Hello, I can see your point, and anything willing to help the public ensure a good buying situation would be a boost to the market, but here is my Take. I don't think that will work. You can always get into a (Tissing match with He said she said situation). "when I sent the animal it was Healthy" now you say it isn't, what did you do in the process"?????? It will always boil down to some stupid dishonest person trying to take advantage of a person, and this may only help dishonest people become credible, and then take advantage of them in a (he said she said situation).
This is My Point:
This is a LIVE ANIMAL business. In a business such as this, animals WILL die. All major breeders with experience has sold animals that have died, and that is just part of the business. Shipping, can go wrong, accidents happen, etc...... This really is a BUYER BEWARE market.
I think that with such a business, it really allows honest breeders to succeed, and dishonest sellers to get weeded out. I have sooo often seen buyers pass up on a reputable breeder animal just to save a few hundred dollars, and then completely regret it. It happens EVERYDAY. I see it happen a TON with me. I get contacted on a by weekly basis of how someone ripped them off and they are looking for an animal that they still want. Many of these people are people that contacted me for an animal and I wouldn't lower my price to reflect the competetion and they would buy the cheaper animal. They end up telling me about it and I truly feel sorry for them. However, a lesson will be learned. I had to learn this SAME lesson the hard way myself. Time and time again, I look at the classifieds and find myself staring in disbelief, as I just KNOW many of the animals that are for sale look Bad, or I know they just aren't Right. I wish I could do something, but I can. Let the the BUYERS KNOW that it REALLY is a BUYER BEWARE MARKET. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is..
Now, how does this help someone like a New breeder that comes along trying to start his business/hobby from breeding and trying to develop a name that will have credibility?? Here are some Pointers:::: Make sure you sell ONLY animals you would want to Buy if you were the Buyer. Of course you want to keep the best for yourself, and sell ones you don't need or want anymore, but make sure that if you did need it, you would feel comfortable buying it from a Health Standpoint.
Also, this is a Relationships business too. We all don't get along with everyone. Here is something I did that really helped me get started, and helped me establish a name. (I know I am not Mr. Big breeder, and there are many better and bigger breeders then me.) I am just saying this from an experience factor with having animals to sell for the last 8 to 10 years that are Morphs and higher dollar stuff. Also speaking from experience with selling everything I need to sell each year. When Buying Stuff, I always was able to sell the Bloodlines of an Established breeders name easier then I did from a Broker I bought from. Like Pete Kahl. In the early 90's I did a lot of Buying from Pete, and then Later from Tracy Barker, and a few others. In doing this I was also able to establish good friendships. I was always giving them Money when I said I would, and paid projects off when they gave me time to do so. This helped me with my name as I was able to use them as refferences as to the fact that I kept my word. This really helped me as the other breeders would get calls about me they would then give me as a person they could trust to keep my word. As Time grew I also was able to swap out animals with these guys, and eventually they even became customers of Mine. A good breeder is ALWAYS willing to pick out good stock, and get animals that are up with the Times. I think Pete Kahl is the Best of the Best at this. He has the most amazing collection and I consider him a mentor. He is honest, and SURE he sometimes has a situation where an animal will go bad. EVERYONE DOES if they are Honest. It is what you DO with the situation when a problem arrises that makes you a person of character to deal with. Everyone can claim honesty when everything goes smooth sailing.
So, that is just me. I Would get good bloodlines from well know breeders, and MARKET those bloodlines. Then eventually I had my own bloodlines, and was able to market those. I am sure I have people that don't like me for ME. That is LIFE. However, people who deal with me and have had problems know I have been Fair. That is all you can ask.
You'll see EVENTUALLY people like to do business with a few other people rather then bigger breeders or bigger names in a certain project. Alex @ Boarepublic was able to sell all his Motleys last year. There were people who chose to deal with him rather then Me, and Vise Versa. That is all Fine. You have to work with those you feel comfortable with. There really is enough room in this for ALL. The animals speak for themselves. I have learned you need to take time to make sure you have adequate customer service, if you really want to sell your stuff. Sure, there are many herpers, that just aren't salesmen, and they breed snakes well. They don't have a problem selling their stuff if the quality speak for themselves. You just have to find a NITCH you are comfortable with. I have learned that if you PRODUCE animals you will sell them. These Markets are all good.
Linda Hedgepeth is a great example of an up and coming Great Boa Lady. She bought BEAUTIFUL high quality animals from Breeders and she showed them off in chats, forums, etc... Whenever she had a litter, she sells EVERY SINGLE BABY. Even competing with many of the breeders who have been around a LOT longer producing the Same animals. She learned that IF you produce Good quality animals, they WILL sell. This is her second year of selling on a national level. The INTERNET has brought the HERP industry to New Heights. You just need to find a way to SHOW your animals OFF.
I could give many examples, but I really would like to See BUYERS take more responsibility. Sellers should too. This is a LIVE animal business. AS such there will ALWAYS be a GREY area. If you don't believe me, go look at the classifieds now, you'll find animals you know that they just shouldn't be sold.
I really hope this helps. This is JUST my opinion. I would love to hear others weigh in on the subject.
I would also like us to tackle the subject of BUYING too. Such as BUYING ADULT Boas. I could make some pretty solid arguments about NOT GETTING THEM. I know many who feel this way. I would love to start a debate on that subject alone and hear all the responses.
Best of Luck in starting your Business. I hope I shared some ideas that can help. There are many other good ideas too.
Take Care, Jeremy Stone
