Pricing of Leos

[im faster]

I just don't understand...


Example I was looking at a site and I found a SHTCTB looks just like mine with no paradox spots... for $375.00


I paid 50 for mine..

So did I just get Hell of a deal or what...


Now I undersyand say one had lots more carrot being worth some more..
Or something like that.a..

Anyone care to explain?

 

[M_surinamensis]

Kind of a complicated subject actually...

The short version is that anyone selling an animal can reach their own decision about what price they feel is appropriate to ask.

The longer version changes that a little bit. Factors that influence price trends up and down, which determine what the market will accept, different advertising strategies and business models, variations that will have an impact on what kind of prices are seen. Just a handful of them as examples...

Supply and demand can force pricing changes. Seems pretty obvious, but the exact implications go a bit beyond an idiom for "economy stuff." Breeding season prices and off-season prices will be different, pricing before, during and after major show/sales, the production trends of the true industry giants will cause ripples through the entire market, the length of time a genotype has been available tends to push it down... unless it is used in a designer morph that catches the public interest, then it can go back up, gender, age and quality all come into play as well.

The reputation and business model of the individual selling the animal matters a lot as well. Simply put, positive name recognition sells and it justifies higher prices. Anonymity often forces prices lower, as it carries an inherent risk to the perception of the customer. The business model can dramatically affect overhead and investment, necessitating some minimums or encouraging flexibility in the pricing to move animals faster.

The venue being used for the sale matters a great deal too in some instances. I know a few dealers and breeders who intentionally price their ads high, with the expectation that customers are used to bartering and will respond with a counteroffer below the initial asking price. The same is also very true of animals sold at shows; the listed price is not automatically going to be the price the animal actually sold for. Furthermore, not every animal sells, with those which the consumer base has decided are too high blowing the bell curve and providing a false market average.

There's... more, but I'm kind of feeling nostalgic and am off to read old fauna threads about albino pricing, market fixing, business model comparisons and Joe Capone.

 

[im faster]

Great answer.