BP Cost?

**Minkness** · 12-31-14, 02:33 AM

Ball Pythons are everywhere. They are very very common and yes, come in some amazing colors and patterns. My question however, is this.

If BPs are so common and many, why are some still SO expensive?

Around here they go for 45+at a petshop and even on CL people want 100+ for a half grown snake. Get into the morphs and the price sky rockets! I look at rats, corns, and kings, and even a really nice snake is less than 300 and a common one about 20. (Excluding the scaleless types, which still are 1k or less). Then I see morphs of BPs that have been around for a while or are easy to produce, and they are still 300+!

So what makes such a common snake so expensive?

Just curious and trying to understand.

reptiledude987 · 12-31-14, 11:15 AM

I think its based on demand. theyre popular easy to care for and good starter snakes. I'm sure that plays a factor. At the last expo I was at in Toronto they had norms for sale for $20.

eminart · 12-31-14, 12:47 PM

Chain store prices aren't indicative of prices elsewhere in the hobby. Breeders will practically give normals away. Morphs are priced according to their rareness and demand.

Obsidian_Dragon · 12-31-14, 01:25 PM

I can go get a normal BP from the local rescue for $5.

Chain store prices are...in their own little world. Same with Craigslist, really.

**Minkness** · 12-31-14, 02:08 PM

I haven't been to a show in a bit, but I'll be going to a repticon in March!

As for rescues, the only 'real' animal shelter here doesn't have snakes too often, and the other reptile rescues around here are more like flippers than rescues. Maybe it's just my area or my lack of knowledge about my area.

To add to the question however....if its a supply and demand kind of thing, and certain morphs are ready produced, why not charge just a little bit more than usual?

Ex. Blue/black eyes lucistics, pewters, ivories, bananas, pieds, spiders, and bees. To me it seems almost every breeder produces those, or some combo of them (when I look online) but they are still in the multihundreds.

I guess to me, it just seems like there are too many to be 'rare' and some prices are completely eye popping (to me anyway) at 10 grand for a mix of multiple morph types in 1 snake. (Keller clown bumble bee spider as an example. ...not that that combo even exists lol)

Ps. This is in no disrespect to the snake or the breeders, I am just trying to wrap my head around the prices for such a common snake

Cmwells90 · 12-31-14, 02:43 PM

It's simple supply and demand. If I produce 100 baby Spider BPs, and 200 people want them, then I can charge whatever I want (within reason) and I'm sure I'll sell at least half of my BPs at a high price, and negotiate the other 50 to sell for an amount I'm comfortable with. Not all breeders sell for that high, but there are people who don't do research and will pay these higher prices, so there are obviously sellers who will take advantage of this.

**Minkness** · 12-31-14, 04:13 PM

Huh...ok...when put that way I guess it makes more sense...something is only worth as much as someone else is willing to pay for it....

Thanks for the simplified answer! ^__^

toddnbecka · 12-31-14, 05:36 PM

BP's and BCI's are the most commonly bred and available old world snakes in the hobby. Corn snakes are about the same as far as colubrids, and normal color morphs of any of them can usually be found for $20-40 at the shows I've been to. I even saw some baby Children's pythons for $35 at the Hamburg show last month, those usually go for $100+ online. Prices are usually negotiable too, breeders with hundreds of hatchlings are usually willing to lower the price instead of taking them all back home and feeding them.

**Aaron_S** · 12-31-14, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minkness

I haven't been to a show in a bit, but I'll be going to a repticon in March!

As for rescues, the only 'real' animal shelter here doesn't have snakes too often, and the other reptile rescues around here are more like flippers than rescues. Maybe it's just my area or my lack of knowledge about my area.

To add to the question however....if its a supply and demand kind of thing, and certain morphs are ready produced, why not charge just a little bit more than usual?

Ex. Blue/black eyes lucistics, pewters, ivories, bananas, pieds, spiders, and bees. To me it seems almost every breeder produces those, or some combo of them (when I look online) but they are still in the multihundreds.

I guess to me, it just seems like there are too many to be 'rare' and some prices are completely eye popping (to me anyway) at 10 grand for a mix of multiple morph types in 1 snake. (Keller clown bumble bee spider as an example. ...not that that combo even exists lol)

Ps. This is in no disrespect to the snake or the breeders, I am just trying to wrap my head around the prices for such a common snake

Due to being a common species has nothing to do with value. Cars are common yet people spend a fortune on them for different looks but yet they all do the same fundamental service of getting us from point A to point B.

You have to take in a few factors when it comes to pricing.

Supply and demand. Demand is high for a lot of what you said. White snakes are extremely popular the same with pieds. No matter what they sell for a fair price as everyone wants them. I just had someone e-mail looking for a simple bumblebee. I am sold out and so is everyone else he had contacted. Demand is still high.

Now we go to supply. It may seem that everyone is producing them but that is simply not the case. We need to look into the species and how it reproduces. Yes balls are easy to breed. However, they do not double clutch like the milks/corns/kings you mentioned. The average clutch size is 4 - 6 eggs. That's it. That's about half to a quarter of what milks/corns/kings produce in ONE of their TWO clutches per season.

Now we have the time factor. To produce something like what you mentioned in a "super pastel clown spider" or "killerbee clown". (You think you made it up but you actually named a morph just doubled or tripled the same gene in the name.) I digress, my point is it takes years to produce an animal that carries both the clown gene and pastel genes and the spider gene. Let alone needing a pair. Needing the female up to size and to produce viable eggs. Then have the eggs successfully hatch and THEN have the odds in your favour to produce the morphs all in a single animal. Don't forget there's only 4 - 6 eggs and ONE shot a year per female to produce the combo.

Those are just a few reasons why they hold value. This goes for many species but balls seem to hold onto theirs in my personal opinion due to clutch size.

I mean no disrespect to anyone here but we're at a time in the hobby where the new keeper has a glut of information and captive bred animals available to them. Along with plenty of morphs. The new keeper hasn't been along for the ride to see everything develop. It's taken decades to get to where these animals are available in pet stores and to every keeper; new or experienced alike. Let's not forget that and respect the time and effort that has gone into everything.

Cmwells90 · 12-31-14, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minkness

Huh...ok...when put that way I guess it makes more sense...something is only worth as much as someone else is willing to pay for it....

Thanks for the simplified answer! ^__^

If you want good prices, I'd say go to an event, usually you can talk them down to a good price, ecspecially on the last day, because if they sell them, they don't have to ship them home or feed them, which still saves them money. When I got my hognose I used that technique and got him for dirt cheap on the last day. just work your haggle muscle!!

**Minkness** · 12-31-14, 07:42 PM

Wow Aaron! That's a very good reason! I had no idea their clutches were so small! Makes even more sense now. Thanks!

Also, I felt in no way belittled or disrespected in your post. It was very well written with great facts and answered my question wonderfully!

Thank you!

I'm not looking to get a BP, I was just curious. However I will also keep a keener eye when at Repticon this year. =)

I plan on going both days, VIP early pass so I can see the best and then decide if I just want to wait to get something nice but expensive, or a bit more common for less expensive. It also matters how much cash I save till then lol. If I can pick up an axantic superconda hoggie for a good price off the bat, then bye bye savings lol.

**Aaron_S** · 01-02-15, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minkness

Wow Aaron! That's a very good reason! I had no idea their clutches were so small! Makes even more sense now. Thanks!

Also, I felt in no way belittled or disrespected in your post. It was very well written with great facts and answered my question wonderfully!

Thank you!

I'm not looking to get a BP, I was just curious. However I will also keep a keener eye when at Repticon this year. =)

I plan on going both days, VIP early pass so I can see the best and then decide if I just want to wait to get something nice but expensive, or a bit more common for less expensive. It also matters how much cash I save till then lol. If I can pick up an axantic superconda hoggie for a good price off the bat, then bye bye savings lol.

Have to be careful at shows. Waiting too long to say yes could end up with someone else getting the good deal.

I find at shows that yes prices can be good but you need to be ready to buy once you find what you want. If you pay a little more then who cares? You got exactly what you want and over the years of enjoyment you won't remember or care about the extra $50 or $100.

**Minkness** · 01-02-15, 10:48 AM

That's how I feel about Aron. I'll have a budget of course, but, if it's right at budget and EXACTLY what I want, then I'll drop the cash. If it's something I'm on the fence about, I'll express my interest, see how much I can haggle, if it's not enough, then I'll move on and hope no one else gets it before I can haggle a bit more.

My first repticon was where I got my first Crested geckos. One was a yearling male who was in dire need of saving (the guy selling him only had 3 males all fron his friend, and he openly admitted to not knowing much about them because they were on his table as a favor). So, I got a beat up MBD crestie for 20 bucks. Didn't even haggle. Then, I saw at a reputable vender, a lovely cream tiger dalmatian. She was 85$ and sold as unsexed. Try as I might, they would NOT haggle. It was still early in the 1st day and I watched the other, cheaper unsexed babies being sold like hotcakes. Tried to haggle kn my 3rd pass, still nothing...bought her anyway. Don't regret it except that when it came to hard times a few years back I had to sell off some of my high end geckos, and she was the first to go. =(

I'll be looking for another this year though. =)

Marshallarts · 01-09-15, 10:52 AM

I hunk it really depends on what the breeder likes. For example, I've seen people who well BEL for 100-120, but I've also seen them go for 500-800.