selling crested geckos

[LeslyErin86]

I have been a proud owner of crested geckos for a few years now. I currently own an adult couple & a hatchling about 6 weeks old. I finally decided I wanted to start breeding my adult pair. My adult female, Percival, is 40 grams (without her tail) & about 2 years old. My adult male, Frederick, is 35 grams (with his tail) and a little over a year old. They mate regularly & approximately 2 months after housing themselves together, Percy laid her first clutch of pearly white, beautifully fertile eggs. Two nights after she laid Fred was already trying & succeeding, at mating with Percy again. I was a little surprised because I know females store sperm, but hey, guess they just love eachother so much they want to do it all the time! Haha. They get along great & he is very protective of her. While she was laying he watched her from above the entire time, never taking his eyes off her, then they kissed when she was finally done! Anyways... I would like some advice on selling the hatchlings, the best way to go about it and pricing. I know the 2 pet stores around here sell the hatchlings for about $40 - $50. So I was wondering if I should go just a bit cheaper to have a greater chance at selling them or if I can actually go higher because coming from someone like myself, they will be much healthier & better cared for. Also, I have more time to spend on giving information & helping the newbies to learn to care for their New pets. Also, I make live terrariums, including the floor, background & plants. This eats the poop & keeps the cage smelling just like an actual jungle & of course is more homey for the cresties! The pet store that does that here charges around $50 - $200 depending on the size of the cage & if they use cork or drift wood, how many plants, maybe a mini pond or waterfall, things like that. So there I will obviously go cheaper. If I can't get rid of them all the place here will take them for $20 a piece but I would really like to personally find great homes for all the little new guys when they start hatching! I was thinking maybe craigslist? I don't know. So please advice on pricing & how to go about selling would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys! Hope to hear lots of feedback very soon!

 

[Russellm0704]

Don't sell them to a pet store. I would feel bad if I brought new geckos into this world and then put them in a pet store where no one would care for them. That would be very irresponsible in my opinion

 

[LeslyErin86]

Don't sell them to a pet store. I would feel bad if I brought new geckos into this world and then put them in a pet store where no one would care for them. That would be very irresponsible in my opinion

If you read my whole post I said I didnt want to do that & that is why I am asking advice on the best way to go about selling them privately & how to go about pricing them. So, if you have any advice about that I would love to hear it. Other than that I don't need to hear something I already said myself.

 

[LZRDGRL]

It depends on how many hatchlings you will have. Does it justify a visit to a reptile show and getting a table? Tables range from $35-125 bucks for an 8-foot table, depending on location. You must at least get the table money back in (and the price for the gas to drive to the show, and restaurant money, hotel, etc.???).

You probably won't have enough hatchlings from one breeding pair to sell at a show, so I would suggest create a nice website (free one with weebly or so?), if you don't have one already, and sell through that. Facebook works, too! You can also put your advertisements here on geckoforums, on www.kingsnake.com, and on www.faunaclassifieds.com. For kingsnake.com, you need to create and pay for an account, though.

Only in an emergency (when you can't find homes for the rest of them), I would take the pet store alternitive. There are some really good pet stores around, where the animals are kept appropriately. I'd check them out first before I give my "children" to them :main_yes:

Your selling success depends a lot on the quality of your animals. What do the breeders look like? I'm looking for purple/cream flame cresties and perfect pinstripes, for example. If you just have ordinary morphs, you won't be able to sell for a higher price than the pet stores (in the $35-60 range), even if you house them better and tame them before you sell them. But if you have something really special, you can go up to 400 bucks or thereabouts.

Keep in mind that if you have only Normals, people won't by from you if the animals have to be shipped. Why should they pay 50 dollars shipping fee if they can get the same healthy cheap Normal in a good pet store or at a show in their area? If you do local pick-ups, or are willing to drive in the direction of the buyer, you'll find more customers for lower-grade morphs. If you have something really special, people WILL pay shipping, no question. So make sure you post pictures of your breeder animals when you advertise for the hatchlings, to show off the potential. Also, keep the hatchlings seperate, so they won't lose their tails. Many people look for geckos without tail nips!

So, if you have something special, create a website, make ads in online forums, and get some shipping supplies ahead of time; if you have ordinary ones, sell locally at shows or with pick-up at the "facility," and if you still can't find customers (after asking friends and family, heehee), contact a good pet store

Maybe that helped a bit... That's how I did it, but I'm breeding leopards, not cresteds yet (next year will be my first year for that),

Chrissy

 

[LeslyErin86]

It depends on how many hatchlings you will have. Does it justify a visit to a reptile show and getting a table? Tables range from $35-125 bucks for an 8-foot table, depending on location. You must at least get the table money back in (and the price for the gas to drive to the show, and restaurant money, hotel, etc.???).

You probably won't have enough hatchlings from one breeding pair to sell at a show, so I would suggest create a nice website (free one with weebly or so?), if you don't have one already, and sell through that. Facebook works, too! You can also put your advertisements here on geckoforums, on www.kingsnake.com, and on www.faunaclassifieds.com. For kingsnake.com, you need to create and pay for an account, though.

Only in an emergency (when you can't find homes for the rest of them), I would take the pet store alternitive. There are some really good pet stores around, where the animals are kept appropriately. I'd check them out first before I give my "children" to them :main_yes:

Your selling success depends a lot on the quality of your animals. What do the breeders look like? I'm looking for purple/cream flame cresties and perfect pinstripes, for example. If you just have ordinary morphs, you won't be able to sell for a higher price than the pet stores (in the $35-60 range), even if you house them better and tame them before you sell them. But if you have something really special, you can go up to 400 bucks or thereabouts.

Keep in mind that if you have only Normals, people won't by from you if the animals have to be shipped. Why should they pay 50 dollars shipping fee if they can get the same healthy cheap Normal in a good pet store or at a show in their area? If you do local pick-ups, or are willing to drive in the direction of the buyer, you'll find more customers for lower-grade morphs. If you have something really special, people WILL pay shipping, no question. So make sure you post pictures of your breeder animals when you advertise for the hatchlings, to show off the potential. Also, keep the hatchlings seperate, so they won't lose their tails. Many people look for geckos without tail nips!

So, if you have something special, create a website, make ads in online forums, and get some shipping supplies ahead of time; if you have ordinary ones, sell locally at shows or with pick-up at the "facility," and if you still can't find customers (after asking friends and family, heehee), contact a good pet store

Maybe that helped a bit... That's how I did it, but I'm breeding leopards, not cresteds yet (next year will be my first year for that),

Chrissy

Yes that helped alot. I do not want 2 do a show... not yet. I am working on getting really awesome morphs but that will take a couple years so now I really just want 2 sell locally unless. I do end up getting really awesome ones from my pair now. I have a baby red 1 that I think will breed beautifully but she's nowhere near ready yet. I have a great pet store here that sells exotic pets so I kno they'd be taken care of but my main thing is who they go 2 bc just bc the pet store is good doesn't mean thenperson buying wont suck. Lol so that's y I really wanna sell in my own 2 people who will take good care of my grand children haha.web site is a perfect idea I also will out them on face book & craigslist. A little more info on pricing the geckos tho plz? I dnt wasn't 2 sell them 4 2 cheap & get ripped of but I also dnt want 2 sell 4 2 much & rip someone else off. I kno it's hard 2 ass't until they hatch, but maybe just a general idea. Thanks 4 ur help

 

[LeslyErin86]

Sorry for all the typos... im half asleep! Lol

 

[im faster]

on another not you can work somethiing with a breeder like me..
i have a few people that just like to see what they can make.. they keep one or 2 here and there and sell them the others to me..

the breeder would only pay wholesale prices. but you know they will be going to someone much better than a pet store..

 

[Russellm0704]

If you read my whole post I said I didnt want to do that & that is why I am asking advice on the best way to go about selling them privately & how to go about pricing them. So, if you have any advice about that I would love to hear it. Other than that I don't need to hear something I already said myself.

You said "if" you cant get rid of them then the pet store would take them for 20 a piece. That would make most think that if you can't sell them then the pet store would be your plan b.

 

[acpart]

Check out this article I wrote for Gecko Time: http://www.geckotime.com/how-to-sell-your-geckos/

Aliza

 

[katie_]

Why does everyone think every petstore take poor care of their stock?
My boyfriends owns a petstore, and we take excellent care of our reptiles.
Theres another reptile petstore in town, and they take very good care aswell.
As for our SUPPLIERS, thats a different story.

 

[im faster]

big chain pet stores take poor care of there geckos.. EVERY single one i have been to.

 

[The Gecko Person]

The starter of this thread wrote-
"The people the pet store sells to might not take care of them"

Not-
"No pet stores, especially chains, take care of their animals"

There are some chain pet stores that take care of certain animals better than others. Anyone that has too many species to know about each one might not take perfect care of them. Even breeders sometimes don't take care of their animals.

 

[katie_]

I worked at PetSmart when I was 16-18 years old. Embarrassing as it is to admit it, they werent as bad as other chains. Maybe it was just our location, and that our owner was a total reptile lover - but every REPTILE was taken very good care of.
If a hamster or a house gecko got sick, they would go to the nearest vet. I cant speak for all PetSmarts.
I did however leave because of a very sad situation with a baby concure - and thats how I met my now live in boyfriend. He owns his own aquarium business. I'm very proud of how we look after our fish and reptiles - and we have the largest collection of rescue turtles in the city.

 

[LeslyErin86]

Im not worried about selling them to the pet store around here although, no offense but if I did I wouldn't sell to a petstore I would sell to one of our exotic petstores. If you guys would read my posts & all the comments, I am worried about who they would go to. Just because a petstore takes good care of them doesn't mean anything. They will sell to anyone. I however will not. I want to know my babies are going to a good home.

 

[biggoofybastard]

I worked at PetSmart when I was 16-18 years old. Embarrassing as it is to admit it, they werent as bad as other chains. Maybe it was just our location, and that our owner was a total reptile lover - but every REPTILE was taken very good care of.
If a hamster or a house gecko got sick, they would go to the nearest vet. I cant speak for all PetSmarts.
I did however leave because of a very sad situation with a baby concure - and thats how I met my now live in boyfriend. He owns his own aquarium business. I'm very proud of how we look after our fish and reptiles - and we have the largest collection of rescue turtles in the city.

My wife and I quit the one we were at in big part because sick hamsters or geckos went into the freezer too often, even though policy says to do otherwise.

At the same time I always made sure the reptiles were taken care of properly, and get annoyed when people act like all petsmart employees are idiots

 

[darkridder]

Long post...sorry but it will be lol

Selling can be hard with these guys. The crested gecko market is very saturated right now and selling can be very difficult. Even seasoned breeders such as myself can have issues at times and I have even cut back how many I breed now as compared to what I did my first few seasons.

Before considering breeding you have to look at a few things, one of which is your local market. It is best to go to your most local show an see how many venders are there, their prices, and the morphs they have. Talk to them, see if the show is a good show fr cresteds, or if it is meh. Just because they are cute does not mean it is a good show for them. Take my area, Taylor MI, great crested market, Cleveland and Columbus terribly crested markets. But also look at who your competition is, I have one of the largest breeders in my neck of the woods, selling at that show in Taylor is seriously hard, although people in this area know who I am, they still buy from him, he has been doing it longer and has more options. But also look to see how many geckos they bring, and how many they go home with, that is a good indication how many they sell there. And ask them over all how their local sales do, do most sales come from online, and do they often have alot of babies left over from the season. I know you said you didnt want to do shows right away (unless you are breeding 4+ females, shows are not really worth it), but these are your direct competition besides the stores so you have to take that into consideration.

And yes the pet stores sell $40-$50 geckos, but your goal is not to produce craptastic $40-50 geckos, you should have a goal to produce the best you can. Online you are up against people who are breeding top quality, so if you want to move into that market, you need nice animals. People do not want to spend $40-50 on a gecko and it costs that much to ship it, they can see the value in buying a $75+ gecko and having it shipped though. But even then, believe it or not it is easier to sell a $150 gecko online over a $75 gecko.

And still locally under cutting yourself just means more breeders are going to buy your cheap animals, grow them up and breed them yourself, and now you have more competition and sooner or later have to sell at an even lower price if your animals are just average.

What I tell people who have an itch to breed, look at your animals, are they really worth it? To you yes, but you have to look beyond yourself and look at your buyers. Crested geckos have several major factors, morph, color, crest structure, head structure, and lineage. Many people including myself look for very specific things, some lines I demand cleaning, I want to know the lineage to know how deep the traits I am looking for go back, I also want to insure unwanted traits dont pop up. People are becoming more and more into gecko snobs, which really is a good thing and not a bad thing. So it is best to get an idea on if your market likes your geckos or not and would be willing to buy geckos produced by them. And if your gecko is lacking in something, lets say the morph and coloring are great but its crest structure is just OK, nothing great, then you need to supplement that with an animal with not only the morph and color you want, but can make up in the crest department by have great crest structure. So although yes 1+1=2, breeders spend alot of time really finding matches for their geckos. It took me forever to find my red male as I was particular in what I wanted...I have been search years for the right creamy male, fingers crossed Aquinas works out for what I want him too. So what I am trying to say, dont just breed because you have a male and a female, breed because you have great animals and they deserve to have off spring, believe me in the long run they will be easier to sell than your average geckos.

 

[LeslyErin86]

I like to believe I chose ny geckos well to breed. I got the female as a hatchling & like you said, waited till I found a great male to go with her. My male has huge crests & I think he is a perfect fit for my girl. I also recently came across a beautiful red one I wasn't even planning ti buy but wen I saw the color I couldn't resist! So I will be saving this one to breed with probably one of my own hatchlings... if I find one I think will go well with. I am not looking to make tons of money or anything like that. I already have quite a few people that want my hatchlings & my first clutch hasn't even hatched yet. I am really just doing ut bc I LOVE my cresties & its really a fun hobby & passion of mine. I am sure eventually in the future I will want to go really big & do shows & make very specific cresties, but for now I haves a great pair & I really just want my grandchildren to have good homes. I want to find people who will take as good of care as them as I do. Thanks for the input though. It is very informative & will definitely help me out even more in the future. Thanks!