Question for the pros.......

Does the snake business always get really super slow in the winter or is it just a hit and miss thing....Is it because of the colder temps. or what...I watched over the summer new ads appearing everyday and now it seems like the same ads over and over again...almost like nobody is buying...maybe I'm just not seeing it right but it almost looks like a dead market right now...it seems to me that right now with all the prices going down it would be the time to buy...whats going on ?
Thanks For Your Input............

Things usually slow down during the winter. The temperature is a factor, but also alot of what is available is leftovers so to speak. Initially poor feeders, second grade animals etc.
There are some late clutches on the market as well, but alot of the hatchlings right now are left overs, sometimes cleverly labeled as "holdbacks"
Sometimes they actually are holdbacks though, but the fact they are for sale means they didn't meet the breeders expectations.
Things like adult colubrids sell in the fall, but most of the time if the seller still has them by now he's brumating them.

Thank You For Your Reply...And now I will look at the classifieds with a different prospective...I do see alot of "hold backs" 4 sale and often wondered why...I have learned that you cant believe everything thats in those ads...I was thinking I wasnt the only one broke and thats why they were selling them lol
I used to only buy & sale snakes through the local pet store...
but with the internet its a different ballgame all together
Again Thank You....Kev.

That is not always the case!!!!
Keep in mind that a lot of breeders purposefully hold on to animals to sell during the "off season" (now) in order to carry them through the winter. Especially full time breeders/dealers--we need something to help pay the bills this time of year!
Also a lot of "holdbacks" are ones that breeders were keeping for themselves, but again, due to slower times, decide to part with in order to pay those bills. So there is sort of a mix of some of the best and some of the not so great this time of year.
But yes, winter is the slowest, especially for snakes.
And of course, there are those who use the term "holdbacks" in a misleading way.

Dana

Jan is notoriously slow in retail (most products) as everyone is getting their christmas credit card bills (sticker shock). We've noticed a larger number of small to medium size sales while the more expensive animals and supplies are staying on the shelf.

Only get into retail sales if you enough roller coasters

enough = enjoy

Originally posted by Pennebaker
Keep in mind that a lot of breeders purposefully hold on to animals to sell during the "off season" (now) in order to carry them through the winter. Especially full time breeders/dealers--we need something to help pay the bills this time of year!

I wouldn't say a lot of breeders do this, as in purposefully set animals aside, avoiding selling them earlier, just to have something to sell during the winter.
In fact, unless you're charging a fair bit extra for them during the winter you're shooting yourself in the foot if you do. After you factor in the time and resources required to maintain a significant number of hatchlings an extra 3-5 months, you're making less on them.
It'd be smarter to sell them all during the peak season and set aside a portion of those proceeds to carry you through the winter.
Most people are not going to pass up a sale in September just so they can have something to offer in January.

There are nice animals offered this time of year, but not as there are during the peak season, and more often than not they are males. The majority are average, the cream of the crop having been picked over earlier in the season.

I wouldn't say a lot of breeders do this

I'd have to agree with Clay. Only the smarter ones that look long term do this.

And, yes you charge more in the winter (or off season for a particular species).

But if you save offspring for the off season, then in order to recoup your increased costs you raise the prices during the normal winter market slump, what is that accomplishing?
Just seems to me to approach it as an outside contractor does in his profession. You do all the jobs you can during the good weather, and coast on the profits during the bad.
If you can sell out during the regular season, sell out, then add more breeders next year, or broker some clutches.
It's just hard for me to see how a professional breeder, someone who is trying to make money, would intentionally avoid sales just to have something to sell later. Seems that would be counter productive, letting a portion of the market they could have had pass on by. I thought the idea was to make all the sales you can, and if you run out, then increase your supply. From a profit perspective at least.
Then again I still have the luxury of seeing this as an enjoyable hobby rather than something that keeps the roof over my head.

But if you produce enough to last for the year, the extra amount you charge during the winter will cover the extra cost of holding them AND you don't forgo any sales during the peak season.

What seems to be happening in the dragon market is that in the peak season the people that didn't realize what it takes to handle the sales of a producing female (100+ dragons) dump them on the market driving the price down. Instead of selling them at wholesale(-) prices then, you hold on and sell them at retail(+) prices in the off season.

Also what your trying to do is remove the roller coaster effect and get something you can work as a budget.