Opinions on minimum prices for snakes

[user 16446]

With the ever increasing breeding, availability and licensing changes over time, should there be minimum values set on certain species.

Womas have come down considerably since being moved to class 1 and albinos are decreasing in price with repeated selective breeding to name a couple.

Should we be protecting the 'exclusiveness' of some of the more exotic or rarer species by setting a minimum price for purchasing no matter who sells it?

What if you could buy an albino or green tree python for only a few hundred?
Would they hold the same value in the hobby any more or would the lesser valued, more readily available species no longer hold any interest or value at all?

 

[Scleropages]

er. You do know that people have been giving away Greens and albinos to their mates for a wile..
Anyway the cheaper things become the less people will keep them for the money , just because a snake is worth 2k doesn't mean they get looked after, the only people who really look after snakes are the people who love them , and to them it doesn't matter if the snake was free or cost thousands.

I guess I don't see your point. sorry.

 

[cwtiger]

If you start and put a cap on certain types species I think you are saying that they are better than a darwin or childreni. Everyone has their fav's and everyone will pay what they are happy to pay. If someone is looking for a green tree or an albino and gets it for a few hundred at the time then good luck to them. It also comes down to the market being flooded with them. Everywhere you turn someone has hets for sale at the moment. Those who are passionate about snakes and truely love them for what they are then $$$ mean nothing.

 

[Nathan_T]

Would they hold the same value in the hobby any more or would the lesser valued, more readily available species no longer hold any interest or value at all?

Depends what you mean. Are bredli's or coastals something people don't display interest in because they're cheap? of course not. If you're discussing the snake being valued in an economic sense, that's just daft, one of the most basic laws of economics is that price lowers as demand decreases, the idea of a "minimum" price is simply an idea not even worth discussion

 

[Perkele]

i have 2 coastals and a gtp. my oldest coastal will always be my favourite. best personality and hilarious hunger.

DVDs used to coast $50 each. some people saved up and bought them, others didn't. now they cost as little as $5. you can buy 10 for the price they used to be. some people let them get scratched and stood on and broken. others, like me, are happy to put them on a shelf and take care of them. all though i am comparing living creatures to DVDs, the idea is pretty much the same.

 

[Rep-Style]

Albino and more "exclusive" bloodlines becoming more widely available is possibly one of the best things that can/will happen to the hobby. more people will be able to obtain high quality specimines and work on their own project. Once a few key genes become readily available there will undoubtibly be wave after wave of great animals at great prices and in turn broaden the hobby to a much larger scale. Picture this, A person has been against owning a snake for example, seeing the cheaper options over and over but then takes interest in something different, something they may not have seen before. the animal in question could be a gtp, rp carpet, albino. After stumbling upon an animal that sparks such an interest merely on the way it looks could lead to researching and potentially purchasing that animal. There you have a new addition to the hobby. wider ranges of animals at better prices is the best thing that can happen. The hobby hasnt progressed the way it has in other countries buy keeping the exclusive animals that way.

 

[$NaKe PiMp]

you couldnt really control what people are selling them for thats up to them and the buyers.
I hope green pythons and albinos come down so the people who really want them can affford them ,although i dont

 

[carpetmuncher]

With the ever increasing breeding, availability and licensing changes over time, should there be minimum values set on certain species.

price fixing is illegal

 

[Tinky]

What to do with to many snakes.

My worry is that if there is a decline in interest in snakes then we will have an oversupply situation. The RSPCA gets thousands of dogs and cats each year surrended to be uthanaised, yet petshops still sell puppies for five hubdread bucks.

When a 16 year old kid buys a hatchie, its al cool. Couple of years later their life will be different and they may not be able to give a now adult snake the time necessary to maintain its health. Then it becomes another unwanted puppy, and sent to the RSPCA or released into the wild, in which case if it is a cross breed or in the wrong area for that species, it becomes a feral.

 

[Jungletrans]

When the prices drop [ and they already have ] people will stop breeding just to make a quick buck . This will mean less hatchies for sale and will raise the price a little . Value will be set more on how hard some species are to breed not just because someone wants to make money . Some like Albino Olives should stay scarce and hold their price for a lot longer .

 

[euphorion]

Should we be protecting the 'exclusiveness' of some of the more exotic or rarer species by setting a minimum price for purchasing no matter who sells it?

Just so you can make an extra buck? Shame i say. Price directly correlates with demand, prices were always going to fall as they are now, deal with it. Besides which, why on earth would you want to "protect the exclusiveness" of those animals, other than to support your own ego? I think that the sooner prices reach the stage where animals can be purchased without the buyer thinking of them in terms of a future investment the better. Then they will be appreciated for what they are, not used like bitches in puppy mills to make a buck.

 

[Scleropages]

Just so you can make an extra buck? Shame i say. Price directly correlates with demand, prices were always going to fall as they are now, deal with it. Besides which, why on earth would you want to "protect the exclusiveness" of those animals, other than to support your own ego? I think that the sooner prices reach the stage where animals can be purchased without the buyer thinking of them in terms of a future investment the better. Then they will be appreciated for what they are, not used like bitches in puppy mills to make a buck.

Well said!

 

[user 16446]

Just so you can make an extra buck? ..... why on earth would you want to "protect the exclusiveness" of those animals, other than to support your own ego?

This was a post for varying opinions brought on by some conversation I've heard, it is not my own opinion and I am not in it to 'make a buck!!" Keep your attitude to yourself.

 

[clouded_mind]

Price fixing hey.
Who would police this "minimum market value"?
Good luck to anyone trying to dictate what prices snakes should be sold for.

 

[Waterrat]

It always gets exciting when the topic concerns prices, purpose of breeding and attitudes.

 

[user 16446]

It always gets exciting when the topic concerns prices, purpose of breeding and attitudes.

It does indeed Waterrat.

I was hoping the post wouldn't get arguments or undue attitude, just a public view on a topic I've overheard. I have a few pairs I bought for the challenge of breeding, (I do other more short term things for spare change), but if I can get a snake to breed, then it must be a sign I'm keeping it in the ideal conditions.

I might be looking to sell one or two of my breeding adults if I am successful but you do get attached to them and most would be concerned about their welfare after they'd gone, or simply just miss them.

Any more personal accusations and I will suggest the thread gets closed.

 

[snakehunter]

I personally think that no pythons should go below $100. I would not like to see greens go for less than a grand each.

 

[Waterrat]

Don't take it personally. We all have different views on the matter and you can be assured when $$$ come into the discussion, sparks fly. Funny, how some people need to justify their position in the game.

 

[Gecko :)]

seems everywhere I turn on this site these days, no one can have a discussion without pointing fingers & slinging mud at each other?
This site is obviously full of different varing opinions, its a shame we cant just say what we think & move on instead of accusing ppl etc and making it personal?

Which explains, mine & alot of other ppls absence from this site these days.

In reality prices are dropping & not much can be done,. I cant see how you can make anyone price fix anything?

 

[ShadowDragon]

So, you started a thread about one of the (admittedly many) things guaranteed to get people's backs up, and now you're crying foul because it got narky and personal. Sorry, but that's just tough really. I'm never a fan of seeing people who are participating in a conversation get hammered for putting their own views in, not realising it's going to cause dramas, but this is courting controversy, you cannot possibly be surprised.

As for the initial question, as some of stated price fixing in any industry is illegal - this covers those doing it as a business under commercial licenses. As for the hobbyists, well if you read the fine print in some states it's illegal to make a commercial enterprise out of selling animals under regular keeper's licenses, so the price fixing legislation wouldn't really apply, would it? That being the case, and there being so many people selling (not all of whom go anywhere near a computer), who would police the minimum prices? The wildlife departments in states where only commercial holders can sell would tell you right off the bat that as far as they're concerned there shouldn't BE prices outside of a store, or that prices should be miniscule. I've often wondered what their magic number is for the cut-off between private and commercial sales, but that's a conversation for another time. So as far as this particular issue goes, there's no one to police it, so any minimum price wouldn't be enforced, ergo the whole point is moot.

Personally? I have to wonder at times if we'd be better off scrapping charging all together. The number of breeders would plummet in two seconds, oh how I'd laugh to see the amount of people who only do it for the love of the animals suddenly stop breeding :lol: My amusement aside, you wouldn't see the flooding in the market we do now, thefts would decrease - not saying they'd stop, but if the financial incentive is gone the number would definitely drop - and the amount of narking on APS and other sites about prices would decrease. But then what would people fight about on a Friday night/Saturday morning? :lol: