super high leo prices?

[ataber]

u must also remember that prices on just about everything are going up(including all the supplies and such to raise the breeders/babies)...also the value of the dollar is not what it used to be....

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I think if somebody has given 5 years to produce to get the result that they wanted, then that gecko should be worth more, because of the time, effort, and energy that they put into it.

This is a very important reality. I think we all need to consider the investment made by the breeders who devekop these unique morphs... not just in money, but all the time, effort, and comittment that goes into the geckos.

 

[GeckoRing]

Well said everyone! I have to say that getting upset with gas prices is understandable...it's not as if you can choose not to purchase gas. With Geckos, you decide what you want and what you can afford. Just as you do when you purchase a car. Sure I would love a jag....but that's not what I can afford. A breeder will set their prices, I believe, what they think the gecko is worth, not trying to price gouge.

 

[Franks_Geckos]

Let us not forget either that when a few select breeders start a project and are the first to produce certain morphs, it is understandable and essential for the market that they recoup their costs in producing them, lest they be undercut by the very same people that bought these morphs from them the following year when there are now hundreds more of this same morph available and for sale (often alot cheaper) by the next group of breeders producing the morph. The later you get into the game with a certain morph, the lower the return you will see on your investment into it. That's the way it works and if you are not willing to take the risk or invest the amount necessary to obtain top examples of these morphs, you will generally wind up producing, housing, and having to feed many geckos that are hard to sell period, let alone for what you think someone is willing to pay. If you need any examples of this, go ask anyone who bought Super Snows or Enigmas as soon as they hit the market (or even before they hit) and find out how much they are selling either (non-outcrossed forms) versus how much they paid for them. I will never say something is overpriced unless I know I can get something equal to it cheaper. Of course, as many have already pointed out, something is only worth what the buyer pays for it. What someone asks for a particular gecko is something else altogether.

 

[godzillizard]

I completely respect and understand why the selective/line-bred morphs hold their value--cause you need the best "exhibitors" of the traits you wish to amplify, but simple dominant/co-dominant mutations aren't the best investment if you ask me...no matter what you breed them to you get more in the first generation--that's why their value decreases quicker than others... Even though I understood this; I recently took out a $3000 loan to get my Tremper Enigma het Raptor male for this season. I can't wait to see my first snake-eyed Enigma!!! I've already named him: "Firefleye"

I'd rather be a happy fool than a sad genius