Are we dreaming?

[Okee Reps]

When are breeders dreaming? A lot has been said or implied about morphs being sold for way under market value but really who determines that value? Obviously if those breeders were able to sell those morphs for more they would. So realistically is the morph worth more? Is the public willing to pay more? Just because a morph is new doesn't mean it's value to the consumer will be high. Are some of us dreaming? Do we just want to believe a morph is worth more because we paid more for it?

 

[malt_geckos]

I think the morphs that people pay more for are the ones in demand. Like, when Enigmas het RAPTOR were $1500, that was because there were'nt many around. Now since there are so many of that morph, the price has gone down to accomidate the demands of the market. Take embers, there aren't a lot of them around so the market price is set fairly high on them. Once there are more made, the price will slowly go down and level out at a point that most people will buy them at.

We have to realize that just because we paid $1500 for a morph, doesn't mean in 5 months people will be paying the same price for them. BC other's are working on the same projects, we have to keep our prices competitive and suitable for the current market...which in this market, many people don't have much extra money to spend so we as breeders have to set prices lower to move the same ammount of stock as we did about a year ago. Hope that helps, just my views.

 

[DLS Reptile]

I really dont think people should concentrate so much on developing the next new morph that is going to cost thousands. I think no matter what the morph is, the value that a gecko is placed at should be how beautiful it is. Sunglows were all the rave 3 years ago. Now they are lower on the want list of most breeders. Take a really nice deep redish orange sunglow full of color and you still have a costly gecko. I will say it is alot of fun to see something different pop out from an egg though...

 

[thestack510]

If anyone comes into this hobby solely for profit and not for the enjoyment of the Leos they are bound to fail sooner or later IMO. To continually ride the trends of the market would be no easy task. Just as with anything else monetary value depreciates fast. It is because of this that I believe if someone's heart isn't in it they will likely throw in the towel.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

^^^ I agree. I also think $2500 for a gecko is outrageous, but the same gecko selling for $20 three years later is even more outrageous. Basically, a gecko is worth what someone is willing to pay for it... not always what WE as breeders think it's worth. Right now, the reason the gecko prices are so low is because there are w-a-a-y too many of them for sale. If breeders would quit overproducing, the flooded market would dry up and geckos prices will stablize at a price that's fair.

 

[Okee Reps]

......I also think $2500 for a gecko is outrageous, but the same gecko selling for $20 three years later is even more outrageous.....

This I agree with you 200%.


What I'm talking about has nothing to do with the old argument for the "love of breeding". I think that gets used far too often as a way of dodging the issue. Sure it has it's place but not on this topic. What I'm talking about is simple economics. Doesn't the market determine what the equilibrium price is going to be? What a breeder pays to work with a morph first is only half the story. The ridiculous price I pay for a new morph I know going in is not going to be what I will be selling it for. We as breeders are willing to pay that much because we have more variables involved when wanting a gecko. The buying public as a whole doesn't share those variables. At then end of day when a morph falls, its supposed to. Yes people dumping animals because they overproduced them play a part in it but how big of a part really? Don't these things work them selves out? Doesn't the morph usually level off at the price the buying public is willing to pay?

 

[Ciprion]

I may not be as experienced in gecko-matters as the rest of you guys but sometimes it helps to have a fresh pair of eyes on the matter to see it a bit clearer. (I do apologize if at any time my ignorance on the matter at hand offends anyone.) Nevertheless, I agree with DSL that the market value should be based on how aesthetically pleasing a particular morph is. Eventhough it does allows for variation in market preference, consider this. While I am a complete nut job for gem snows and jungles, most other people are in love with other morphs, be they blizzards or whatever. How could the buying price depend so much on the beauty of an animal? So to address more than answer Okee's question of

"Doesn't the morph usually level off at the price the buying public is willing to pay?"

I say that the majority of the buying public determines the market value when their personal values overlap.

Also, I think that current prices due in no small part to overproduction, are detrimental to the hobby. (All herps included) It allows people like my roommate to buy more animals without needing a mind to ask himself "Am I gonna be able to PROPERLY care for this living thing?" The price factor just has a way of making us think a little bit more about the way we spend, or waste, our money.
That may have been more at home in the rants and raves section but its a relevant point, I think.

 

[DanTheFireman]

As I became further immersed in reptiles over the years, the price I was willing to spend on an animal soared. For myself it comes down to one of the most basic of human instincts - pure lust. Gotta have it! I would rationalize in my mind how it would pay for itself thru breeding efforts and in most cases that was true.
When you produce exceptional examples and get to enjoy watching them color up and are able to share pics, then people contact you from all over the world frothing for those animals it becomes very addicting. As others have already said, those few extra special ones will always fetch more if you're willing to part with them.

 

[bro paul]

As I became further immersed in reptiles over the years, the price I was willing to spend on an animal soared. For myself it comes down to one of the most basic of human instincts - pure lust. Gotta have it! I would rationalize in my mind how it would pay for itself thru breeding efforts and in most cases that was true.
When you produce exceptional examples and get to enjoy watching them color up and are able to share pics, then people contact you from all over the world frothing for those animals it becomes very addicting. As others have already said, those few extra special ones will always fetch more if you're willing to part with them.

Well said, Dan!