Seamus,
I just bought 2 cases of ramen noodles myself
Tony
good point about keeping the breeding stock. I have seen it happen and I am sure it will happen again. Part of the problem though is that when the price goes back up again many of the buying public remember the low prices and it takes a while for them to get it into their heads that "hey, if you want something now it will cost you more than it did a year or two ago. If you wait long enough it will probably come back down but for now this is the way it is." Still, I have my stump tail beardeds that give me about 20 babies a year and my leos still produce so I don't have to rely 100% on outside stock
I've even seen it on a short term scale. A wholesaler will offer a great price on something (reptile, fish etc.) one or two stores buy a crapload of them and blow them out at way below normal retail prices. then when the wholesale price goes back up to what it normaly is they have problems selling that item at regular prices because people "remember when they were much cheaper" Yellow tangs in the saltwater hobby are an example. a few years ago they were rather inexpensive and you get get them retail sometimes for under $10.00. Now they wholesale at around that and it has taken a year or so for people to realize that this is the price they will be for a while. I know its a little different because we are talking about a WC species in which the supply has not changed much but other factors (collecting, shipping etc.) have driven the cost up rather than a change in the supply but the end result is the same. the difference is that collecting and shipping and other expenses are not likely to go down so the prices on animlas like that are not likely to be as cyclical.
Steve Schindler