Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I hatched four clutches of quality pastels this year and had the hardest time selling males for 1K. I've discounted males at 40% to 50% of actual market value and kept back all females. I'm sure everyone noticed the quantity of pastels still looking for new homes. This being a hobby, I don't want to have over a dozen pastel males sitting on a shelf because of market price saturation.

Without risking being severely repremended by my peers for actualy dictating a new market price!

Suggestions/comments/arguments please

Thanks

I to had 4 clutchs(wish I had more)of pastels.Do you do shows? Did the profit cover your cost`s?Was it worth your time? And most of all did you have FUN ??? What are your plans for 04? The market dictates the price not your peers.

Yes to all your observations. You hit the nail on head with ''Fun''. Only for fun, not to purchase corvettes, sea doos and down payment on land...

Why is the ball python market so hypocrite?

We all post pastel males for $1500 and sell em for $600-800...

I think the price game goes on in all markets and is part of negotiation. Seller prices higher, buyer asks for lower. You meet somewhere in the middle. Some you get a good deal on others you don't. And sure everyone makes deals when you have to but I think pastels will still be a key ingredient for the next few years. There are still quite a few projects that can be done with them that need time to blossom. Imagine a genetic striped pastel or a carmel albino pastel, who knows what these projects will produce. Just my 2 cents worth.

----GP

If you have pastels for $600.-800. please email me. I want one.
pythons@adelphia.net
Link

What is wrong with profit? I like my Corvette too.
My teaching job was fun too but I liked the pay check every two weeks!!!! Nothing wrong with profit.

Have you posted pictures in the classifieds?
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RicK Denmon

Ball Boutique,Inc.
What are we talking about?

I had no idea male pastel jungles weren’t going for the advertised price. I knew a ton would be produced this year and frankly was surprised that they weren’t being advertised for $500 this year but chalked it up to all the neat combos.

I think they would be a good investment even at $1,000 but that was out of striking distance for me and if I had known they could be had for as little as $600 I would have saved up and bought one this year.

I think the peer pressure to hold a fictitious ad price reduced the potential buyer field this year and didn't do anyone any favors. I bet if everyone starts advertising them for the real price now they will sell out quick due to all the new potential buyers who didn't know they where potential buyers at the fake price.

As with any business you must consider what you call "market". Is your market the swap meets? The big breeder shows? Or local/regional herp classifieds? I don't believe the market is saturated in any area, yet. If so, you need to increase your market area. If you live in Florida or California in areas where your competition is based, you will have a tough time. However, if you branch out to advertizing in other regions say Arizona, you may have better luck. This is an example of course. You need to determine how and where you want to market yourself.

The key to marketing any business is having a USP or Unique Selling Proposition. You need to identify yourself from the competition. You need to create or identify your product so unique to others that you create a separate demand, then you can command above average prices. This is successfully done by Ralph Davis, NERD, VPI, Reptile Industries, etc in varying markets. The simple way is be the first to sell a pastel x caramel or other combination. Or you can provide expert advice and service that the first-time breeder usually cannot provide. This is the basics of marketing. I have paid prices for animals far above going market prices because I am getting something better (ie good eater, exceptional appearance, captive bred, etc). Of course I am a hobbyist, but there is a business sense that you need to maintain if you want the hobby to support itself. You also have to be patient in this "industry". Why let an animal go for cheap if you don't have to. There is seasonality to herp breeding and sales for the most part. If you sell to pet shops this is even more apparent. Summer is bad, Christmas time rocks. So keep looking around and remember that sometimes, people get what they pay for. The question you should ask yourself is, are your customers getting what they pay for, or more or less?
Nothing like regurgitating graduate school...

I know you said you don't want to hold on to 7-8 male pastels, but maybe you should consider it. You could keep them less than a year, and then sell them for four times what you're getting now.

Jake

n/p

I produced 13 pastel this year and posted them here i had to have had 20 emails a day with some luck i got lucky and wholesaled 5.1 to the same person/company and and traded the others for albinos/ yellow ghosts.

Its very difficult to sell them at times people are not very trusting WITH GOOD REASON in this hobby/business.

Try sellig some females in a package deal i did you have to do what you have to do.

Dont worry about the market they are all going to drop in price as more and more of the 1000$ snakes are produced.

Just my opinion Joe.....

I think in general, people will try to sell their snakes for
as much as they can, and a buyer will try to buy them for as
little as possible. If you find that you can only sell your
pastel males for $600-800, then it is your right to sell them.
I find it interesting when people try to tell others they
are 'ruining the market'. If someone thinks you are ruining
the market, then it implies that they think you are selling the
animals for less than they are worth. However, if they REALLY
believed that, then shouldn't they just buy all your animals and
then sell them for the higher price? If you try and try to sell
your snake for $1200, and you cannot get it sold, then I would
ask you: Is your snake worth $1200? Obviously not. So what
do you do...you slowly lower the price until you get a buyer.
I guess that would be the market value for *your* snake.
Obviously, the big name breeders get more for their animals,
since people want to buy from them, so thier 'market' price is
higher than yours. At the end of the day, it is all supply
and demand. Eventually, the price on pastels will get low
enough that the demand for them will not be able to be met.
That is where the price will stabilize. What price that will be
is anyone's guess. I personally believe they will bottom out
at a 3-4 hundred bucks at some point in the far distant future (not for
a while).

-Chris

Don't ya just love it when someone tells you how much to sell YOUR PROPERTY for? Had one person tell me that I should sell at a certain price - then offer to buy my clutches for half of what the price was on their web site. Now that is funny! You got to love the reptile business. Could write a book but no one would believe it.....

Demo = Often imitated - never equaled!

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RicK Denmon

Ball Boutique,Inc.
What are we talking about?

snake world sucks....always will.........money made it that way.......no more just for fun breedings and people keep only what is hot at the momment....then dump them and buy a new morph/species......

yep........

(me too?..--..probably)

.........sad

.........drop prices........yea........albinos at $1000 in 2 years.......pastels @ $400........ghosts @ $350........

oh....wait.....people pay that now..they just have to know someone"""""........hahahahahaaaaaaaaaa..

looked at clASSifieds......first time in months.........albino balls @$2200 and $2500......wow....they were offered at $1200 and sold last year at $2000.......pastels listing at $1200 /1500........males.....had $700 offers last year....

noone tells them to NOT list higher......."?......so list lower......

and we won't mention the ""new morph"" normals from africa....$7........

.............why am I here..........time to clean the mices...................

I posted a similar question earlier and was told by many that the market will only get better - more demand. So far, this thread has given support to my original theory of supply and demand - the more supply you have (saturation), the less demand you will eventually have. Prices will follow - lowering.
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Jay A. Martin

I posted in the classifieds that I wanted a bright lemon pastel....no one replied to it......why? Guess no one had one.
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RicK Denmon

Ball Boutique,Inc.
What are we talking about?

more supply you have (saturation), the less demand you will eventually have. Prices will follow - lowering.

Don't confuse the two. Demand is affected by price, not supply. More supply does not make the demand go down!! LOL! If 100 people want a Pastel in a given market when 500 are produced, you think 50 people suddenly don't want a Pastel when 1,000 are produced? Ha ha, sorry but the market for ANYTHING doesn't work that way.
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