Overpriced Veiled's
- Thread starter Anitec21
- Start date
kaity
New Member
My local pet store sells baby "unsexed" Veileds for 175-210. They sell baby Jacksons for 150-175. IT'S CRAZY. Local people in my area on CL sell there sick and miss-labeled chameleons for way way to much also. The same petstore got in a adult Veiled once and wanted 330 for him. They also keep both species in the same exo terra.
http://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/pet/3069351327.html - here is a Veiled in exo-terra for 200 and the had it posted for 250 yesterday.
http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/pet/3070883563.html -here are some Panthers for 300 for males and 200 for females, not horrible but he doesn't even know the females local and had the male ID incorrectly.
http://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/pet/3069351327.html - here is a Veiled in exo-terra for 200 and the had it posted for 250 yesterday.
http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/pet/3070883563.html -here are some Panthers for 300 for males and 200 for females, not horrible but he doesn't even know the females local and had the male ID incorrectly.
skittles1234
New Member
Mind you there are 20 year olds on here ( myself being one) and I currently live on my own. Pay my own rent. Pay my electric and water and I own four chams. I rescued them all from bad owners and pet stores at decent prices. I also maintain good credit in order to get things I want. Such as my appartment and my car. It's not an easy world out there and your generation screwed it up for us thank you. Mind you I wasent even a thought in time when the Internet came to be. Thank you very much
skittles1234
New Member
Trying to quote this
jannb
Chameleon Enthusiast
I think veileds are under priced in general. They are beautiful chameleons with awesome colors and personalities. They should be priced similar to panthers IMO. They cost just as much to raise and feed as a panther. In fact the veiled babies eat more than the panther babies. Not only do pet store owners have to make a living breeders should be paid more for veileds also. If they were more valuable they wouldn't be sold so young and at such a cheap price that they just fall into the hands of anyone.
Zen Reptiles
Avid Member
I agree with Jann. I am always surprised to see even the most ugly panthers selling for $250+ and then some of the most beautiful veileds I have ever seen in person were $30 bucks.
I've noticed in Canada the prices have come up over the last 8 years from $30 to $100/$150+. Which is a good thing. Reason being that the people selling them for $30 got out of breeding them because of such low profit. Some other entrepreneurial-spirited individuals came along about 2 years later and re-introduced them to the hobby for a bigger price. For 2 or 3 years I never saw veileds available, and then BAM $150 and they are all selling out.
I don't think any 'next level' reptile should be less than $125 IMO.
I bought my first female veiled chameleon (was supposed to be a male) for $50 from a breeder, through a pet store connection, never used UVB for the first 3 months, she was less than 2 weeks old when I got her, I kept her in an aquarium with coco-fiber until I learned better, and only had calcium w/ d3 for the first 8 months that I had to special order in because all that was available in every pet store here was just multi-vitamins.
She lived for 8 years and never had a single problem with her.
So yes they can be sold at that age, but as mentioned above, there is due-diligence required by the buyer to know what they are buying. You don't buy a car and not take it for oil changes...........oh wait, no, nevermind. I know lots of people who have major car problems cause they don't.
Is the car dealership stupid for not telling you to change your oil? Or are you stupid for not knowing to change it? Diligence diligence diligence.
I've noticed in Canada the prices have come up over the last 8 years from $30 to $100/$150+. Which is a good thing. Reason being that the people selling them for $30 got out of breeding them because of such low profit. Some other entrepreneurial-spirited individuals came along about 2 years later and re-introduced them to the hobby for a bigger price. For 2 or 3 years I never saw veileds available, and then BAM $150 and they are all selling out.
I don't think any 'next level' reptile should be less than $125 IMO.
I bought my first female veiled chameleon (was supposed to be a male) for $50 from a breeder, through a pet store connection, never used UVB for the first 3 months, she was less than 2 weeks old when I got her, I kept her in an aquarium with coco-fiber until I learned better, and only had calcium w/ d3 for the first 8 months that I had to special order in because all that was available in every pet store here was just multi-vitamins.
She lived for 8 years and never had a single problem with her.
So yes they can be sold at that age, but as mentioned above, there is due-diligence required by the buyer to know what they are buying. You don't buy a car and not take it for oil changes...........oh wait, no, nevermind. I know lots of people who have major car problems cause they don't.
Is the car dealership stupid for not telling you to change your oil? Or are you stupid for not knowing to change it? Diligence diligence diligence.
IronHulk
New Member
First off , I think its great you are supporting yourself and paying bills etc etc (its called being responsible) especially in these difficult times. I think you need to do some research on when the countries problems effecting us now started, you will find it was way before my time, I am 20 years older than you the people who put us here are my parents age and older, For example those nice folks who ran fannie mae , freddie mac and the current and previous administration and even before that. Bailouts, golden parachutes , over paid pensions, but alas this is not a lesson in current affairs. Nothing you or I can do about it just keep on doing the best we can. Back to the original topic , yes pet stores will charge what they can, they are in business to make money plain and simple, and because things are so messed up in the USA it is hard to stay in business.
Colorful Creatures
Member
I just saw this post today as I was vending at the Arlington show for Plano pets this weekend. First off I sell all chams to Plano Pets and by no means are we selling babies the size of your thumbnail. Everything is always at least 3 in and eating 1/4in crickets. You also never mention how at Plano Pets every animal in there is backed by a full guarantee and Chip Beitel is one of the most upstanding sellers in the market. As already mentioned previously in this thread the costs of a store like that are enormous. You should've bought from us at the expo and you would've paid $50. Also stated as well I definitely think Veileds are highly underpriced for what it costs to actually come up with them. Not to mention after shipping and everything where the hell are you going to get one that's not around $100 anyways at least this way you get to see what you're getting.
DanSB
Avid Member
Some very good points have been made here but I think the most important has not been stressed.
A shop keepers overhead makes <b>NO</b> difference to their consumers. Nor should it.
A shop keepers job is to offer real or perceived value for goods that allow them to make a profit and stay in business. The battlefield of competitive business has changed and not to the advantage of the small guy... or has it?
If you run a small business and would like to succeed your business model needs to be different than the internet merchants with less overhead or the big box stores with huge buying power.
If you simply charge more you're doomed. A customer will come in to purchase the goods, buy them if they want and can afford it, then see that they paid more than others sell the same or similar product for, get furious and never return.
Some think the consumer should care about the small shop and pay more to vote with their wallets. I say the small business needs to provide additional perceived value so the person pays more and is happy about it.
The most successful aquarium shop in Sacramento charges WAY more than every other shop in town. Every aquarium keeper knows it but still go there. Why? Because they add tremendous value. They have found the best suppliers, the best fish, have the knowledgeable employees and a very nice environment. There is a huge perceived value so you don't mind paying more.
Other than finding a profitable niche market a small business needs to differentiate itself so people will pay more and feel good about it. The days of the "General Store" run by ma and pa are long gone folks. The world is changing every day and to succeed you must change with it.
I personally will pay more for an item that is supported and backed by a reputable establishment no matter what size the establishment.
Also a word for those who hate the "big boys" who drive everyone out of business. Home Depot, and many other huge stores started small, found a good scale-able model and grew. They used ingenuity and hard work to get where they are. If you want to compete with them the only thing that is stopping you is a lifetime of work, luck, and ingenuity.
A shop keepers overhead makes <b>NO</b> difference to their consumers. Nor should it.
A shop keepers job is to offer real or perceived value for goods that allow them to make a profit and stay in business. The battlefield of competitive business has changed and not to the advantage of the small guy... or has it?
If you run a small business and would like to succeed your business model needs to be different than the internet merchants with less overhead or the big box stores with huge buying power.
If you simply charge more you're doomed. A customer will come in to purchase the goods, buy them if they want and can afford it, then see that they paid more than others sell the same or similar product for, get furious and never return.
Some think the consumer should care about the small shop and pay more to vote with their wallets. I say the small business needs to provide additional perceived value so the person pays more and is happy about it.
The most successful aquarium shop in Sacramento charges WAY more than every other shop in town. Every aquarium keeper knows it but still go there. Why? Because they add tremendous value. They have found the best suppliers, the best fish, have the knowledgeable employees and a very nice environment. There is a huge perceived value so you don't mind paying more.
Other than finding a profitable niche market a small business needs to differentiate itself so people will pay more and feel good about it. The days of the "General Store" run by ma and pa are long gone folks. The world is changing every day and to succeed you must change with it.
I personally will pay more for an item that is supported and backed by a reputable establishment no matter what size the establishment.
Also a word for those who hate the "big boys" who drive everyone out of business. Home Depot, and many other huge stores started small, found a good scale-able model and grew. They used ingenuity and hard work to get where they are. If you want to compete with them the only thing that is stopping you is a lifetime of work, luck, and ingenuity.
lysinlight87
New Member
My lil guy was £65, which I guess equates to about $130. i didn't mind- if I were buying a hamster, I'd being really annoyed lol, but not with an exotic.
DanSB
Avid Member
I seriously doubt that!
Olimpia
Biologist & Ecologist
Just that I agree with you. Why should WE as consumers have to cover their overhead costs if WE aren't getting our money's worth. You really do have to offer value if you're going to charge more. Make it worth my time and my money. Have staff that I can really rely on, and have animals that are in excellent, beautiful shape. Otherwise, paying 3-4x what I would elsewhere for an animal that may be WC, may have issues, may not be getting proper lighting/supplementation is very simply not worth it and not my problem.
I've paid close to a grand for each of my pure-bred dogs for what I get in return; show-quality, genetically healthy animals with a breeder who is just an email or a call away if I need help. That value is money worth spending - way better than a $200 Sheltie from Craigslist. On the other hand, I buy from a panther cham breeder who offers me gorgeous animals at $150 + $6 overnight shipping, is readily available for advice or help, and who goes the extra mile in customer service. I get everything I want and require for less, so why go anywhere else.
If you're going to charge more, give me more in return. Make it worth buying from you over going to a show and picking out an animal in person for a fraction of the money. Have staff I can really depend on for advice and offer animals with the same kind of quality and health as I get from small, online breeders and I will happily support a local business.
Going on my own advice, I'm trying to read up as much as I can about the animals we carry so that I can offer the kind of advice I'd like to receive if I were buying. Plus trying to give the animals the best care I can with the resources I have available. It's just sad when employees working at any animal establishment don't care enough, they take away from that value we're talking about. I've already had to make up for the poor info that Petco/Petsmart gives out.
ataraxia
Avid Member
All of this gave me a headache.
Cainschams
New Member
DanSB
Avid Member
Well your friendly neighborhood chemist has a solution for that: Aspirin, Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen...
