reptile sale slump???

[yommy]

It appears to be plenty of reptiles up for sale (as 'for sales' threads are dominating APS at the moment) and they seem to be more older animals then hatchies which is unusual for this time of year......

My question is: Has the past/present economic issues that has been effecting the world in general, finally catching up with our great hobby ???

Why does it appear that people are off loading their animals more and more recently ???

Food for thought..

 

[Kurto]

I thought the economic trends caught up with the reptile industry a couple of seasons ago. Hence the drop in higher end prices, eg; greens, albinos, etc.

I've noticed a bit of a cycle in people selling of their impulse buys... Which is another reason why petshops shouldn't be aloud to sell reptiles..

 

[Ozzie Python]

might be this time of year. people might still be recovering from xmas, holidays etc, i know i am.

i sold hatchies easy before xmas, hardly getting an enquiry now, and those that i am getting since the new year are not turning into sales.

 

[AUSGECKO]

Which is another reason why petshops shouldn't be aloud to sell reptiles..

If your worried about impulse buying then maybe forums shouldn`t have for sale threads and classifieds sites should be banned..........

I think that the fact that there are more people breeding reptiles each season has contributed to a slump in reptile sales. Previous seasons i would get a few enquiries a week for each species that i had up for sale, but this season next to nothing. It seems as though the number of people wanting to get into the hobby is starting to plateau and the number of excess animals being bred by people for sale has caused people to start dropping their prices because they are not selling as well as they would have previous seasons.

 

[PilbaraPythons]

I haven't spoken to a breeder or dealer lately that isn't experiencing a slow time moving their regular progeny.
Even in W.A, I am not ammune, As a W.A dealer I have cheapest Stimsons available in the state and I am still finding sales very slow compared all other seasons. Even the pet shops who regulary purchase of us have surplus stock and are telling me that they aren't selling alot of anything e.g. fish, birds etc.
Times for many out there are clearly getting tough and couple that with an over supply of reptiles from every man and his dog who has got into breeding for a hopeful profit, and prices fall and other bail out compounding the surplus. The only answer in my opinion is to expand the industry by the way of exposing this hobby to more keepers out there.

 

[Ozzie Python]

seems the trend these days also for new keepers to start at the top and wanting albinos, gtp, womas rather than learning the hobby with the humble old antaresia or coastal. there are a lot of the basic reptiles being offered at the moment that don't seem to be moving. supply is now definately catching up to if not already overtaken demand.

 

[Bushfire]

Obviously I can only speak for myself but selling stuff for the last 2 or so years has become very hard and I also have found myself caught up in the crisis and have lately off loaded more or more breeding stock to get by ie. reducing costs. Last yr I accidently got a coastal carpet clutch of 17 eggs, I incubated them with 16 hatching and after three months of trying to sell them dropping the price every week or so I could not sell them so came to the hard decision to freeze the lot, couldnt even move them at free to good home. These individuals I would say are about 'middle of the road' in terms of colour and pattern certainly not ulgy specimens but again not the hypos, RP, striped etc etc. This year Ive suspended all my breeding attempts on every reptile and all eggs found destoryed.

Its just the way it is, the market is way over supplied and potential buyers are straped for cash themselves. As a results buyers can afford to be extremely picky, picking up the 'top of the class' specimens at basement/throw away prices (who wouldnt, I did). No one is really to blame for the way it is, as always supply and demand at work. I suspect more and more breeders will do what Ive done if/when things get tougher.

 

[AUSGECKO]

I agree with what Pilbara Pythons said, The industry definately needs to expand but i can`t see the demand catching up with the supply for a while yet. I`ve noticed quite a few people myslelf included, doing swaps for different reptiles as a resort to not having many enquiries that lead to a sale.

 

[bigi]

i think its a combination of the industry slowing somewhat, less or not as many people buying compared to/and too many people breeding.
If the industry needs to expand, its clearly Victoria/Melbourne that has the largest growth potential. Compare Vic industry sales up against NSW or Qld. They are far more developed up north and numbers are strikingly greater.

 

[DonnB]

Well if anyone else has anything they need to get ride of i may be persuaded to take them at no charge from you...

 

[Bez84]

lol same always looking to expand the collection just havent the funds to do so yet

 

[ozziepythons]

I have noticed that over the last couple of seasons, trying to move on both older holdbacks and hatchies has been very slow. Even with very low prices just to move on a couple of snakes (for the need to make more room) barely generates a couple of enquiries. What factors are involved I do not know, but it takes a little more patience to finally move on those your willing to part with. I've just had a clutch of Murrays hatch and resigned to the idea I'll have them for quite a while before most of them sell. It is evident that many keepers are experiencing the same thing.

 

[smudge]

The supply vs. demand argument is definately a valid and strong one but i think Pilbara really hit the nail on the head...

The only answer in my opinion is to expand the industry by the way of exposing this hobby to more keepers out there.

I live in a rather small town and have quickly become known to a lot of the locals as "the chick with the snakes". Most people who talk to me on this topic are often surprised at how easy it is to obtain a license and what a wide variety of species are available. We live in a time where the size of house blocks is getting smaller, the cost of living is getting higher and therefore we are working more hours, leaving less time, space and money for more common pets (dogs, cats...etc.). This, in my opinion is a great time to get our hobby out there... reptile prices are great, they don' t require a great deal of time and the upkeep costs are far less than your average dog.

Have sold a number of reptiles to families for these exact reasons, and now by word of mouth have people coming to me on a regular basis interested in buying reptiles off me.

 

[craigryan]

I think if your animals are priced well for good stock you will always move good healthy animals. In the past because of a lack of supply animals were expensive and not alot were being bred, now there are alot of animals and you are able to get a bargain, so anyone wanting a bargain contact me.

 

[montay]

I have followed this thread with interest.
I think the issue here is to not panic about the ebb and flow in demand.
As Dave from Pilbara Pythons said, the onus is on us, as keepers and breeders to actively promote the hobby as a viable alternative to more conventional pets.
As a burgeoning hobby, that does not appeal to the masses, we have something of an obligation to promote and educate, perhaps from those of us who wish to breed our snakes either for profit, to fund our hobby, or for more altruistic reasons such as provenance.
I would like to hear more from the experienced breeders - what have your recent experiences been? What advice can you offer?

 

[Elapidae1]

Especially in WA i think the initial outlay on enclosures etc and the animal is a bit beyond a lot of peoples reach. I for one have a beardie setup and python enclosure ready to go but just can't afford to fill them at the moment .

 

[unique]

Sale slump for average looking animals.

god help this hobby when you can buy a jag for $200..normal carpets
just wont sell..most people just want a colorful pet... that's it...
have you seen the herp classifieds lately? jags for $1000.

 

[ShaneBlack]

The fact is that most reptiles are easy to breed. Another fact is that the vast majority of people want to breed their reptiles. Not too many people buy single animals or two of the same sex.....everyone wants to buy pairs, even people who claim they dont want to breed lol.

Everyone wants to breed and make some extra money from the animals they love.....and why not, who can blame them? We're all doing it. As a result its only going to get harder and harder to move average animals. The solution......people need to get more selective about the animals they purchase and breed. The best animals will always sell easily.

 

[paulaandnorbert]

The promotion of the keeping of reptiles as a pleasurable (but more importantly) realistic and possible past time is very important to the expansion of this community (and the increase in business for those of you that are involved! ).

Most people assume that the keeping of any reptiles is difficult and that they make horrible icky pets. Any opportunity to challenge these assumptions is important. I don't think that this forum is the best place for that because most visitors of this site are actively looking to buy a reptile.

As recent converts ourselves, we can say that for us, the local reptile show was unbelievably effective at swaying us to becoming reptile owners.

Less than twelve months ago we wandered into the local reptile show and the whole family was blown away! When we left, the only thing on our minds was that we needed to get some reptiles of our own!

And it has not taken us long for us to adopt a few of these fine critters in to our family.

The more of these types of local community shows that can be put on, the more opportunities are created for these animals to 'sell' themselves!

By the way, we are looking forward to the next local reptile show in April!


Norbert

 

[Simon_Archibald]

Lots and lots of less experienced keepers breeding species that are prolific in the numbers they lay - especially the pythons and dragons. Lots of these animals are of average or substandard quality from what I've seen lately also.

Reading some of the threads on this and other sites makes me shudder at the abundance of inexperienced people giving advice (but I suppose this has always happened too).

And what the hell is a Freckled Bredli??? Wake up...