One of the hardest things a breeder does is to price their geckos. What criteria do you use when pricing or buying?
My thoughts-I think babies are really tough because there is so much potential with them but often not a lot of data for the customer to go on. They won't know the gender, often the color changes, the pattern changes, desirable traits like white walls often don't even start to show up until 10 grams or so... it can be a risky investment. There is an article a little further down about what you should expect to pay for a gecko, but I thought I would share some key things that I personally keep in mind when pricing my babies and when purchasing babies from other breeders. *This is from the viewpoint of purchases made by a collector or a breeder rather than a person who is looking for a single purchase of a pet gecko. Those purchases are usually based on budget and simply what appeals either emotionally or visually.
1. For a sale: What did I pay for the parents and what would they sell for today.
2. For a purchase or a sale: Is the bloodline rare or unusual in some way? Is the bloodline well documented?
3. Does the baby reflect the (desirable) look of the parent or is it likely to do so? For a purchase: If it doesn't, are the genetics enough for me to gamble on?
4. For a sale: Do I mind holding this one back and growing it up or putting it back into my breeding program if it doesn't sell? Also the very subjective: "How much will I cry if I sell this one?"
5. For a sale: am I holding a lot of this bloodline back already?
6. For a sale: Am I out of space? Do I have the time to care for what I have? Do I have a ton of hatchlings about to pop out of their shells?
7. Where am I selling? I have to think about the extra costs and headaches of shipping if I am selling online. Typically I offer one shipping fee for the convenience of my customers but often it does not actually cover my costs and definitely does not cover my time. I am trying to match national pricing when I sell online and try to keep up with the major classifieds sites to keep current with seasonal pricing. If I am selling regionally or at a small expo then I need to think about what my customers expectations are and also look at the competition. I might also need to recover the costs of the show (hotel, gas, table etc.).
8. When am I selling? Am I trying to sell when the market is glutted with babies? Are there gorgeous males for sale for a fraction of what people paid for them? Is everyone trying to save their pennies for Christmas? Timing can be everything when it comes to price.
9. What size gecko am I selling? This is a part of timing but more specific. If you are selling babies then your price is going to be lower because of the factors I outlined above. Also if you are selling babies when the market is glutted with them your price is going to be a lot lower. If you are selling older juveniles when everyone is selling babies, you might not be as affected by pricing because you are offering a different product. The same is true for adults. You might also find the opposite to be true. If the season has moved on and everyone is selling adults and juvies you might find that your babies (which are still cheaper than the adults and juvies) are suddenly very popular at a higher price than when the market was glutted. *A note on selling babies: do not sell them too young. Babies should be a minimum of a month old before they are shipped or go to a show. I prefer 2-3 months and over 3 grams unless you are selling to an experienced breeder or keeper and they are aware of the risks. For a show/expo, the older the better.
10. For a purchase or a sale: Will this gecko be worth at least 25% more as a juvenile and at least 33-50% more as an adult if I/the customer decide/s it doesn't fit with my/their needs?
This last one is something I try to keep in mind because you will pay for the food, care, housing, and medical expenses of the animal as you raise it. Hopefully you will keep it forever, but if your needs change or it is not the gender you were hoping for then you might be in a position where you need to put it up for sale. If that's the case you don't want to find yourself emotionally upset to be parting with the gecko and also taking a huge financial loss.
11. For older babies: Gender or probable gender if that can be determined. Usually it can't until at least 4-5 grams and only then if males show a definite line of pores. Girls who weren't showing pores have been known to suddenly develop them as late as 18-20 grams. Typically by 12-15 grams they have sorted themselves out though. Females are often considered more valuable because you can have several to one male in a breeding program. There is also the chance that you can house 2 or more females together and so save space. That can be problematic though and is by no means guaranteed success. Many geckos, females or males, are territorial and will try to dominate cage mates for food or space.
12. Color/Morph/Pattern This is a moving target. Many times certain looks are hot and in demand, but the next season they can be out. If you want to keep up with the trends then you are going to have to do a lot of market research and comparative pricing. If you want to be a cutting edge breeder then you are going to have jump on expensive breeding stock and try to stay ahead of everyone else, or create your own fashion. My personal preference is to go with what I enjoy looking at. I spend a lot of time looking at my geckos and I want to be excited when I open the baby boxes and see colors and patterns that make my heart go pitter-pat. Any gecko is a great gecko of course. They all have wonderful and unique personalities so it's hard to go wrong when choosing animals for your heart.
My thoughts-I think babies are really tough because there is so much potential with them but often not a lot of data for the customer to go on. They won't know the gender, often the color changes, the pattern changes, desirable traits like white walls often don't even start to show up until 10 grams or so... it can be a risky investment. There is an article a little further down about what you should expect to pay for a gecko, but I thought I would share some key things that I personally keep in mind when pricing my babies and when purchasing babies from other breeders. *This is from the viewpoint of purchases made by a collector or a breeder rather than a person who is looking for a single purchase of a pet gecko. Those purchases are usually based on budget and simply what appeals either emotionally or visually.
1. For a sale: What did I pay for the parents and what would they sell for today.
2. For a purchase or a sale: Is the bloodline rare or unusual in some way? Is the bloodline well documented?
3. Does the baby reflect the (desirable) look of the parent or is it likely to do so? For a purchase: If it doesn't, are the genetics enough for me to gamble on?
4. For a sale: Do I mind holding this one back and growing it up or putting it back into my breeding program if it doesn't sell? Also the very subjective: "How much will I cry if I sell this one?"
5. For a sale: am I holding a lot of this bloodline back already?
6. For a sale: Am I out of space? Do I have the time to care for what I have? Do I have a ton of hatchlings about to pop out of their shells?
7. Where am I selling? I have to think about the extra costs and headaches of shipping if I am selling online. Typically I offer one shipping fee for the convenience of my customers but often it does not actually cover my costs and definitely does not cover my time. I am trying to match national pricing when I sell online and try to keep up with the major classifieds sites to keep current with seasonal pricing. If I am selling regionally or at a small expo then I need to think about what my customers expectations are and also look at the competition. I might also need to recover the costs of the show (hotel, gas, table etc.).
8. When am I selling? Am I trying to sell when the market is glutted with babies? Are there gorgeous males for sale for a fraction of what people paid for them? Is everyone trying to save their pennies for Christmas? Timing can be everything when it comes to price.
9. What size gecko am I selling? This is a part of timing but more specific. If you are selling babies then your price is going to be lower because of the factors I outlined above. Also if you are selling babies when the market is glutted with them your price is going to be a lot lower. If you are selling older juveniles when everyone is selling babies, you might not be as affected by pricing because you are offering a different product. The same is true for adults. You might also find the opposite to be true. If the season has moved on and everyone is selling adults and juvies you might find that your babies (which are still cheaper than the adults and juvies) are suddenly very popular at a higher price than when the market was glutted. *A note on selling babies: do not sell them too young. Babies should be a minimum of a month old before they are shipped or go to a show. I prefer 2-3 months and over 3 grams unless you are selling to an experienced breeder or keeper and they are aware of the risks. For a show/expo, the older the better.
10. For a purchase or a sale: Will this gecko be worth at least 25% more as a juvenile and at least 33-50% more as an adult if I/the customer decide/s it doesn't fit with my/their needs?
This last one is something I try to keep in mind because you will pay for the food, care, housing, and medical expenses of the animal as you raise it. Hopefully you will keep it forever, but if your needs change or it is not the gender you were hoping for then you might be in a position where you need to put it up for sale. If that's the case you don't want to find yourself emotionally upset to be parting with the gecko and also taking a huge financial loss.
11. For older babies: Gender or probable gender if that can be determined. Usually it can't until at least 4-5 grams and only then if males show a definite line of pores. Girls who weren't showing pores have been known to suddenly develop them as late as 18-20 grams. Typically by 12-15 grams they have sorted themselves out though. Females are often considered more valuable because you can have several to one male in a breeding program. There is also the chance that you can house 2 or more females together and so save space. That can be problematic though and is by no means guaranteed success. Many geckos, females or males, are territorial and will try to dominate cage mates for food or space.
12. Color/Morph/Pattern This is a moving target. Many times certain looks are hot and in demand, but the next season they can be out. If you want to keep up with the trends then you are going to have to do a lot of market research and comparative pricing. If you want to be a cutting edge breeder then you are going to have jump on expensive breeding stock and try to stay ahead of everyone else, or create your own fashion. My personal preference is to go with what I enjoy looking at. I spend a lot of time looking at my geckos and I want to be excited when I open the baby boxes and see colors and patterns that make my heart go pitter-pat. Any gecko is a great gecko of course. They all have wonderful and unique personalities so it's hard to go wrong when choosing animals for your heart.