Low Cost Reptiles?

While I have been keeping reptiles for 13+ years now I am relatively new to the selling of reptiles online. I have the ability right now to start small with my business and want to take advantage of the fact that I do not necessarily have to make a certain amount of money, which I think lets me focus more on the important stuff like the animals and customer satisfaction. My experience so far selling solely online has been fairly good but I have recently come up with a question that I am unsure of. Looking at some of the pricelists from various wholesale suppliers I see numerous animals being sold for hardly anything "less than $10". My question is does anyone actually buy animals online where the shipping cost is more than the animal they are purchasing? Does anyone here who sells online offers some of these inexpensive animals and how do they sell compared to animals being sold for $50+

Thanks,

Brandon

I think several things are going on with these $10.00 animals.

First, few people are buying just 1 so when you divide the shipping cost between 5 or 6 or more animals the cost per animal is reduced significantly.

Second, even with shipping it may be cheaper than some pet shops especially in remote areas.

Third, people in remote areas may not have a choice if they want the animal.

Fourth, some people just don't seem to equate shipping charges with the cost of an animal.

I have had a few customers come to me for mice for the snakes they bought on line and find out that the corn they got for $15.00 plus 40.00 shipping they could have gotten from me for $29.99. I guess that's my fault though for not advertising enough.

buying in bulk will equate shipping, reptiles shows and expos if attainable as another choice of livestock including the reptiles and feed, but then depending on miles and gas prices. At times buying on line and or shipping has a lot of problems and even with the as now no shipping of any kind of live stock in certain parts of the country due to heat and then the same on some of the winter months. Of course living in like tim-buck-too has it's on problems with shipping as in PROLONGED shipping and receiving and i have lived in such a place. If wanted a common corn snake juvenile that sells for like $5 and add shipping with i heard of now averaging $50............really doesn't make sense. Maybe a retail pet store would go in on you for splitting the cost factor of them being able to combine some animals with your order ? We did that some times. Maybe some friends would go in on your order ? I've done that. A retail pet store that has reptiles is always an option if the animals or cared for and look good. You would still get that under $10 animal cheaper than shipping and the problems. Just some considerations here..........

I purchased a Cal King that cost $40 with $45.00 S/H

I bought her because she is a rather interesting unique pattern.





I don't look it as "The snake is worth less than the shipping" - I look at it as "The shipping is a necessary expense".

By the time you feed, house, screen for parasites, etc. the actual cost of the pet is almost always going to be smaller than the necessary expenses related to owning the pet.

Next season I'm going to buy two male albino banded Cal Kings.
They are future mates for two female HET banded Cal Kings that I will hold back from my WC banded and Albino banded pair.

I'm going to get them from separate breeders just to add genetic variability to my pool, even though in both cases - the shipping will undoubtedly cost more than the snake (unless I buy additional snakes from same breeder). It's an expense of building the collection I want.

Usually low cost, I will buy in person, or an expo. The only time I buy "cheap" snakes that need to be shipped, is in numbers. The cheaper the snakes the more I buy, so that the shipping costs spread out to a decent price for each individual animal.