CH selling for 10 dollars to the pet trade all day long. But I haven't seen any in the stores around here for over 30
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Forever Trust in what we are,and nothing else Matters

I sell all my cb males to my local petstore here for $15.00 a piece. They have bought all my normal males the last 3 years. The reason only males is when I put an ad up for cb lots I ALWAYS get whats the ratio of male to female and if its even 4.6 I never hear back from people noone wants normal males so they go down to Jeffs Pets.
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Damian Macioce
www.strongholdreptiles.com

I've had about 6 pastel males, 2 spider males and 2 cinny males for sale over the past two breeding seasons. I've only sold 1 male pastel for market value $200 in '06. I had to wholesale the others to a local "big" breeder for $50 in '07. He said he was shipping them out wholesale then turned around and sold them in his shop for $125. He told me when I started this he'd buy everything I produce. That wasn't true. He didn't want my spider males or my cinny males. But I owe him money for snakes he gave me and he doesn't ride me for it, so I guess it all evens out. Not to mention he gives me free advice which comes in pretty handy when I'm freaking out, like right now (next post).

I hade to trade a spider male and cinny male for a mojave female. Trade the other spider male and $100 for 1.2 het citrus ghosts and gave the other cinny male away (he had a tiny kink).

On the other hand, I have 8 hold back pastel, 2 mojo, 2 cinny, 1 spider all females. So I saved the money I would've spent buying them.

Wayne

So far I've produced a clutch of 50% het albinos in '05, 5 clutches of Cinnies last year (9 cinnies/19 normals), and then this year I'm expecting 2 clucthes (1 mojave clutch and the other will at least be cinnies but hopefully much better if the female laying them proves to be simple recessive). Everything I've ever sold has been entirely online, except for 2 normal males that I sold to the pet shop down the street last year. I have great luck selling online for decent prices, and I still get people responding to old ads, either by email or phone, asking if they're still available. I just had a guy call the other day asking what I'll have for sale this year. Which will be next to nothing because I'm planning on keeping most of them. I have a total of 12 snakes right now, and never EVER like to have more than 20. And I really have no problem keeping it that way. All due to the online classifieds. I don't even personally know anyone else that's into snakes.

i only bred one clutch so far--normals. pet sote said would buy several times-then never did. tried other stores offering minimal money. finally after 18 months traded for motorcycle parts--good thing was better than would have got selling . so never bbred this year as no way to sell off and was losing money most my breeders not ready for a year or so so maybe my spider and het albinos will get me selling
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GOOSEBALLS

lamina1982@hotmail.com

I don't really know any snake people in fact most of my friends don't like snakes

I would say 80% of mine are sold on online classifieds

some are repeat customers

the rest are sold in the local paper as I happen to live in a large city
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Misty Sprouse Ball Pythons

id say that i give 25% away, trade 50% way, and sell 25% to random people

NONE to pet stores
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Thanks
Chad Ramsey

it varies from year to year. Last year 50% local newspapers (I run adds in papers from 100 miles north to 100 miles south). about 40% word of mouth or repeat customers and the remaining 10% online classifieds. Me personally I prefer to sale locally that way any questions are usually handled by phone calls or in person quickly and effectively. Email has it's place but in my opinion when dealing with a live animal talking either in person or on the phone is much better for all parties. I also sold every snake I produced this year except a couple holdbacks for at or really near market price, THERE IS NO NEED TO UNDERCUT THE COMPETITION, JUST PROVIDE BETTER QUALITY ANIMALS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE AND YOUR ANIMALS WILL SALE PERFECTLY EASY. We are a very small breeder but we built our breeding stock up on the best of the best and our babies show that, do the same and you will be set.
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Josh & Krysty Hutto
J&K Reptiles

Various Ball Pythons, boas, dogs, cats, fish, an amel tiger retic female, a couple sulcatas and a few other odds and ends.

a BAD dog is MADE not bred, support the American Pit Bull Terrier as the greatest breed of dogs on Earth!!!!!

THERE IS NO NEED TO UNDERCUT THE COMPETITION, JUST PROVIDE BETTER QUALITY ANIMALS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE AND YOUR ANIMALS WILL SALE PERFECTLY EASY. We are a very small breeder but we built our breeding stock up on the best of the best and our babies show that, do the same and you will be set.

Josh or Krysty whoever posted this very, very well put if more people thought like that we would all be better off.
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Damian Macioce
www.strongholdreptiles.com