Corn Snake Pricing

[Russ Bates]

There has been a lot of discussion over in the "For Sale" forum about the pricing of corn snakes. Hurley mentioned taking this discussion elsewhere and I believe that was a good idea since I was just adding to Simon's thread and not inquiring about the snakes.

If you would be so kind as to entertain answering the below questions I would appreciate it. You can number your answers so everyone can follow along with ease. The purpose of this is to get a feel for how fellow herpers invest their hard earned money.

Questions:

1. You have $1500 dollars to spend freely. Do you buy 6 really nice snakes for $250 each thus getting three pairs or one current "hot" morph snake plus a het of same morph for $1500? These are hatchlings BTW.

2. Do you normally buy proven breeders or hatchlings?

3. Do you normally pay cash or credit for your snakes?

4. How often do you purchase snakes from a show or internet breeder?

5. How many times have you paid more than $500 for a single snake (not including shipping charges)?

6. Do you normally put all of your eggs in one basket or spread your risks across the board?

7. What resource provides you with the bulk of your snake sales (shows or internet)?

8. When you price a snake for sale what is the number one factor that helps you determine the asking price (sale price)? What other factors come into play?

9. Are you willing to spend large amounts of money on het morph hatchlings (greater than $300)?

10. What is your age and occupation?

Thanks, hope none of those are too personal.

Russ

 

[Russ Bates]

answers

1. 6 snakes for $1500

2. Normally hatchlings but in the last year I've purchased older snakes more frequently.

3. Cash.

4. Show-70% / Internet-30%?

5. 3

6. Spread my risks across the board.

7. Internet

8. Market Value. Color Quality, Sex, Age, Proven.

9. Not Usually. I think I've only ever bought expensive hets once.

10. 38, Military.

 

[mrweaw]

Questions:

1. You have $1500 dollars to spend freely. Do you buy 6 really nice snakes for $250 each thus getting three pairs or one current "hot" morph snake plus a het of same morph for $1500? These are hatchlings BTW.

2. Do you normally buy proven breeders or hatchlings?

3. Do you normally pay cash or credit for your snakes?

4. How often do you purchase snakes from a show or internet breeder?

5. How many times have you paid more than $500 for a single snake (not including shipping charges)?

6. Do you normally put all of your eggs in one basket or spread your risks across the board?

7. What resource provides you with the bulk of your snake sales (shows or internet)?

8. When you price a snake for sale what is the number one factor that helps you determine the asking price (sale price)? What other factors come into play?

9. Are you willing to spend large amounts of money on het morph hatchlings (greater than $300)?

10. What is your age and occupation?
Russ

1. 6 really nice snakes therefore having 3 nice pairs.

2. Mostly hatchlings at the beginning, but I have recently started picking up more proven breeders. I also prefer yearlings to hatchlings.

3. I have done both but I have decided to restrict it to cash only from now on. I use my debit card most of the time, it is a VISA and comes directly from checking, but I don't have to carry around a lot of cash.

4. Show - usually twice a year, not many of them in my area.
Internet breeder - 4-5 times a year usually

5. Never, I just have that kind of money to put into one animal right now, wish I did though.

6. I tend to spread my risks across the board.

7. As I said, not many shows around here so it is mainly internet.

8. #1 would have to be its phenotype. Other factors are: genotype, sex, demand, age, temperment (the mean ones go for CHEAP! )

9. Hmmm, for a hatchling probably not. For a yearling, no problem!

10. I am a 25 year old single mother and currently a University student. Soon to be gainfully employed though!

I am very interested to see what everyone else says.

 

[Khaman]

1. No, I don’t breed for excess hatchlings to sell I breed for myself and sell ones I don’t want or don’t fit any of my current breeding plans.
2. Equally both.
3. Always cash.
4. Quite often.
5. Never for a single animal.
6. I have always tried to spread the risk though at times I have not.
7. Internet. Most people here just balk at me asking $150 for a well started hatchling hypo bloodred corn.
8. Morph of the animal, health, how good of an eater it is.
9. Yes and I have.
10. 28, Security Supervisor at an automotive plant as well as computer sales and repair.

 

[Serpwidgets]

1. You have $1500 dollars to spend freely. Do you buy 6 really nice snakes for $250 each thus getting three pairs or one current "hot" morph snake plus a het of same morph for $1500? These are hatchlings BTW.
Completely depends on the morphs. I don't buy anything because it's hot, only if I like it or want specific gene(s) it has to offer to a project.

2. Do you normally buy proven breeders or hatchlings?
Hatchlings, but it depends on what there is to choose from.

3. Do you normally pay cash or credit for your snakes?
Cash.

4. How often do you purchase snakes from a show or internet breeder?
When I see one I really like. (I generally don't buy "by morph," instead I only buy when I find an exceptional individual.) This has only happened a few times.

5. How many times have you paid more than $500 for a single snake (not including shipping charges)?
Never.

6. Do you normally put all of your eggs in one basket or spread your risks across the board?
I don't have enough room to spread out that much. I enjoy a small selection of the available morphs so I stick to those.

7. What resource provides you with the bulk of your snake sales (shows or internet)?
I only sell a handful every year, generally via the internet.

8. When you price a snake for sale what is the number one factor that helps you determine the asking price (sale price)? What other factors come into play?
It has to eat. After that, genotype and any exceptional color/pattern/temperment are all factored in.

9. Are you willing to spend large amounts of money on het morph hatchlings (greater than $300)?
Now that I can create any hets I want, no. I'd rather hatch them myself from known stock and be sure I get to pick out the best hatchling(s) to keep. (That's actually 100% of the reason why I even breed corns.)

10. What is your age and occupation?
35, Desk jockey.

 

[vanderkm]

Very interesting poll idea!

1. Given these choices would go for very expensive and het of same morph if it was something I really liked. Many of the high end morphs just don't appeal to me - so I tend to buy what I like, rather than base choices on what costs most.
I would likely go for a male (or two) of highest end color morph that I liked but instead of a het females I would try and get two unrelated females that were different pattern morphs along with a recessive that was complimentary to the high end one. Examples would be amel bloodred (or amel het blood) and amel motley females to pair with a high end male. I am not as interested in producing large numbers of a new morph quickly as I am in doing combinations of morphs that please me, and this would let me create two different triple hets in the first breeding.

2. Hatchlings - perfer to grow my own, but have bought adults - generally been a bit disappointed in them.

3. Cash

4. Shows or private trades - 5 from internet

5. 9 snakes over $500 (but 6 were not corns)

6. spread risk around (actually risk a lot on occasion, but very rarely)

7. sell all at shows

8. Price I set depends on morph, age, market

9. Yes I will spend lots on hets but only if I trust the breeder a lot!

10. 50 years, government worker

mary v.

 

[Clint Boyer]

I couldn't vote, there wasn't a good selection for me. I usually buy het stock to breed my own so I can get the pick of the clutch.

1. At this point in time I'd spend the money on expansion. I have no room for more snakes.

2. I buy hatchlings when I buy.

3. Normally cash, I have used a credit card a few times only.

4. I have tapered off to buying almost nothing anymore. I do more trading then buying.

5. Never

6. I'm not sure what to reference this to. I have all of my snakes in one room. I don't count them as an investment.

7. Wholesale first, shows second, internet third.

8. I check the classifieds and breeders pages to set my price. The other factor is how badly I need to move it out, or if I really want to sell it at all.

9. Not at this time.

10. I'm 46, occupation is telephone technician.

 

[Hurley]

1. You have $1500 dollars to spend freely. Do you buy 6 really nice snakes for $250 each thus getting three pairs or one current "hot" morph snake plus a het of same morph for $1500? These are hatchlings BTW.

Depends on the morph. I pick what I like, so it doesn't matter if it's really hot or not. I'd have to say that I'd be more likely to go for the 6 snakes over a pair, but it all would depend on the morphs involved and which I liked better. I am into snake breeding to make what I like, so that's what I'd go with.

2. Do you normally buy proven breeders or hatchlings?

Hatchlings. I've had bad luck with purchasing adults, they seem much more prone to stress of shipping and you always have to wonder why they were being sold in the first place. Hatchlings are also much more readily available.

3. Do you normally pay cash or credit for your snakes?

Cash.

4. How often do you purchase snakes from a show or internet breeder?

Much less often now than when I was starting out. Most of the new stuff I acquire is in trades, but occasional purchases will happen to gather some new genetic material as it comes about.

5. How many times have you paid more than $500 for a single snake (not including shipping charges)?

Never.

6. Do you normally put all of your eggs in one basket or spread your risks across the board?

I spread as time and animals allow. It's nice to have a back up. Spending my life savings on a pyramid scheme of one animal would not be something I would do.

7. What resource provides you with the bulk of your snake sales (shows or internet)?

Internet>local sales>wholesale>shows

8. When you price a snake for sale what is the number one factor that helps you determine the asking price (sale price)? What other factors come into play?

Factors include average going rate, genetic potential, color, pattern, and availability as well as age of the animal.

9. Are you willing to spend large amounts of money on het morph hatchlings (greater than $300)?

At this point, there isn't a het morph available that I would spend $300 on as I can make them myself. If I was interested in a producing a certain morph, if I had the money, and if it were worth it to me, then yes, I'd have no qualms of paying what the animal is worth to me.

10. What is your age and occupation?

31, Veterinary Surgical Resident

 

[Mark Beverly]

1. I am much more likely to go with 6 snakes than the pair but it depends a lot of the situation and which morphs you are talking about .

2.I have only purchased hatchlings to yearlings.

3.Both cash and credit. I always pay off the credit within one month.

4.As this is my first year with corn snakes I am still purchasing animals fairly frequently.

5.Never paid more than 300 for an individual.

6.Definately spread things out a bit.

7.Sorry no experience with sales yet .

8.I would imagine age, color, pattern, and demand.

9.I wouldn't have a problem paying more than 300. for a nice het.

10. 29, veterinary technician

 

[eddie1976]

1. I would buy 6 just to spread everything around

2. Hatchlings

3. Cash only, the wife would kill me if I used a credit card :grin01:

4 I usually buy form internet and at a show if one tickles my fancy

5. Once, but not for a corn

6. I spread everything around.

7. Wholesale to local petshops, and just recently the internet

8. Probably how the snake looks and acts overall. It might be a great looknig snake, but if it does not eat it is not worth much to anyone

9 I would not spend that much on hatchlings.

10. 28, stay at home Dad, part time college student

 

[Chip]

There has been a lot of discussion over in the "For Sale" forum about the pricing of corn snakes. Hurley mentioned taking this discussion elsewhere and I believe that was a good idea since I was just adding to Simon's thread and not inquiring about the snakes.

If you would be so kind as to entertain answering the below questions I would appreciate it. You can number your answers so everyone can follow along with ease. The purpose of this is to get a feel for how fellow herpers invest their hard earned money.Russ

Questions:

1. You have $1500 dollars to spend freely. Do you buy 6 really nice snakes for $250 each thus getting three pairs or one current "hot" morph snake plus a het of same morph for $1500? These are hatchlings BTW.

I'm not a morph guy. So I'd buy the six really nice ones by default. But I'd pay the $1,500 for the most amazing 2 examples of what I breed I've ever seen.

2. Do you normally buy proven breeders or hatchlings?

Neither. I've done both. I catch and trade mostly.

3. Do you normally pay cash or credit for your snakes?

Cash or trade other snakes.

4. How often do you purchase snakes from a show or internet breeder?

Maybe once a year. Not corns.

5. How many times have you paid more than $500 for a single snake (not including shipping charges)?

Three that I can think of. One was my prize w/c corn, the others were womas.

6. Do you normally put all of your eggs in one basket or spread your risks across the board?

??? I only breed one type of corn, if that's what you mean.

7. What resource provides you with the bulk of your snake sales (shows or internet)?

Probably internet. I sell a lot through other people lately and put some on friend's tables if any left over. I release the rest.

8. When you price a snake for sale what is the number one factor that helps you determine the asking price (sale price)? What other factors come into play?
Hatchlings are 50. Yearlings are $100. Adults depend on looks and if proven.

9. Are you willing to spend large amounts of money on het morph hatchlings (greater than $300)?
No. Well, again, not corns...

10. What is your age and occupation?
36, Construction contractor.

Thanks, hope none of those are too personal.

 

[EddieA]

1. You have $1500 dollars to spend freely. Do you buy 6 really nice snakes for $250 each thus getting three pairs or one current "hot" morph snake plus a het of same morph for $1500? These are hatchlings BTW.

6 nice ones

2. Do you normally buy proven breeders or hatchlings?

Both

3. Do you normally pay cash or credit for your snakes?

Both

4. How often do you purchase snakes from a show or internet breeder?

About 50/50

5. How many times have you paid more than $500 for a single snake (not including shipping charges)?

Never

6. Do you normally put all of your eggs in one basket or spread your risks across the board?

Spread

7. What resource provides you with the bulk of your snake sales (shows or internet)?

Actually, just the local area

8. When you price a snake for sale what is the number one factor that helps you determine the asking price (sale price)? What other factors come into play?

Color

9. Are you willing to spend large amounts of money on het morph hatchlings (greater than $300)?

Maybe

10. What is your age and occupation?

36 Military

 

[Joejr14]

Questions:

1. You have $1500 dollars to spend freely. Do you buy 6 really nice snakes for $250 each thus getting three pairs or one current "hot" morph snake plus a het of same morph for $1500? These are hatchlings BTW.

6 really nice snakes of a particular morph that I find attractive.

2. Do you normally buy proven breeders or hatchlings?

Hatchlings

3. Do you normally pay cash or credit for your snakes?

Both---cash at shows, credit card online (cant be too careful 'bout fraud)

4. How often do you purchase snakes from a show or internet breeder?

Once or twice a year.

5. How many times have you paid more than $500 for a single snake (not including shipping charges)?

Zero.

6. Do you normally put all of your eggs in one basket or spread your risks across the board?

Not applicable. Haven't bred yet.

7. What resource provides you with the bulk of your snake sales (shows or internet)?

Shows.

8. When you price a snake for sale what is the number one factor that helps you determine the asking price (sale price)? What other factors come into play?

N/A

9. Are you willing to spend large amounts of money on het morph hatchlings (greater than $300)?

Not yet.

10. What is your age and occupation?

21, College Student.

 

[jazzgeek]

< snip explanation for survey > The purpose of this is to get a feel for how fellow herpers invest their hard earned money.
< snip to this one specific question >
6. Do you normally put all of your eggs in one basket or spread your risks across the board?

6. Spread my risks across the board.
6. I tend to spread my risks across the board.
6. I have always tried to spread the risk though at times I have not.
6. I don't have enough room to spread out that much. I enjoy a small selection of the available morphs so I stick to those.
6. spread risk around (actually risk a lot on occasion, but very rarely)
6. I'm not sure what to reference this to. I have all of my snakes in one room. I don't count them as an investment.
6. I spread as time and animals allow. It's nice to have a back up. Spending my life savings on a pyramid scheme of one animal would not be something I would do.
6.Definately spread things out a bit.
6. I spread everything around.
6. ??? I only breed one type of corn, if that's what you mean.
6. Spread
6. Not applicable. Haven't bred yet.

Don't know whether to :roflmao: or :headbang: .



Russ, I presume you meant whether we would "invest our hard earned money" in one or two snakes of "hot" morphs in the (high risk, high price, low sales volume) hope for an "immediate return on investment", or whether we would conversely purchase a number of snakes of "proven sellers", and have that (low risk, low price, high sales volume) cover the investment.

Given the variety of responses, perhaps you could clarify for us. Thanks!

regards,
jazz

 

[Joejr14]

Questions 6, 7, and 8 now that I really look at them have to do with sales/breeding, or so it seems.

I'd like to go back and edit, but of course, I cannot.

 

[Russ Bates]

You are correct

Jazz,
Yes that was the intent of the question. Simply put do you spend all of your money on one animal thus increasing your risks should it die or do you put your money into several animals realizing health problems are almost guranteed with at least one snake. A lot of these questions are tied together indirectly for example if you answered #1 one way you probably had a similar result/answer on one of the other questions.....I think it's the one in question in your post.

So far the trend is proving correct.

Yes a few of the questions (#7, 8) pertain directly to sales, breeding..etc so if you don't currently do those they may not apply.

I sure do appreciate everyone's participation and I understand that it is sometimes difficult to intrepet one's true intention in an email/post but you guys/gals are doing great.

Let me know if I need to clarify any of the other questions.

Thanks,
Russ

 

[Russ Bates]

Jazz

Jazz,
Given the bulk of the repsonses to question #1, they are exactly as I expected them to be...more would by 6 versus 2, thus spreading their risk, regardless of if it's a corn or not.

Hope you're not rolling on the floor laughing or beating your head to hard

Russ

 

[Amanda E]

1. You have $1500 dollars to spend freely. Do you buy 6 really nice snakes for $250 each thus getting three pairs or one current "hot" morph snake plus a het of same morph for $1500? These are hatchlings BTW.

2. Do you normally buy proven breeders or hatchlings?

3. Do you normally pay cash or credit for your snakes?

4. How often do you purchase snakes from a show or internet breeder?

5. How many times have you paid more than $500 for a single snake (not including shipping charges)?

6. Do you normally put all of your eggs in one basket or spread your risks across the board?

7. What resource provides you with the bulk of your snake sales (shows or internet)?

8. When you price a snake for sale what is the number one factor that helps you determine the asking price (sale price)? What other factors come into play?

9. Are you willing to spend large amounts of money on het morph hatchlings (greater than $300)?

10. What is your age and occupation?

1. This is interesting... I was just asked what I would do with $2000 dollars just the other day. I would buy 1 or 2 high end cornsnake morphs but then use the rest to branch out into other snakes (boas and asian rats).

2. Normally hatchlings... I like to see then grow up, but if I find a proven breeder than is fairly young, fairly cheap, and fits right in with my projects, I'll buy it.

3. Credit... as I normally buy via internet.

4. Whenever I have the disposable income or just can't pass up the deal, and have the space... which generally is 1-2 times a year.

5. Never have... and I never plan to spend that much money on a snake. I will wait a LONG time for prices to fall in order to get a particular type of snake. (Just for the record, the most I have spent so far has been $150 for a female breeder and $75 for a hatchling.)

6. Spread my risks across the board... I'd much rather buy a bunch of double/triple hets than 1-2 of the morph I'm actually wanting.

7. So far... it would be shows as I'm not yet FedEx certified, but I have had more inquiries via internet.

8. Number one factor is what will let me let me just break even. Other factors... what other sellers are asking for the same type of snake, how pretty the snake is (as in if I'm not sure I want to sell it I price it higher), and the genetics.

9. I would much rather buy Hets and make the morph myself, but to answer your question... Nope, $150 is about the max I'll spend on ANY cornsnake... I just recently inquired about a Het I was interested in... I was expecting it to cost less than $100, but it turned out to be more than $200. That immediately stopped all inquiries by me. But I'm cheap.

10. 25, housewife and snake hobbyist.

 

[Amanda E]

Well, I can't edit my first post for some reason, so I'll amend what I meant to say for question #1 here.

I actually misread the question. No... I wouldn't buy a "hot" morph that costs $1000 or something like that, as I consider a $250 dollar animal to be a high end morph. In hindsight, I don't even know of any corn that costs that much, except maybe the combos of lavender bloodred or lavender motley or stripe. Actually, as far as I'm concerned, any hatchling cornsnake costing $100 or more is pretty much considered high-end. Heck, that's the only reason I still don't have a lavender yet... up until last year they've been too damn expensive.

I also don't look at my snakes as just as a way to make profit. I buy only what I like, not what I think can sell.

 

[El Jefe]

1. You have $1500 dollars to spend freely. Do you buy 6 really nice snakes for $250 each thus getting three pairs or one current "hot" morph snake plus a het of same morph for $1500? These are hatchlings BTW.
I'd probably break it up in six nice snakes. I love the breeding and if I buy one pair I don't get as much fun.

2. Do you normally buy proven breeders or hatchlings?
Actually, I rarely by hatchlings. I usually go with yearlings, subadults and adults. Proven breeders usually come with catches. Often someone is getting rid of them because they don't breed too well so you have to be REAL careful. The proven breeders that I DO buy are from "big names" that I know carry the good stuff. Most of the time, though, I like to with yearlings/subadults. On that note, with some of the "hot" morphs or high dollar animals, I am forced to go with hatchilngs as you almost NEVER see anything larger than that.

3. Do you normally pay cash or credit for your snakes?
Cash at shows and credit online. Now that I've been doing this a while, usually the money my animals produce is the money I can spend.

4. How often do you purchase snakes from a show or internet breeder?
I usually make several purchases at the Daytona Show. I also sprinkle some money at some of the other Southeast shows (tampa, columbia, greenville) but mostly go online. I would say in one way or another, if you average my shipments/purchases I get goodies about once a month.

5. How many times have you paid more than $500 for a single snake (not including shipping charges)?
Just once. Striped Lavender. If we go to other morphs, several times. Sharp Strain Albino Boas, Kahl Strain Albino Boas, Granite Burmese Pythons, Het albino Retics (Back in 2001 when they were actually a little more expensive).

6. Do you normally put all of your eggs in one basket or spread your risks across the board?
Although sometimes it is hard to do, most of my breedings consist of 2 seperate pairings. I try to get 2 clutches of all the newer animals I'm trying to produce to allow backup. I.e. this year I am going for lava lavender hets and have 3 different females producing those. I personally used to be the big risk guy...but after a HUGE disappointment with my Sharp Strain Boas I tend to spread things out.

7. What resource provides you with the bulk of your snake sales (shows or internet)?
Internet mostly and then Shows.

8. When you price a snake for sale what is the number one factor that helps you determine the asking price (sale price)? What other factors come into play? What Rich, Don, Joe, and a few others are selling theirs at. Really. I'm going to be honest. If it is a morph out there, I try to hit market price. Other factors are age, color and sex. If it is a new morph that has limited numbers in the market (many lava combos) then I feel I can set the price comparable to some of the other high end animals.

9. Are you willing to spend large amounts of money on het morph hatchlings (greater than $300)? If it is a reliable source ONLY. Also, it probably needs to be at least a yearling or older. Otherwise, I probably have the ingredients to go that direction if I wanted to.

10. What is your age and occupation?
Educational Speaker, 28.
Used to be Zookeeper and before that a student. Looking to go back to the student route and currently working on Ph.D. proposals.