Pricing??

[kayrosekay14]

what are the basics to remember when putting a price on your leopard gecko that you are selling. how do other breeders on here deside on a price and what factors are they taking into effect when choosing that price. please any and all imput is welcome i have no idea how pricing works and why you see some geckos marked in the $1000 dollar range and others for $50.

 

[Duster]

It all depends on morphs and hets that your breeding pair produces. Pricing is based solely on how desirable these two factors are by potential customers. If you don't know what your breeding pair is then your babies won't be worth much. It all boils down to genetics.

Also, if you're getting into breeding solely for how much money you can make, then you're getting into it for the wrong reasons. Prices should never be the end goal.

 

[kayrosekay14]

I'm just trying to learn all of it I am a stay at home mom and have this as a hobby not for money. But whether it's for money or hobby pricing still has to be a factor and that's what I'm trying to learn. I have read books upon books about geckos and morphs and that's one topic that never comes up.

 

[stager]

I would say how rare the morph is. Quality of the gecko, color, health, patern, etc. Reputation of the breeded no new jack will get the same pprice as someone who has spent years developing a good reputation. What kind of morphs do you plan on breeding would help people give you an idea on price.

 

[kayrosekay14]

i'm working with a mack snow and shtct. trying to develop cremesicles and othe funky mixes with just this pair by line breeding. i'm only interested in small scale breeding. the quality of the animals life and being a part of the breeding process is lots of fun. i have my local mamas and papas pet store ready to buy any offspring from me that i don't intend on keeping. but i was just wondering how it all works. theres different prices for hatchlings and subadults too? its kinda confusing and how do i know whats a rare pattern?

 

[acpart]

Take a look at leopard gecko classified sites and see how much geckos like the ones you produce (or want to produce) cost. Eliminate the highest and lowest prices, especially if they are unusually high or low. The trick, as in pricing anything, is to avoid pricing so low that you drag down the market, or so high that no one will buy them. I started out 8 years ago selling my pretty basic leopard geckos for $20 each. Nowadays I sell most of them for $25-45. The least interesting genetically go for $25 and the nice ones up to $45. Last year I started selling my absolutely nicest geckos for $60 and these are selling too. I don't know if I can exactly explain it, but once I've set up my price range, I can look at a gecko and say "This is a $30 gecko".
Aliza

 

[kayrosekay14]

Thank you that was very helpful Aliza!!!

 

[Duster]

Keep in mind that most of the prices you see are set by the actual breeder. If you're going to sell it to the mom and pop shop like you said, odds are you won't get the price you would by selling it on your own.

 

[katie_]

Mom and Pop shops will be looking for wholesale prices since they will have to raise the price to make a profit.
I buy geckos for our store for around $10-15 for regular, low "quality" morphs. I pay $20-30 for nicer ones.

If you were selling on kijiji or similar classified ads, I'd bump up your prices similar to what the pet store would sell them as.

 

[SC Geckos]

+1 ^^
As Katie said wholesale is a whole different ball game. I sell a few dozen hatchlings at two locally owned pet shops in my area each season. Most of the time they will buy them for about half of what they sell them for . So if they will sell a certain morph for $40, they will buy it from me for $20.

 

[acpart]

I sell juvies to pet stores I "approve" of for $25 each and once sold a few for $15 when I had a huge surplus.

Aliza

 

[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

Retail pricing is based on Supply and Demand. Certain lines and morphs will yield a higher price tag. When working with retail it is all about the quality and best representation of a morph. Every year you wil need to have a "my price list" and see how realistic and competitive you are. Unfortunately Leopard Geckos are so prolific that price retention on top shelf animals doesn't typically last long.

Wholesale pricing is 100% based on your location and the companies you are selling to.Wholesale is not so much about quality as it is about volume. 99% of all breeders who breed reptiles for a chunk of their income will focus a lot on wholesale because it is a much more consistent sale and (whether they admit it or not) they are able to sell off animals within a couple weeks of hatching, instead of growing them to "shipping weight".

 

[kayrosekay14]

i know they aren't going to be paying that much but at least i know i have a place for them when i don't have room or am having a slow time selling and need room. this way i can enjoy the life making and not worry about an over abundance of geckos in my house to heat and feed.

 

[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

It is good having an "out" in case of over production...but to me that is a problem that can be prevented WAY in advance. I will not breed all my animals if I don't have adequate housing for them ALL. I am a retail only breeder and volume of animals is far less important as quality, which allows me to focus on what I personally enjoy working with and what there is still market demand for. If you are breeding (for example) 10 females but only have space for 20 babies at a time...you have a problem from the beginning. This is how I figure my hatchling space before every season.

1 female leo averages 13 eggs per year (that is my personal average...actually 12.7 fertile)
Eggs are on average 19 days apart. That means when the 3rd clutch is laid the 1st clutch is close to hatching. It takes on average 47 days for my Leos to be a healthy 15+g and in what I call "shipping condition" (which is not just size but also eating, shedding, and bodily functions normal and regular). That means I have to have enough housing for 3 clutches per female at a time, but I ensure enough for 4 clutches per female so I am on the safe side. This means if I am breeding 10 females I need to have enough space for no less than 60 babies, but prefer 80 tubs. This may seem a bit of an overkill for some, but has worked great for me and I have NEVER had the "need space sale" or anything of that nature. Sitting on animals is no problem and it allows me to care for each baby individually and not house multiples together. Larger scale breeders don't house individually, but they also (almost all of them) will wholesale animals and/or have blow out prices to move them faster. To me prior planning to breeding is very important instead of trying to figure out how to move "abundance" animals.

 

[kayrosekay14]

thats a smart plan. i am only breeding my two leos 1 male 1 female and thats it so space should never be to much of an issue i just like to be throe.