First reptile expo - tips?

[Tsubaki]

Heh.. Some guy once offered to take my last neo couple Iquitos Peruvian red-tailed boa's off my hands for 100,- ... Because they 'Weren't really to his taste because their tail was pretty dark for 'Surinam's', he had seen nicer ones for 120 -" . I did not even try to explain a thing.. Just requested to take his business elsewhere, the person with the stall next to me refused to sell him a snake after he overheard the conversation haha!

Served him right

And thats ok Charis, you're not the first and probably not the last.

[CK SandBoas]

I honestly will not haggle on price when i go to one of my local expos. If i see an animal i love, i look it over thoroughly and i pay the asking price. I did though get 10 dollars taken off the price of my Anery female when i purchased her after i told the vendor i wasn't sure if i wanted to buy or not....They did not have to do that, because i truly wasn't looking to buy one at the time, but when they offered to take 10 dollars off, i could not turn the female down

[Sharlynn93]

the expo I went to, I was told up front by some vendors the prices were negotiable...another one offered a discount just to entice me to buy..(didn't take it)..but some of the vendors may be looking to not have to pack up as many to go home, or to make room for new ones on the way, too...I wouldn't "haggle" persay, but maybe feel them out by being indecisive and they may counter with a lower price...

[Pareeeee]

Yeah, the word "haggle" might be the wrong word, it somehow sounds rude. I would never nag or be rude about it, but I don't see harm in asking nicely if they'd go down (a reasonable and not outrageous amount) on the price.

[BIGT FROM F.B.]

I keep it simple. Have access to money (very important), buy something you have always been interested in. Just make sure you know any special requirements to keeping first.

[DragonsEye]

Originally Posted by Pareeeee

I usually buy my thermostats and supplies on eBay - are you saying it will be cheaper to wait and get that stuff at the expo?

Originally Posted by Sharlynn93

the 1 expo I attended so far, the heating, enclosures, etc, were about the same as online..small stuff like hides, plants, accessories, were super cheap....

As with anything Paris, what may hold true for the expos I attend may not hold true for those you do -- and unfortunately I can tell you nothing about what maybe typical for a Canadian expo. But I can tell you that items like frozen feeders are far, far cheaper for me to obtain from the expo I attend (even when taking into account gasoline and the $5 admission fee) than if I were to get them at a pet store. Not sure how it would match up to mail order, but since I go to the shows in part to chat to a few of the vendors I have gotten to know and just for the fun of "window shopping" it's all good. With regard to enclosures and such ... I have found that enclosures are either the same price or slightly less than if ordered online BUT by getting it at a show one does not pay the shipping fees nor worry about the shipping service damaging the tank.

Originally Posted by Pareeeee

PS: Do 90% of the people here still think I'm a guy? lol

Originally Posted by Tsubaki

That happens to me as well but it doesn't really matter to me much.

Definitely doesn't help matters either when the forum names are gender neutral or are actual names but of a language different from one's own. I know on a different forum there was a gent of Japanese descent who I thought was a woman because his name ended in an "a". In languages like those of Slavic origin, typically only feminine names end in "a".

Originally Posted by Tsubaki

I But Honestly? i prefer never to go to one at all, idk what expo's are like there but here.. Ugh, its a stinky Very overcrowded building, and if you are not one of the first, you have to shovel people out of the way to get a glimpse of anything...

Now that is something I would dislike as well. Fortunately, while there are times that the crowds can be rather heavy, I've never been to one that was terribly overcrowded and never had an issue with the expo being ..."fragrant".

Originally Posted by Pareeeee

$120 snake. "Will you take $15.00?" lol....

I see situations like that a lot at orchid shows. And some of the hagglers get rather perturbed when the vendor refuses to give in. Last 4 or 5 years, there is a vendor and his wife I have helped out during such shows when they are near me. If the would be customer is asking for just a couple bucks off, I'll refer them to the owners. (Not my plants, afterall, so I never presume to negotiate.) If the offer is ridiculously low (and often it is) I just politely them "No, the price you see is it." Did have one woman one time who was getting rather obnoxious about trying to "force" the issue. I finally told her that this wasn't a thrift store or garage sale. For most of the vendors, this was their livelihood and as such could not afford to give the plants away.

[Tsubaki]

Originally Posted by DragonsEye

Now that is something I would dislike as well. Fortunately, while there are times that the crowds can be rather heavy, I've never been to one that was terribly overcrowded and never had an issue with the expo being ..."fragrant".

'Snake Day' in Houten Netherlands, Huge international show. (Many big names, including US breeders like Bob Clark, Prehistoric pets etc) It's just Horrible.. You can just feel the putrid sweaty smell hitting you in the face the moment you enter... But what i dislike the most, are the groups of people who apparently know each others.. and just hang out in front of a stall, so people can hardly reach it. If i ever go there, it's usually only to pick up animals i had someone bring for me.

And i know my forum name doesn't help but its ok

[Pareeeee]

Pareeeee is my nickname for my actual name, Paris, which some of you know from my website.

Dragon, you need to start a thread with photos of your orchids! My favourite flower!

But yeah, I don't like that kind of haggling, those people just come across as annoying and rude.