Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Im definitely not a newbie to owning/caring for herps, but I am to investing in high end morphs. Everytime, and I do mean everytime, I think I find a good deal a better one pops up. I understand that the market is unstable, but it makes me nervous to buy. I dont want to leap into an investment knowing that it topped out. Im NOT looking for a get rich scheme, but I do want something thats going to hold value long enough that I could atlest break even. Im truely a fanatic. I know competetion is fierce...For example, Ive found amazing looking Lavenders for 8 or 9k... Then I talk to someone thats willing to sell me a pair for that price. It just makes me feel like Ive already missed the 'BREAK EVEN BOAT'. Im sure I might get a lot people thats going to tell me: this is a hobby, or this is the way business works, ect... I understand that part of it. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.

I guess my question is:
1) How is everyone else holding up in their sales? I could imagine that sales must be down this year, even with all of the new 'must have morphs'.
2) Any other newbies or basement breeders feel the same way?

I would think that if you can pick up a pair of Lavenders for 8-9 grand you will do just fine.

Join the club. I spend $550 on my lemon pastel male.
2 months later they were $250.
Now they're $125.

Doesn't seem like much, but it is for a poor college kid. haha.
-----
"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

The thing is, you can breed a ball python for many years. So you don't get your money back the first year it breeds, so what. You will make it back in a few years. Buying a lavender or something is a different story. It's putting all your eggs in one basket. No risk no reward though right?

The people that say it's just a hobby blah blah blah and then go out and buy 10 normal females really annoy me. If it's just a hobby then stop mass producing. You know what really grinds my gears, when I see a post like this:

Who cares about the money, it's just a hobby. I do this for the love of the snakes. I don't care if I never make a dime off this.

1.1 pastel
0.1 spider
1.0 cinnamon
1.100 normals

If it was just a hobby, no one would own more than one normal female unless they had some unique females.

The truth is, most of us would not have spent anywhere near the amount of money on snakes that we have if we didn't think we could make our money back.

np

I Agree, That is the truth:
"If it's just a hobby then stop mass producing"
So I Think:

1)I love the Ball Python
2)I care about the money
3)I love making money, doing what I love to do (Successful Breeding )
4)This is the best hobbby ever

I'm just saying that we all care about the money at least to some degree. No one would spend over a grand on a snake if they could only sell the babies for $20.

I get you Mike. Few of us are wealthy enough to keep more than a few snakes without some suppert from the sale of snakes. I am in to the "creative'" part of snake keeping as much as the next guy -- maybe more!!

I have spent what most people would consider a SIZABLE amount to start my collection over the last 18 months -- some would see the expenditure as OBSCENE!!! I should be able to expect that this, my first breeding season, should net me enough to cover my collection expenses for the upcoming year.

I am not even thinking about recouping my initial investment -- of "making profit" free and clear. I think that comes after a couple years if you do things the right way and make sound choices. Just my opinion...
-----
Bill Buchman

I would start with something you really like, that is less expensive. Prices are not just going down each year, they are nose diving, each year. Buy something that you can easily afford, and can afford to lose money on. Do not over produce.

Dave