• Posted 12/19/2024.
    =====================

    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

Curious how the hobby is going in your area (different parts of the Country/World)

Randall Turner

Randall Turner

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I've noticed that certain aspects of the hobby are all but completely tanked, (Here's looking at you Ball Pythons). While other segments are still doing reasonably well. I was curious to know how the hobby is doing in your area? I'm in Kansas, near Wichita, and outside of Ball Pythons, Leopard Geckos and Crested Geckos (These 3 seem to be difficult to even give away around here currently) you can still find a decent number of local hobbyists working with things and having success either selling directly or at shows. I know of a solid Boa community, Blood Python, Pituophis, hognose and colubrids in general.
 
Things have been pretty slow for me, with a lot of window shoppers and people looking for stupid deals. Did a show in SC last month, and didn't move anything of my own there. With that, granted, there had been 2 major shows the 2 preceding weekends prior, and it was the same weekend as the Daytona show, but I'd heard that Daytona was also pretty slow this year. I'd also had a lot of high tag items on my table as well (various Drymarchon).
 
More ghosting and fake interest than ever before, but still going well for the things I work with.

My impression is that animals with short generation times and high fecundity will drop in demand per breeder/seller as supply skyrockets due to more breeders producing more animals rapidly. Likewise for dominant morphs. Even more for dominant morphs where there is an abundance of males to breed to inexpensive normal females to blow the numbers up. Something slow-growing and rare with small clutch sizes should maintain better for the breeder. I imagine the most commonly kept species have reached a saturation point and it would be good for existing breeders to calibrate expectations with an equilibrium, but the problem then becomes people who want to get into the game combined with those who incorrectly think that more is the answer (or that they will "sneak" through success by producing more while others are producing less), which then runs against the incumbent breeders who would hypothetically be trying to come to terms with a production reduction for the sake of harmonizing with the new equilibrium. Regular customers have lots of options and simpleton sellers will often compete by racing to the bottom just out of a little anxiety. More people breed than those who should be breeders. Supply is high. I imagine the people selling the food products are making out well.
 
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