Reptile shows

[Brian O]

I just love sitting at a show and here people say " WOW those are nice geckos and then they are a little too expensive for me." I think the most expensive one I brought with was this one which I was asking $100 for.

I had some nice SHT's for $60-$80. Then after buying a pastel from someone else for $40 they buy the tote from me to cary it home. He said " These are nice but too expensive for me." AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! Am I crazy and a $60 differnce between this and a pastel too much?

 

[Cryptly]

Some people just have to have a bargin, no matter what. Frustrating, but true. They want something cheap, and don't care about quality, they just have to have it and have it cheap.

Some people may be wanting a first gecko, but don't quite understand about morphs and quality, and why they are priced they way they are.

Maybe some people just don't see the value? I remember when I got my gaurenteed female Brachypelma emilia. She was advertised at 3.5", and $150 shipped! I snatched her up, and was quite happy to recieve an almost 4", fat, healthy and female B. emilia. I was raving about it to a couple friends during break at work, and was asked how much I paid for this spider. Without thinking, I told her, and she was shocked "You paid THAT MUCH for a SPIDER?!?" She didn't understand why the tarantula cost so much, and why I was so happy over the cost.

I dunno. :main_huh: I've pretty much given up on trying to understand why people do the things they do. . .it was starting to give me headaches.

She is a very pretty gecko!

 

[RaiQuee]

Lee's bum ya out? I had a lot of that too

 

[rrhill]

people want "disposable pets" & they want them cheap. Its one of the reasons I hate shows...most of the people who go really don't know what the hell they are doing. I see normal leos at pet stores selling for $35 or more. I took my birds to a shop to get their wings and nails clipped and they had a "chocolate phase" leo for $49.95...it was a normal & not even a fat one either.
I had people oh & ah over a tank I put together (on another thread here) but they commented on the price...$150! Too much...what the hell ever...I have over $100 worth of materials in it! It is a one of a kind tank that most people don't have the time or skill to build. It is going to next months show for $200...screw 'em!

 

[Brian O]

Desiree, my first shows of the year are frusterating in that most people don't go there looking for SHTs. I guess there is a reason there are a lot of low quality animals. I had three that should turn into future sales. I am in a tuff market since I am too expensive for disposible pets and not trendy or known for high end.
Ro I am with you on the screw em. No one understands labor or craftmanship because we live in a Walmart world. No one builds anything because they just buy the cheapest pile of garbage they can find. So if it breaks they just buy another.

 

[Gary Orner]

Welcome to the life of shows. Why do you think I stopped doing them.

I used to take my CBB Ball Pythons, JCPs, and Bloods. I would ask 50 for the ball pythons 150 for the JCPs and 125 for the Sumatran Bloods. But others had farmed Balls for 15 and WC Bloods for 60 and sold JCP for 100........

I would tell them I will not talk down about other animals and that I offered the best animals I could at what I thought was fair price. I could tell them the hitory of the animal going back two generations.

So I would sell a few but not many untill I lowered my price a bit and I had to or I would not even come close to making shows woth it. To tell you the truth I made more selling to other breeders and trading................

 

[Jedi Master Bruce]

I agree with everyone so far. Nobody will pay near what the breeder stock cost, but I have conditioned myself to selling cheap if I want to sell at shows or to the wholesalers or dealers. I think I could do well on the internet, but right now I do not have enough time to do it right.

I do really enjoy being home and doing the leo husbandry, pulling out a sweater box, and going ooo ooo ooo for the Hammack, Urban, and A&M bloodline beauties. It amuses me to sell those bloodlines and not tell the dealer what they have and just how good the young will turn out. There are little kids out there with Kelli, Craig, and Alberto's best lines and they will never know, except they have a really, really pretty gecko by some chance of fate.:main_yes:

 

[GeckoStud]

Some people also don't bring alot of money to the shows, i mean i only brought $90 to my first show... So it may not be a manner of cost or quality, but rather a matter of cash on hand.

I saw several leos at the show i went to i would have loved to buy, but alas i didn't have enough money LOL, next time i will come more prepared.

 

[brandy101010]

Some people also don't bring alot of money to the shows, i mean i only brought $90 to my first show... So it may not be a manner of cost or quality, but rather a matter of cash on hand.

I saw several leos at the show i went to i would have loved to buy, but alas i didn't have enough money LOL, next time i will come more prepared.

That is true. I went to my first show this year and ended up getting a nice gecko, a cb ball python, a wc ball python, and some feeders. I would not have been so careful with my spending if I would have brought more then $200. I wish I would have brought more because there was a lot of cool stuff there.

 

[Gary Orner]

Never go to a show unless you have 500 plus dollars lol. The breeders like it that way LMAO......

Remember guys. Just becuase you do not have the money on yo does not mean you can not get an animal. I would hold animals for people. I also would hold the animal a week and then deliver it if need be. Or bring it to the next show. A deposit was in order though.

Just talk to the breeder they are usually ready to help in anyway. Now some will not do a thing for you but most will

 

[Jeremy Letkey]

Brian, I understand you completely. However, if we can educate our customers, they will help others to learn as well. I had a regular $40 - $60 gecko buyer stop buy today. He has bought about 5-7 geckos from me in the past 3 years. He stops and talks at every show, sometimes he buys something sometimes not. He is always asking questions and trying to learn more. Today he stops and we are talking, then he picks up a Mack snow and a nice SHTCT and says he's finally ready to make an investment. The sale was great but knowing that I helped this customer over the years learn enough to take that step was a great feeling.

Short version: Sometimes you have to sell geckos at what we believe are very low pricing. Sometimes it can make your day. :main_thumbsup:

 

[Gregg M]

People go to shows expecting the prices to be lower than they "usually" are....

Most of the time (especially with crappy farmed and imported animals) the dealer does not want to pack the animals back up and take them back to their facility.... At shows, most customers see a price difference, not a quality difference.... They do not realize that the 15 dollar imported BP will most likely never eat for them, and will eventually die.... Where as, if they would have spent the extra cash on a CBB animal, they would most likely never have a problem with that animal....

Also, one time at a show, I had a few of my really nice tangs and another vendor had tangs that were not even half as nice as mine.... His were priced at about $100 and mine were at $200.... Some of the people that stopped by could not understand why mine were $100 more....

 

[nora]

the only shows i will bring any kind of cash too is any show hosted/promoted by shawn heflick (FIRE or Orlando Reptile Show) and Daytona... any other show... forget it. not worth my time and money..

besides i dont look at prices.. i look at the breeder and their reputation.... and there are very few breeders that i will go to when im looking for a specific snake.. like Dennis Sargent.. he's the only guy on this planet that I will buy an amarali from...his are just absolutely gorgeous and the best looking i have ever seen..... and at $300 a snake.. they are worth every single penny.

 

[Smiling Kitty]

I've been helping out a friend of mine at shows for the past 6 years. There are two guys who bring tons of cheap WC animals to the shows. At the last St. Louis show one of them had 6 tables of Nile monitors for $15, Savannah monitors for $12, Afrock $29.99, emperor scorpions for $3 and baby balls for $9.99 each or 2 for $14.99. When I saw that price for the balls, I figured he would sell them all but I was totally wrong. He had a ton of them left at the end of the show. It was an excellent show and people were spending money. I think people are finally catching on to what CBB and WC means.

 

[rrhill]

Karen...which St.Louis show? I was going to come up & do both earlier this month but decided not to. I used to go to the shows when I still lived up there but alas I'm here now...and the monthly show that used to take place here is no more. Oh well, if I ever do a show in the Lou I will look for you! And shame on the guy who brings all the w/c to the show, I hope people were washing their hands between tables & animals!

 

[Smiling Kitty]

It's called the St. Louis' Premier Reptile, Amphibian, Arachnid and Exotics Expo and Sale!www.saurian.net
Next show is August 13.
He moved to a different venue and man is it a good one. It was packed with vendors and there were tons of buyers at the last two shows which were the first 2 shows at this new venue. It seemed to be dying at the other place.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't mind WC animals at all. There were some on the table I was working, golden geckos, tokay geckos, a savannah monitor, basilisk, etc. But to have 50+ baby ball pythons in a sweater box-sized container displayed on the table and one more just as full of balls sitting on a chair behind the table, even for the show, was not something I would do. I guess to each his own, huh?

I just noticed you were from GA. They guy who brings all the WC stuff is from Alabama so you probably have seen him at shows.

 

[Brian O]

Jeremy you must have missed the dozen or so lectures I was giving during the show. I know that most people are there looking for cheap disposable pets. These aren't the people I want as customers. I would rather miss a sale than sell to some one like that. I feel if they have no basic knowledge they obviously are buying on a whim. Which means to me that in a month or two the will lose interest and the gecko will suffer for it. I am looking for the beginer keeper who wants to add some affordable geckos as a foundation to their lines. I enjoy talking to everyone and sharing any info I can pass to them but I am not going to hagle prices on quality animals. If they can't afford the animal how are they going to care for it?
Just so everyone knows I don't think that everyone should come to the shows with bankrolls. Most of mu sales are from people that come back the following show to get the gecko they wanted. I also don't think that everyone that walks in the door should be a subject matter expert on every animal they look at. I was just venting a little about being called over priced when I have always sold for more than reasonable deals.

 

[Smiling Kitty]

It would be nice if everyone came in with a bank roll, wouldn't it? :main_cool3:

 

[rrhill]

Karen, PM sent. I would like to do a new show, but once school starts back up there is really no time. I would also agree with Brian about being reasonable priced. I really haven't seen too many sellers at shows that I felt were "overpriced"...but then again, I have a pretty good idea of the actual worth or going price of many of the different animals & products. I guess "insider knowledge" is a benefit that not too many of the show customers have. Many people have no idea about CBB or WC or CH.

 

[GeckoStud]

Remember guys. Just becuase you do not have the money on yo does not mean you can not get an animal. I would hold animals for people. I also would hold the animal a week and then deliver it if need be. Or bring it to the next show. A deposit was in order though.

Just talk to the breeder they are usually ready to help in anyway. Now some will not do a thing for you but most will

Tis true, never really thought about it.